The Results of Home Schooling vs Public Schools

One of the very first questions that mosthome schooling spent about $550 per student
parents ask about home schooling is whether iteach year. This figure for home schooling does
actually works. They are only too well aware ofnot of course take into account the time spent
the fact that the public schools have problems,by parents on home schooling for which a public
but really wonder whether they can do anyschool teacher would be paid.
better. One natural response for some parents isThe public school system as we know it today
to try a little harder to see if they can affordevolved during the second half of the 19th
private schooling but, even if this were possible,century as one state after another made school
are the private schools faring any better than theattendance compulsory. Perhaps the most
public schools?interesting question however, and one which
The simple fact of the matter is that there arerarely seems to be asked, is why, if public
many, quality studies which show that, onschooling offered such superior value, it was
average, home schooling produces superiornecessary for the states to make it compulsory
students. To an extent of course this isand to force parents to put their children into the
understandable as parents clearly have an effectpublic school system.
on education no matter which route they take. AIt could be, and sometimes is, argue that this was
parent who is genuinely interested in the educationdue to the ignorance of rural parents who did not
of his or her children will help to motivate them,see the value of education. However, it is
producing better results.interesting to note that adult illiteracy rates in
But there is certainly more to it that this and1840 Massachusetts were a low 2% and that, by
there are many cases, in a great enough variety1995, this figure had risen to 19%, in spite of
of situations, to take even this into account andapparently enormous advances in the intervening
still come to the conclusion that home schoolingyears. In 1840 libraries were rare and today they
produces better results.are everywhere as books are both relatively
Even the Unites States Department of Educationinexpensive and easy to trade.
agrees. In one study which they sponsoredToday over a million children are home schooled in
themselves home schooled students producedthe United States and thousands of home
exceptionally high test scores. The median scoresschooled students have attended colleges and
in every grade were far higher than those ofuniversities, including many of the most prestigious
public schools and even higher than those ofand difficult to get into.
private school students. The average homeWhatever your own thoughts about home
schooled student in grades one through four wasschooling vs public schools there is no doubt that
a grade level above that of public school peersthe results clearly show the advantage of home
and, by the time home schooled students reachedschooling.
the equivalent of the 8th grade, they were asprovides advice and information on many aspects
much as four years ahead of students attendingof parenting and can also be your best homes
public school.schooling resource with information on such things
As if this were not enough, costs were alsoas the advantages and disadvantages of home
lower. On average, government schools spentschooling, home schooling vs public schools and
$6,500 per student each year and private schoolsmuch more.
spent $3,500. By contrast, parents undertaking