Homeschool Statistics: Science Says to Homeschool

I am so excited about this one friend, and you should be too! Today is homeschool statistic day and it’s a pretty one! Why so excited? Because: SCIENCE SAYS TO HOMESCHOOL. People may doubt you, but I don’t, and science doesn’t either. 

People can very easily argue with you and me, but science? 

NOPE. 

So stick this one in your back pocket for all those naysayers in your life, share it on your Facebook, and go as aggressively or passive aggressively as you feel. Either way, boost your own confidence with the knowledge that your kids and your choices will speak for themselves one day. 

Science is on your side. 

We’re going to kick off this party with the thing everyone brings up first, SOCIALIZATION. Scared? Not after this.

In 2003 the Home School Legal Defense Association commissioned the largest homeschool survey ever conducted on a total of 7,300 adults in the United States who were homeschooled to see how their lives were impacted. 

Spoiler alert: they were MORE SOCIAL AND INVOLVED in their communities than their public-schooled peers. Here are some of the highlights:

• 71.1% of homeschooled adults were engaged in an ongoing community service activity vs. 37% of traditionally-schooled adults the same age 
• 88.3% of homeschooled adults were members of a social organization vs. 50% of traditionally-schooled adults of the same age
• 96.5% of homeschool adults felt confident in making a comment or statement in a public meeting vs. 88% of traditionally-schooled adults. 

To me, numbers like this are the best measurable identifiers of healthy social skills. This is either a statement on the confidence of homeschoolers, or the nonconfidence of adults raised in the constant scrutiny of the public eye (especially if their public eye consists mainly of children who have not fully grown their own social skills). 

But I digress; either way this is a huge win in the homeschooling department! 

For my next favorite topic: parental education. I will stop here and say that I do not condemn parental education, and it can be great for parental growth, but, contrary to popular belief, it has little to do with the success of a homeschooled child. The stats prove that love does indeed conquer all, especially when it comes to our kids’ continued success! This may not be a surprise to our instincts, but it is hopefully ego-boosting and is most likely a surprise to our brains.

The best way to prove this is through testing scores. There are certainly greater ways to measure a child’s success, but for the purpose of understanding the impact of parental education, this is the best we can do for hard evidence. Author Rebecca Devitt cites three key study-driven results on this topic in her book Why on Earth Homeschool:

1. The gap between test scores of homeschooled children whose parents have no form of degree vs. homeschooled children whose parents both have some form of degree is 16%.
2. The kids of parents without a degree still outperform their traditionally-schooled peers by an average of 33%.
3. There is only a 1% difference in test scores between homeschooled children that have a parent who is a certified teacher vs. homeschooled children who do not.

That last one is what I consider the biggest surprise to our conditioning: teaching certifications or degrees make no difference in the success of homeschooled children.

So why is parental education so inconsequential to the success of homeschooling? I have a few theories, but my main one is this: love and therefore dedication. 

We are personally invested in our children’s education more than anyone else could ever be. Caregivers don’t just love their children, but love them more than themselves. If we don’t know something we will find it. That doesn’t just give our kids the information they need, but also teaches them that it’s okay (and even encouraged) to do their research when they don’t have all the answers.

Harboring a love, or even just a comfort, for attaining information is the single most important thing we as educators need to teach our children. SAY IT LOUDER FOR THOSE IN THE BACK! 

Here is a secret to life and homeschooling: a degree can only take you so far. Total knowledge is never fully attained, and dedication can easily overtake years of studies. Even doctors have to reference and refresh, and if you find one who says they don’t…. I’d stay far far away folks.

“Total knowledge is never fully attained, and dedication can easily overtake years of studies.”

-SHM

Now for the moment we have all been waiting for…drumroll please… and taking the win for the thing that keeps us all up at night…it’ssssss…OUR CHILDREN’S HAPPINESS IN ADULT LIFE!

This one is what it’s all for. Maybe aside from our children’s souls, this is what we obsess over the most. By now you’ve probably guessed (the unpredictability factor on this blog really needs some work – where’s George Lucas when we need him?), but homeschooled adults are cumulatively way happier in the most important factors in life compared to the standard U.S. adult. 

They find more contentment in work, finances, and life in general.

So homeschooled kids are happier overall but we all know how kids are – grown or not, we don’t get a lot of credit. The grass is always greener right?  

Not so in this case. We can all rest easy because homeschooled adults overwhelmingly agree with their parents’ decision to homeschool them. A majority would even go so far as to say they STRONGLY AGREE with their homeschooled raising. I don’t think you could ask for much better. 

Statistics don’t lie and people are starting to catch on, to our betterment, to the homeschool lifestyle. More homeschoolers mean a better support system, protection of our rights, awareness, community, and opportunity for us and our kids. In the U.S. in 1973 there were only 13,000 homeschool students reported. In 1993 there were 1,000,000, and, hold on to your pants, because in 2021 that number jumped to 3,721,000! 

Already many areas in the United States have begun to do things like host proms, graduations, or meetups for their homeschool community. Parents are beginning to see homeschooling as a real option and the general public is beginning to become less critical as they meet and learn about our community. 

You can homeschool and I hope that these statistics encourage that basic instinct that told you you could.

We as caregivers can do some amazing things, and the fact that you have taken the time to look into this form of education tells me all I need to know. Congratulations on your journey, whether it is just beginning or is something in the past. It truly is a great journey and chances are high for your success. 

If you would like some more motivation, feel free to look at my post on the 25 Things You NEED to Know to Start Homeschooling, where I hope I can give you more peace and encouragement in some other areas that may not have been met here.

Gracefully yours,