Pulling a child out of traditional education is assumed to be a big financial trade-off for parents, but looking beneath the surface there are hidden benefits, which makes home education a win-win situation for parents.
Over the years, especially following the rise of COVID-19, homeschooling has evolved from what was once considered a niche or alternative educational model into a mainstream educational approach.
Before 2019, homeschooling experienced a slow and steady growth of approximately 1.9% in the United States, but due to the pandemic, those figures have climbed to roughly 2.8% - 3.8%.
During the pandemic, several learning options and alternatives were introduced by schools, and many parents bought into the idea by shifting their children from traditional learning to remote learning. This move increases homeschooling amongst children massively but only for the time being.
Many economists and education analysts expected a massive number of school kids would rush back to traditional public schools once standard classrooms fully reopened. But instead, a significant portion of those kids never returned, which represents a serious structural shift.
Data from Magnetaba shows that approximately 6-7% of school-age children are homeschooled, representing over 3.7 million students in the United States alone.
The pandemic might be a big deciding factor here, but there are other primary factors which contribute greatly to the reason why some parents prefer to homeschool their children some of those factors are issues like school safety, bullying, and negative peer pressure, amongst others, like the desire for a customized, flexible curriculum that adapts to their child's unique pacing.
Some parents also feel the desire to integrate specific ethical, moral, or philosophical worldviews into daily learning.
Although the illusion of public school tuition is free, parents still face out-of-pocket costs of an average of $600 to $1,200 per child each academic year on things like school supplies, field trips, extracurricular fees, athletic equipment, school uniforms or dress codes, and classroom contributions.
On the other hand, data from the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) indicates that the average homeschool family spends approximately $600 per student annually on basic curriculum and books. However, total costs typically range from $500 to $2,500+ per year depending on several choices.
While financial costs might be debatable between the two systems of schooling, other benefits and costs, like the opportunity cost of parental time, are a great advantage for parents who decide to homeschool their kids.