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This piece has been making the rounds in home school social media accounts, and I'm sharing it mostly because I'm annoyed by it.
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More than a third of families with at least one homeschooled child also have a student enrolled in a traditional district school. Another 9% of homeschoolers have a child in a charter.
Angela Watson, an assistant professor and director of the university’s Homeschool Research Lab, called the finding a “big deal.”
The data is “evidence that there’s not this rejection of public schooling that people frame it as,” she said. She doesn’t know whether many families were “mixing” different forms of education before the pandemic. “To my knowledge, no one has thought to ask this question before. Folks just assumed homeschool families were homeschool families.”
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Oh, for goodness' sake. Families have been mixing up their educational choices for decades. I've been speaking at home school conferences for over thirty years and I've been hearing from parents who have different children in different schools/home/charters/etc. for almost all of them. So what's with the wide-eyed wonder?
I would guess that, post-pandemic, perhaps more families are taking advantage of this sort of flexibility. But it's been going on for a very long time.
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More Than a Third of Homeschool Families Also Use Public Schools, New Data Shows
www.the74million.org
‘I don't know any family that really has kids who learn the same way,’ one parent said.1 day ago
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Guilty. Four out of five enjoyed homeschooling and chose hs over a public school, but our last one is following a different path.
I think this just indicates the paucity of good research on homeschooling in general.
After 19 years fully homeschooling we used a charter school this past year for the first time. Since we moved, it was also the first time we had that option. 2 children went to school part time, but we chose curriculum and did most of the instruction. The school provided extra curriculars and special ed services. The 3rd was there 4 days a week with the school providing all instruction and curriculum The last part of this article is exactly why: "I needed help". It wasn't what we wanted, but the help I needed wasn't available within the homeschool or church community. I was burned out and our youngest, who has Down Syndrome, ADHD, and Autism, reached school age. We will be using the same charters for the first part of this school year, until the military moves us again and we lose that option. We haven't decided what we will do with our youngest, but homeschooling him full time without help is exhausting. I know many special needs families who use public and charter schools for services and supports not available privately. I often wonder if that would change if those things were available. I'd much rather work through my church, or a classical school, or a co-op, to meet those needs - but they simply aren't there. Having someone to help me figure out how to teach my limited-verbal son with severe fine and visual motor delays how to read and write is a gift! Those few hours a week when I can sit, have a hot cup of coffee, and read a book, knowing he is learning, are a balm to the soul. BTW - as I plan for next school year, I've decided I need you and Phil Vischer to work together on videos for Story of the World. My son's auditory comprehension is challenging, but "What's in History? with Buck Denver" would have him singing about Namar and Ashurbanipal in no time. 😂
Here a LOT of homeschooled high school students are part time their junior and senior years so they can attend the tech center. It is super common, and they are considered part time public school students. This is also true of the Catholic and Lutheran high schools. It has been this way for close to 2 decades. We also have something called homeschool partnerships with public schools which allow $350 per class for non core classes per student per semester, and the instructors do not have to be certified to teach, but show relevant coursework and experience for the topic. For 3 years, I taught an aerospace engineering and rocketry class through one school district, and my students were considered part time public school students because it was state per head funding to the district for home, public, and private school students enrolled. There have been flexible education options for a long time in my state.
Aarrgghh. I hate the "purist" mindset that swears that children should never see the inside of a brick-and-mortar school, or that is heavily fixated on the idea of public schools as the enemy. I remember a woman in my city who wanted to start a homeschooling support group, with a special focus on new homeschoolers -- but one of her iron-clad rules was that you couldn't discuss, in any way whatsoever, public schools. I have 4 children, and only one was exclusively homeschooled. The point was not a blind fealty to home education -- the point was to educate each child in the way that best met his or her needs. We did it all -- homeschool, public school, private school, self-study -- long before the pandemic.
Our family technically doesn't even homeschool. One is at a public technical high school learning dental assisting, and my middle schooler goes one day a week to a parent partnership program that he is 100% enrolled in. We homeschool the other 4 days (and use our choice of secular homeschool curricula paid for by the school district), but he counts as a full public schooler. My 4 year old will be in the same program next year.
I’ve graduated 3 - we dual enrolled each of them at some point with multiple school districts. Yep, we like to mix up our options! Every child is different! And I’m thankful for school administrators that are understanding! Some are more willing to work with us than others despite the legislation that allows for us to participate. I’ve learned to build relationships with the schools.
I wonder if it seems ‘new’ because many of families that never would’ve considered homeschooling chose that route after the pandemic for at least one of their kids and weren’t the stereotype of homeschoolers.
Yes being flexible for the child. And HSing a kid with post infectious disease from Lyme, and my middle son, and dealing with autoimmunity myself, it was easier to send my daughter to K. She thrived and I kept her challenged at home with books and trips etc.
I have so many thoughts rolling-- these comments are helpful to a Mom/Grandma now -- who homeschooled 6 children and now watching 15 grandchildren being schooled in various ways. Thankful for healthy growing families.
I mean. This article is a big “duh” for anyone who homeschools. My oldest went to public school until it didn’t work. Then we went to a Parent Partnership Program which is technically part of the public school system. During Covid we went fully homeschool. After my oldest took a couple classes at the local high school and a couple classes at community college. Now she’s fully in community college and my second went full time public high school this last year. My two youngest are going to stay primarily in homeschool at least until their freshman year and then we’ll see what they need. The beauty of homeschool is the ability to tailor the education to the child.
Um, you wrote a whole book on this entire subject before the pandemic 😅 "Rethinking School" was one of the first books I read when starting to homeschool, and I often refer to it. Most homeschoolers are not anti-public school. We just have kids who don't fit the current model 🤷♀️ our public school provides us with evaluations, IEPs, and speech therapy for my kids. I'm so grateful for them!
We public schooled my older kids in K & 1, homeschooled for 5 years because public wasn’t working for my neuro spicy family, are sending them to a small private Classical school next year and continuing to homeschool the youngest because she has special needs the private school can’t accommodate. Like someone else posted, we’re just doing what’s best for each kid!
Perhaps homeschool parents are actually considering the individual needs of each child using the resources available to them to do so? 😅❤️
I was a public school student raised in a very Charlotte Mason-esque household. Now, I homeschool both with the CM method, my oldest being in ELC funded daycares prior to pulling her out. Growing up in rural Oklahoma, I had friends in public school with homeschooled siblings, and we all attended the same church groups.
Let’s not forget that if our homeschoolers are participating in public school sports, we’re forced to “enroll” at least in tge state of WA
Oldest was always homeschooled until he dual enrolled at CC for 10th and attended a traditional school for 12th. Younger kids have been a mix throughout the years. Last year all four kids were in a public charter--first time in 12 years no one was homeschooled. We just made the best choice, given our resources, that we could for each kid each year. But now that I have them in my dream school, I'm perfectly content to hang up my homeschooling hat.
If your only reason to homeschool is that you don't like/trust the public schools, I don't think that's enough. You need reasons to be FOR homeschooling. One of them is flexibility. A friend of mine once told me that we've forgotten professional educators are "subcontractors" to parents, not the other way around. Parents should be able to pick and choose. We used charter schools, participating in 4 different types as we moved during our homeschooling years. The key was knowing what reporting requirements we would/could accept and what we would/could not. If the charter wasn't flexible, we moved on. They helped by curriculum when my husband was out of work, we usually had teachers we could work with (and when we didn't, we requested a change), and for one kid, a high school charter and supervising teacher provided a very valuable buffer between parent/kid when very much needed. It was what worked for each of 4 kids, and that is exactly the flexibility and right to be independent that we were looking for. 😎
I agree with you, homeschoolers tend to adapt the learning environment to the child. That might include trying different options. And of course different children learn differently.
All five of mine used the ps for sports--one kid lettered 9 times in 7 different sports! And they all started at a public university by 14. We had to pay for the university classes. They all graduated with at least a year of college credits; one of them, two years.
Back in ‘90-91, my mother was homeschooling us until my father went to the first Gulf War. She enrolled us half day in our local high school because she could only do so much with a husband at war. We then learned of several other families that were in and out of that school depending on what they needed.
Yep, I schooled 4 kids. One homeschooled through graduation, one until 3rd grade, and two through 8th grade. Those around me with multiple children took the same approach. We chose what was best for each kid.
This is so ignorant it's laughable. I was homeschooled and the majority of the homeschooling people I knew growing up homeschooled because they were "anti public school." And even I know this is not and was not the case for most homeschoolers.
Think that would be called meeting the needs of the child, or there is no one size fits all education or school choice
I remember when I was in high school, there was a homeschool girl who came to play in band with us (this was like '93, '94). But she could just show up and go right in the entrance near the band room. Didn't have to check in at the office or anything. Now, my friends with kids who do this have to check in, be escorted to class. And they can't come early or stay late. And they have to be registered as a part-time student.
Burgers and homemade apple pie, driveway fireworks and Bill Pullman's Independence Day speech. The Fourth, done and dusted. ... See MoreSee Less
2 days ago
While it's difficult to know for sure, my preliminary calculations on the effect of the newly passed "big beautiful bill" suggest that I'll do better (I own the family farm and my own business), and one of my hard-working kids on his own health insurance will lose it.
So that will be a wash for the family, since we're obviously not going to let him go uninsured. But that's only a wash, not a loss, because as a family we can absorb the hit.
Not everyone is in our position. ... See MoreSee Less
3 days ago
I hope, Susan, all will work out with those who work on your farm. I didn't know you owned a farm. I am a long-time fan of yours because of your novel with the good title You know the one
It’s a wash? This is the most selfish, disgusting, short-sighted, and depraved summaries of what happened to our country today. May you, your children, and your grandchildren have the future you voted for.
What it looks like to me is no matter what this administration does - this page is going to complain. I’ve seen complaints about Trump cutting funds from the budget and now complaints about him adding to the debt. Any time theres a decision on how to spend the money- arguments ensue. The old “can’t please all of the people all of the time” comes into play here. Be careful to heed Israel’s warnings from history in 1 Corinthians 10: 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. Not good to complain- makes place for the devil.
I have to say it drives me a bit crazy to have doge which was trying to find in our government, and now we have this bill, which even a professional of history Susan Wise Bauer cannot decipher. I think Doge needs to come in and edit this bill to get rid of word waste!
It’s unsustainable. it’s extremely unfortunate but some times it’s necessary to cut costs and lower expenditures before it comes to the point we lose the house. Would you run your household on the assumption that you put 20% of your expenses on a credit card that won’t get paid?
Some of my older kids who are still on our insurance because they are still in school or don't work for companies that provide it will have to roll off our insurance when they are 26. I don't know what they are going to after that happens now that the ACA has been cut. Where did you find the information to see what the effects of this bill is for you and your kids health care coverage?
Medicaid is currently not sustainable as it is. I’m curious as to what cuts to Medicaid you are referring to? Medicaid was meant to be a temporary stop-gap for people, it was also not meant to be accessible for non qualified college students, and illegal immigrants and people who are committing fraud and taking advantage of the system. I would add that Medicaid is managed mostly at the state level regarding eligibility and such.
I think people also are overlooking that the changes in Medicaid will impact hospital funding. I’ll end up seeing a reduction in services in my area. A large portion of my community only receives healthcare due to Medicaid
As a mom of a kid with Down syndrome this bill is terrifying.
Susan, you always have the appropriate words. “Not everyone is in our position” sums it up for every level of our socio-economic society, and even the wealthiest, will come to see the harm. As a single school teacher, I stay in fervent prayer for the least and the lost of my flock, that show up each day, lacking more than their peers. May we all take stock of this moment and remember.
My son lost his a couple of years ago.
I can't imagine earning less than $15,000 per year, as I once did when I started out, and having to pay MORE in taxes.
There is a lot being said here when most admit that an understanding of the bill is not clear yet. It would be helpful if folks attached a link to where in the bill their claim can be verified. I’m not interested in any resources/news outlets that make claims. I want to see the language in the bill that verifies the change or concern. After all, many of us here are homeschoolers and there is nothing better than original sources.
Susan Wise Bauer why would your son lose health insurance?
We will come out about the same but have 3 kids who will lose insurance.
There is no impact to those with disabilities. www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/06/myth-vs-fact-the-one-big-beautiful-bill/
This is helpful- taking everything with a grain of salt but I trust zero media from either side. www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/06/myth-vs-fact-the-one-big-beautiful-bill/
I’m so confused how so many Americans have agreed they want to live in an uneducated, sick, and poor society all so the rich can get richer. Sad.
With millions more uninsured, some will go without and die. Others will still go for healthcare and the system must absorb it meaning everyone with insurance will start paying more. You will be affected. Your utility bills will also increase. You will be affected. If you make under 175,000 a year, your taxes are increased so ultra-rich people have more. If you have elderly parents, Medicare has been cut so we will all be paying for that. This shifts the burden to those that make the least while taking access away to healthcare, food, childcare and more. It also gives more money to ICE than the entire federal prison budget. That should speak volumes as to whether it is only illegal immigrants they intend to gather while simultaneously giving more power to the executive branch to ignore the judiciary. It is terrifying.
My husband works as a mental help therapist serving almost exclusively people on medicaid. The harm this will wreak upon the most marginalized is not only unconscionable, it is positively villainous.
My daughter, all the other foster adoptees, and the 8,641 Kentucky children still awaiting permanency will suffer greatly because of this. We homeschool due to disabilities. I have a masters degree in public administration but I'll be searching for third shift work so she can have both a parent caregiver and health insurance. I'm 55 and I've been a SAHM for 12 years. My options will be limited.
We're in the same situation. Nothing specifically to hurt us, but it will hurt my son's and my neices' ability to be independent without support from mom and dad. I'm afraid to even look what it will do to my mother.
I'm worried about my daughter, who's on Medicaid. Worried that my own ACA might be impacted too. We are on lots of meds we cannot afford without insurance coverage. She has an illness that makes it challenging to work.
Most families can't afford the hit. I will do what I can to help mine, but our rural hospital probably won't survive. Nearest semi major hospital if that happens 2.4 hours. Ours stabilizes the big hits for plane transport 200 miles away to the nearest major hospital.
I'm sorry that you are feeling a hit in your family as a result of the BB Bill. I have kids with disabilities, so we'll see what the future has in store for them with less services. My husband is a CPA and knows the wealthy will especially benefit from paying significantly less taxes now. I personally didn't want it to pass. It doesn't seem to truly benefit anyone but the top 1%.