When you think homeschool vs. public school, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Sometimes what you’re wistfully gazing at is a toxic algae bloom.
Welcome to my life. Changing circumstances meant at various times my children have been homeschooled, in public school, in charter school, or in online school.
So grab a pen and paper and take notes. While your kids are listening to Adventures in Odyssey for the umpteenth time you’re about to get schooled.
Public School Vs. Homeschool: Pros and Cons
Student Statistics
Eyes shouldn’t glaze over unless you’re staring at a donut, so we’ll make quick work of homeschool vs. public school statistics.
Unless stated otherwise, facts and numbers presented are from the National Home Education Research Institute led by Brian D. Ray, Ph.D. who has been analyzing data on homeschooling for over 30 years.1
Some days you might feel like Elijah — alone hiding in a cave, but you aren’t.
NHERI calculates there were 3.1 million school-aged children homeschooled last year in the United States. With each passing year that number and the success rate of homeschooling continues to grow.
How can we compare empirical academic data? One way is testing.
“Homeschool students score above average on achievement tests regardless of their parents’ level of formal education or their family’s household income.” – NHERI
The College Board reports:
“Mean ACT Composite scores for homeschooled students were consistently higher than those for public school students.” 2
Free “Getting Started” Homeschool Checklist!
Make it easy to go through the steps with a printable list.
Test Scores
The topic of testing can make your head spin more than a Tilt-a-Whirl.
Take heart! Parents who homeschool have a general idea of a child’s progress even when formal testing isn’t done. You select the books, see the copywork, correct the worksheets, and have conversations.
There are also other less obvious clues as to what’s being learned:
- Do your children calculate new troops in the game of Risk TM faster than you can count countries? They’re comfortable with basic math.
- When you comment on the condition of a teen’s room and she responds, “Nature moves toward a state of entropy,” rest assured she has learned (and applied) the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics.
- If your yard is littered with branches after a storm and someone makes a joke about Birnam Wood, you can be confident they’ve finished Macbeth.
But how can you gauge your child’s progress in public or charter school?
- Work is often completed online with no physical record for parents to see.
- Increasingly there are no books for parents to review.
- Report cards are no longer issued at some schools.
- Some classes are entirely ‘self-paced’ allowing years to complete.
- Extra credit and re-testing can sometimes occur even after a grade has been put on a transcript.
Having first-hand experience in multiple school districts, it can be EXASPERATING to find out how a child is actually performing.
What your student is being assessed on is perhaps more important than a course grade itself.
We had a parent-teacher conference because one child was accused of cheating. “There’s no way your child came up with these answers on their own!”
During the conversation my student revealed that books filling our shelves had actually been opened and *GASP* read to research answers for an assignment.
The teacher apologized and commended the student for initiative. Then in a complete about-face responded, “The only answers I want to see in the future are from material taught in my classroom.”
We both learned quickly:
Public schools aren’t necessarily about learning well but often about regurgitating material the teacher selects.
Confining education to a finite set of information has consequences. Children learn to do only what is expected rather than to stretch their minds and strive for excellence.
What does that mean for homeschool vs. public school test scores? NHERI reports:
- On a scale of 1 – 99, homeschool students typically score 15 – 30 points above public school students on standardized achievement tests.
- If you’re black and homeschooled, that number rises 23 – 42 percentile points compared to public school peers.
Socialization
“87% of peer-reviewed studies on social, emotional, and psychological development show homeschool students perform statistically significantly better than those in conventional schools” – NHERI
Are homeschool kids antisocial? Some are. Like their peers in public school each child is unique, and no two will adapt or respond identically or ideally in social situations.
What if your child is one of the socially awkward, developmentally delayed, or insecure children that doesn’t quite fit in—especially among the seemingly superstar homeschoolers?
Ask yourself:
- Who do you want your children surrounded by all day long?
- Who will help them grow in grace and maturity?
- Whose words or experiences might crush their spirit?
- Who is best suited to nurture and develop their character?
Our foray into institutional schools gave my children opportunities to interact with people outside of the typical homeschool sphere. Like tasting a bag of trail mix, sometimes it was sweet; other times it was nuts.
When trying one course to see if public school would be a good option, my daughter engaged with peers during “lockdown” while drug-sniffing dogs scoured the halls.
At another school kids brazenly and daily passed dime bags across the cafeteria table. No, this wasn’t inner city; It was a wealthy, suburban district with kids “from good homes.”
Such moments gave me the opportunity to share Proverbs 13:20:
“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
God calls us to be kind to others, but he does not command us to befriend everyone. Did I suggest my child find another table to sit at during lunch? Most definitely.
But socialization isn’t just about peers.
Children are socialized by adults in their immediate circles too.
Case in point:
One English assignment analyzing music lyrics involved a song so objectionable that when the teacher tried to show the video in class, the school computer system blocked it. The students were then told to watch it on their phones or at home.
Wrap your head around that.
We’re told to guard our heart and mind in Christ Jesus, yet some of the adults we’re entrusting our children to for hours a day are blatantly encouraging sin and willfully bypassing safeguards.
Though I’m usually jubilant at the prospect of my children expanding their vocabulary, I wasn’t always gleeful when new words “from school” made their way into conversation.
Did the teacher broaden their minds and expose children to ideas and language socially acceptable today? Yes, but our goal isn’t to get a perfect score on a BuzzFeed quiz.
Our goal is to glorify God.
Quality of Education
Grab a granola bar for this journey. We’re going to do some time-traveling to unpack this topic.
In the book of Genesis, there’s a detail in the Garden of Eden that many of us haven’t given much thought to—The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
We all understand the significance of Adam and Eve eating its fruit on the most basic level. It was disobedience.
But the ramifications of this first sin go far beyond simple disobedience. Because of the fall, all of humanity now has access to the knowledge of good and evil without the capacity for proper understanding—or the mindset to seek good.
An analogy may be helpful here:
The youngest children can access infinite data online, but none have the capacity to comprehend it all—let alone the discernment to properly apply it to their lives. Moreover, even if we could, sin has distorted our ability to think rightly about what we read, see, and hear.
Genesis 6:5 says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Evil continually.
Apart from Christ, we cannot properly discern nor fully comprehend God’s perspective of good and evil. It is only in Christ Jesus that we can access the wisdom of God through His Word and Spirit, and then apply that wisdom to the knowledge we’ve acquired.
A quality education is not just acquisition of intellectual information. Children need to be trained to apply knowledge in alignment with God’s wisdom and will.
An example?
The plant Belladonna can be used as an herbal remedy, a prescription drug, a hallucinogenic, or a lethal poison. A quality education seeks wisdom to understand botany for God’s glory, not for self-delusion nor another mans’ demise.
Remember that 2nd Law of Thermodynamics mentioned earlier?
It’s not just affecting your teen’s room—the whole earth is descending into chaos. Since the fall, each person daily decides for himself what is good and what is evil and then acts upon this knowledge.
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools.” Romans 1:22
Evil has so permeated our culture that man not only rejects that Jesus is the Truth, society now rejects the idea that truth exists.
The very notion of good and evil which were once considered opposites are now considered “social constructs which might be right for you, but not for me.”
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” Isaiah 5:20
This gets us to the heart of “What is a quality education?”
Are you training your children “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”? Colossians 1:10
This is not always a homeschool vs. public school issue.
There are Wicca, Pagan, and secular homeschool communities, and there are Christ-followers in brick and mortar schools.
Homeschooling is not a guarantee of success, nor is public school a mark of failure.
The question is: As you make educational decisions, are you prayerfully seeking the wisdom of God and being obedient to what He has called you to do?
Benefits of Homeschooling Over Public Education
The advantages of homeschooling are numerous and, while this list isn’t exhaustive, I think you’ll see why homeschooling is better.
You already know glorifying God is the primary goal, so we’ll focus on quirky reasons that may not immediately come to mind:
SLEEP: Few words stir the heart of a mom more. Guess what time one local high school starts classes? 6:30 AM. Add in an extracurricular activity (like robotics) that can end at 11 PM, and you and your kids get a whopping 6 hours of sleep—at best.
CLOTHING: Homeschoolers are known for pajamas, but public schools often normalize societal norms by suggesting attire for days or even weeks at a time. Halloween costumes, LGBTQ+ apparel, and Earth Day shirts glorifying “mother nature” are just a few.
Then there are the innocuous but cumbersome school requests at 6:04 AM.
- “What do you mean your class has to wear yellow today?”
- “Yes, this is the only yellow shirt we own.”
- “It was white—our rusty water turned it yellow-ish.”
Praise God for Romans 8:28!
SICKNESS: Ready to be nauseous? Some of the same schools that freely hand out condoms restrict the use of cough drops. Combine that with post-COVID health rules, and you have a recipe for ongoing drama. Parental authority to navigate minor or long-term illness is one of the greatest benefits of being homeschooled.
On a happy homeschool note, our most productive school days EVER were when two of my children were temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. I carried my school-aged daughter to the table and put out work. Then I carried the preschooler to another room. Neither could move.
The older child completed piles of work because, well, she was stuck. Even the energetic healthy kiddo made spectacular progress because our daily little distraction was immobile in another room unable to interrupt.
Did I mention Romans 8:28?
FIELD TRIPS: This deserves an entire post but suffice to say …
- No crowds
- Student/teacher discounts
- Endless possibilities & education at its best. Go to a spider web farm, a mustard museum, botanical gardens, or a Civil War reenactment.
YOU COMMAND THE SCHEDULE:
- Wedding out of state?
- Family member terminally ill?
- Free tickets to the symphony?
- Farmer’s cow about to give birth?
- Service opportunity?
You get to experience life without defending your choice to school administrators. As the parent, you know the best use of your child’s time—and that it isn’t always in a classroom.
Are There Disadvantages to Homeschooling?
Almost everyone I’ve ever spoken with has said, “Oh, I could never homeschool. I don’t have the patience.”
Surprise! Knowing your own character flaws and those pesky traits of your children is an advantage, not a disadvantage to homeschooling. When you know what’s wrong, you know where to focus.
One perceived disadvantage is that you’re not equipped. Most of us are not certified, let alone know everything about every subject that may surface in the next 12 years.
Here’s why that’s not a problem:
- ‘God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called,’ is a fitting phrase. Open your Bible, and read of David, Gideon, and Jael. Jael had no training for the task thrust upon her yet single-handedly took down the leader of the Canaanite army. She only had a tent peg. You, too, are armed with a formidable weapon—a library card.
- God designed us for community, so find a co-op, a handful of homeschoolers, or seniors in your church who can walk with you. That retired engineer may delight in explaining algebra to your 8th grader. If nothing else, it will force you to swap out pajamas for clean clothes once a week.
- The Lord’s Prayer instructs us to pray for our daily needs—not obsessing today over what we may need in the next decade. God may move a chemistry whiz into your neighborhood when your son is in 11th grade, but right now focus on teaching the 3rd grade math he needs to master first.
Perhaps the greatest disadvantage of homeschooling is the time commitment. You likely won’t get everything done on your wish list. Only God is omnipotent.
Prior to having kids, I would spend hours making dinner and took delight in hosting.
The vegetables would be carved into designs. Cloth napkins would be folded into free-standing sculptures. The meat would be soaking in homemade brine for 24 hours before roasting, and desserts were so, so pretty.
Then I started homeschooling.
Our table filled with little people whose greatest food concern was reaching for the ketchup.
I reluctantly realized my penchant for beautiful food was a preference, not a necessity. As time constraints arose, I frequently had to relegate my wants for others’ needs.
That’s when I realized that homeschooling was not just educating my children. God was teaching me day by day to embrace His priorities.
We all can identify some disadvantages to homeschooling.
But ask yourself—will they matter in light of eternity?
What About Public School at Home?
Public school at home may be tempting. We tried it and vetted specific teachers before enrolling part-time. (Part-time public school is allowed in our state.)
Unfortunately, our initial mostly-positive experience was not replicated when we switched to full-time. Of all of the alternatives we’ve experienced, full-time, public school at home was by far the worst.
In our experience, it involved:
- kids staring at a screen 8+ hours a day
- relinquishing control over curriculum choices
- forcing even young children into standardized testing
- forfeiting our right to ‘opt out’ of specific teachers or courses
- surrendering your authority to teach—or worse—you may be expected to reinforce material that denigrates a biblical worldview
- having your child’s computer use tracked on every site—not just coursework
- agreeing to have your child (and anyone else within sight or sound) videoed in your home through the computer camera & mic
Sometimes, there are no words. Thumper the rabbit said it best. “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.”
Transitioning from Public School to Homeschool
In some states pulling your child from public school to homeschool is easy. In other states, it is challenging, but in all states it is doable.
Organizations all across the nation provide ‘how to’ guidance. Home School Legal Defense Association is one place to find the requirements of your state.
We even have how our own step-by-step guide to homeschooling for beginners.
What do you do once you’ve made the decision to homeschool?
- Continue to pray.
- Follow your state laws.
- Find other homeschoolers. Where are they?
- Ask your librarian, churches, and local charities. (Homeschoolers tend to volunteer in the community.)
- Look on Facebook or scour Homeschool-Life for groups
- Once you find peers, ask every homeschooler one question:
What do you wish you had done when you started homeschooling?
Don’t ask what curriculum we used in 4th grade. Some of us will give you a different answer for every subject, every semester, and every child in our quiver.
When you ask about what we wished, it will bring forth a well-spring of encouragement, as well as identify field trip ideas, helpful household tips, and yes, excellent curriculum recommendations.
Finally, remember this:
You likely won’t be able to have everything (or do everything) on your wish list.
Unlike God, we live within the bounds of time and human ability.
Is Homeschooling Better for Kids?
The homeschooling vs. public school debate will exist as long as we have the option to train up our children at home.
Sometimes the debate rages within society, and other times it stirs within families.
Are you wondering how homeschooling affects a child? It can provide a loving, personalized education that helps a child excel academically, emotionally, and socially.
Empirical data from unbiased research shows consistently better outcomes than that of public school, and there are innumerable advantages of home education that can’t be quantified.
If you agree, share your enthusiasm!
Tell others how God has led your family to homeschool.
And as you talk with others, show grace, especially to those with a different perspective. In your zeal to win converts, it’s important to remember that homeschooling isn’t the Savior—Jesus is.
will your children recognize truth?
Sources:
1 https://www.nheri.org/research-facts-on-homeschooling/
2 Trends in ACT Composite Scores among Homeschooled Students
