Why are many American families deciding to homeschool?

Homeschooling has had a place in the American educational system for nearly 30 years, with it having been made legal in 1993. However, in more recent times, homeschooling has seen an overwhelming increase in popularity. But why are so many American families deciding to homeschool their children?

Every parent will have their own reasons for choosing to homeschool. Perhaps they lead a busy lifestyle, running a successful business with regular travel abroad, or perhaps it’s more simple than that, and they simply want a more bespoke education solution for their child. This is particularly true for those parents with exceptionally gifted children, who require additional attention in order to challenge their mind and keep them engaged with education, allowing them to fulfil their potential. Even parents who choose the private school route for their children often feel the need to call for support for specific subjects, whether it’s Math, Science or Social Studies.

Another reason for Americans choosing to homeschool is that they feel their children will learn better when in an environment which is more familiar to them. Children are typically more open to asking questions when in a one-to-one setting as compared to being in a big classroom. This additional freedom to ask questions, and the fact that the tutor is only focusing on one child at a time, instead of 21 in the average American classroom, also means that the tutor has more time to deliver an answer to the question asked in a way which the child understands.

With these reasons in mind, one of the solutions is to homeschool on a permanent basis. When you choose to homeschool through a private tutor, you can handpick the one which is most likely to suit your needs and those of your child. Here at Beacon, we specialise in matching highly educated, professional tutors with our clients, either taking them from our database of individuals who have previously undertaken work for us, or by sourcing them through our tried and tested techniques which we’ve spent years refining.

Of course, the worldwide coronavirus pandemic has also had an impact on the number of children being homeschooled. In fact, according to a report from Bellwether Education Partners, which was commissioned by the Walton Family Foundation and published in August 2021, the parents of “nearly one in five of the nation’s schoolchildren did not get what they wanted from their child’s school” over the 18 months where covid-19 was rampant throughout the States. This led to a considerable increase in the number of homeschooled children during the pandemic, with Dr Brian Ray’s study published by the National Home Education Research Institute noting that “various news articles have described school-district specific and statewide increases in homeschooling of 50% to 100% from March of 2020 to March of 2021”. Ray goes on to acknowledge that both parents and children saw the benefits of home-based education which was initially enforced as a result of government on schools across the country, and that the growth in homeschooling is likely to continue, for reasons which we have outlined previously in this piece, as well in our benefits of private tuition blog.

So, simply put, American families are deciding to homeschool as a result of the overarching benefits such as the flexibility, tailored curriculum and one-to-one engagement, which have been highlighted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. If you’re considering homeschooling your child or children by introducing a private tutor, and you live in the USA, then you can call us or send us an email for more information. Alternatively, visit our Contact page and fill in the form.