1.) Can home schooled students get into competitive colleges?
Many students we know have been admitted to commendable four-year schools. Like traditionally schooled students, the home-schooled student can take steps to make themselves more competitive for college admission. My two high school graduates were accepted to four-year schools as freshmen with full-ride scholarships. My oldest was accepted into a PhD program without a master’s degree.
2.) Do home schooled students score well on the ACT?
First of all, the national average on the ACT was 20.9 in 2018. The statistics on the ACT website show that home schools score higher than public schools. My oldest two scored above 30 on the ACT making them competitive for merit scholarships. My youngest scored higher than the national average in his 8th grade year. We began ACT testing in the 7th grade and used study guides to prepare each year. The ACT is a knowledge-based test so the scores can be improved through preparation. Families who compete for great schools and scholarships pay for ACT test prep services. Read Act in Middle School and The ACT Advantage.
3.) Can home schooled students gain college scholarships?
High ACT and/or SAT scores, well-developed talents, and early college credit make students attractive to a college recruiter. My oldest daughter earned merit and talent scholarships to cover her entire tuition at a private school. Complete tuition was offered at a state college too. At school, she was awarded with additional scholarships above and beyond her financial needs. She is literally getting paid cash to attend college. The top scholarships at her school went to home-schooled students. Other students in our circle have received college scholarships as well.
4.) Do home schooled students succeed at college?
According to EDUCATIONDATA.ORG the college dropout rate is 40%. I have not been able to find a credible statistical comparison in dropout rate between traditional and home-schooled students. But there are some opportunities that home schoolers get that I believe would place them in the 60% group. Self-directed study, out-of-the-box thinking, community engagement, personal development, talent development, and employment are a few. Of these factors, I think that a history of employment is the most important indicator of success at college. My daughter who was employed in high school noticed that fellow college students with employment histories adapted more quickly to the college environment. She has made straight A’s and is now applying to PhD programs in English. So yes, home schooled students can succeed in college.
5.) How many hours a day does home school take?
It depends on the grade/age, the curriculum, and your philosophy. I spent approximately an hour a day with my son during the elementary years. We skipped many, many days yet he acquired the necessary skills generally referred to as the 3 R’s. He spent a lot of time playing outside, drawing, assembling Legos, and reading. In middle school we studied between one to two hours on most days, still skipping days. In high school, when credits are needed, my kids study about 3 hours a day four days a week. Fridays are set aside for co-op. See Short School Days Work.
Related: Is an Eight-Hour School Day Necessary at Home?
6.) Do home schoolers get bored at home?
Entertaining kids and listening to complaints of boredom over an entire year was my number one fear about home education before we started. Much to my relief, my kids settled into hobbies fairly quickly. They never complained about being bored. They do not engage in personal video games or TV watching either. TV is not part of our life. I think when kids have endless amounts of time to fill, they will discover their interests and passions.
Based on my experience with kids in traditional school, it’s probably not appropriate to use summer break behaviors to predict home school behaviors. Over the summer, traditionally schooled kids don’t typically have established hobbies and routines to fall into, so they demand more entertainment ideas from a parent. Furthermore, summers are typically punctuated with trips and camps, so hobbies don’t get a chance to materialize.
Related: How My Kids Spend Their Extra Time
7.) Do homeschoolers have a chance to socialize?
Yes. For one, my kids are blessed to have each other for fun and companionship. They participate in many outside groups. Our kids have more time to participate in community activities and play with their homeschool friends than their traditionally schooled friends who bear the albatross of nightly homework. We have spent innumerable days with groups of friends at the skate rink, playgrounds, beaches, swimming pools, field trips, and fast-food restaurants. Sometimes we spend the entire day hanging out together doing no schoolwork at all.
See my post Socialization: a Fake Issue for a breakdown of the definition of “socialization.” It’s not the same as “socializing.”
8.) Will we get judged and criticized by family and community?
Probably. People judge what they don’t understand but think they know based on stereotypes. Home school is heavily stereotyped. People never truly understand a situation unless they have been through it themselves. Nevertheless, we come across plenty of supporters in the community to make up for the few naysayers. Some of our more skeptical family members are now ardent supporters of home school because they can see the outcome.
9.) How do I figure out courses and curricula?
Research the curricula options online. Read the reviews. Find copies of the books and look through them. Meet with as many people as possible who home school to learn about a variety of options. Most importantly understand your children’s needs and do your own research. You can add my experiences to your hopper by reading No Nonsense Kindergarten, No Nonsense First Grade, English in the Elementary Years, and Rethinking Science and Social Studies in the Elementary Years.
Read Curriculum 101 to get a general overview of the types of curricula available and how to develop a strategy.
10.) Will my kids be behind if we change our minds?
In the beginning we were not sure if home school would work out, so we felt pressured to maintain a parallel universe at home. I trust my kids would have been able to rejoin their grade level then. But when we committed to homeschooling to graduation and learned new ways to educate, I knew they would be more advanced in certain subjects but certainly not behind in others. Every student I know who returned to school, was admitted at their age-appropriate grade level. But then again, my world is small. The answer to this depends on many factors. Some schools will test students for placement.
11.) Will my kids transform into weird beings without the shaping forces of peer pressure?
Maybe. At first my oldest child, who started home school in the 6th grade, thought that home school students were different than her school peers. They were weird she said. I just reminded her that home school students are not being judged and criticized daily by groupthink so they can express their creativity and unique personalities.
I find it ironic that the self-esteem building campaigns aimed at children encourage the very thing that home schooled kids get criticized for. The one that comes to mind is Be-You-tiful. I guess it depends on your vantage point. If weirdness is the ability to be yourself, then I guess I like weirdness. To reword Forrest Gump’s famous line, “Stupid is as stupid does,” I say weird is as weird does.
Read: Is Homeschool a Good Alternative During the Covid Crisis? if you are considering homeschool this year.
I am not an expert in education. The purpose of this post is to share my personal experiences and thoughts about homeschool in order to offer you the type of information I was looking for when I began searching. If you are confused about your children’s educational situation, pray for guidance and wisdom. Placing your faith and trust in God will give you answers to the really big decisions in your life.
Musing: a period of reflection or thought. As such this post reflects my thoughts, opinions, and experiences on the topic. The choice to home school and the methods you choose are yours to determine.