Has Homeschooling reached its zenith and now declining?

[Gooblink]

This is based on purely anecdotal evidence. Maybe it's the economy? A regional thing? A fluke?

 

So many of my friends are giving up homeschooling and sending their kids to private or public school. I mean, even some of the stalwarts who used to mentor and lead workshops and teach co-ops in our area.

 

Has anyone else noticed this as a trend? I'm thinking there won't be formal statistics available for a while that would point either way.

[i.love.lucy]

I see homeschooling growing as a result of the economy. An influx of new families that used to private school now can't afford astronomical tuitions and will homeschool. Some of them are trying out univ model schools that seem to be about 1/2 the cost of full time private. Those are the ones that are probably not in it for the long haul, but who knows.

[FaithManor]

I've seen both sides of the economic coin. We have friends that privately schooled their kids but can no longer afford the tuition and are homeschooling. We've seen homeschooling moms place their kids in school because they need to get a job in order help make ends meet. I'd say that statistically, the number of each is about even so homeschooling numbers have probably not changed in our area.

 

Well, except in one school district. The number of students leaving the school district for homeschooling or private schooling did take a bit of a jump last year when several events in one year appear to have been the "straw that broke the camel's back". The band director fathered a child with a student, two girls were arrested for attempting to poison another student (rat poison on her food but another student saw them sprinkle it on and warned her, THANK GOODNESS), the superintendent fired two kindergarten teachers citing budget issues but then the school board bought him a fully loaded cadillac (nearly $100,000.00), and the principal of the local elementary school left his fingerprints in a third grader's shoulder because the child bow his head in silent grace (never uttered a single word outloud) before eating his lunch. The judge dismissed the charges saying that it was wise of the principal to defend the separation of church and state even if it meant using force. IT WAS A THIRD GRADER!!!!

 

So, in one school district, homeschooling to a rather profound leap forward. Thirty families if I remember correctly. I don't think its reached its pinnacle because the idiocy within the government system (at least in our state) is continually deteriorating.

 

Faith

[Ellie]

No, I don't think so. Even back when I was hsing, there were always some who didn't keep their dc home through high school, the pioneers of hsing who wrote the books and did the workshops and the whole thing.

 

I do think we should be careful not to blame everything on "the economy," even though it's an easy target. :-)

[jujsky]

I see it increasing in my area. The schools in my area are getting worse so it seems like for every parent I know that stops homeschooling, a couple more start up. I wonder if it seems to the OP to be declining because some of these students are reaching jr. high or high school? Many parents stop homeschooling at that point.

[Mommyof4ks]

I have seen some of both. Many of my friends have kids that are entering middle school, which is when many people here put there kids back in school. However, there are many new families in our community that have youngers who are just starting. We plan to hs all the way through, so our circle will be VERY small in a few years.

[Pretty in Pink]

I don't think HSing is on the decline, no. I do think that a lot of people start their kids young in HSing and that, the longer you've been around, the more likely you are to see people choosing traditional school settings at some point.

 

I don't have any statistics to back this up, but I'd be willing to bet that more families DO NOT homeschool through high school than do.

[Melissa in FL]

I'm seeing an increase here. There have been a couple of families that have put their children back in school because mom has had to go back to work. But I've seen more families who have had their children in private school pulling out. One of the local nice private schools has been in trouble since before the economy started going south. The last couple of years they have survived as their families leave by raising tuition. Many of the families have left or are leaving this year and homeschooling their kids. There are definitely more now than there has been.

Melissa

[LibraryLover]

I meet more and more. My new neighbor introduced herself and I wanted to let her know why she will see kids in my yard during school hours. She said, "Oh, both my sisters homeschool in VT!". That happens all the time. In the market, at the library. Everywhere. We never get a negative word said, instead we get bright-eyed stories realting others they know who hs.

 

Where I live there is sometimes a mix of hsers and schoolers even in one family. I've also known kids who have gone to preschool or K, and then homeschooled, or kids who have hs'd all of their lives and then gone b & m high school. Or never hs'd in the younger grades, but hs middle and HS. I think the variety of hsers is amazing, and I appreciate how each family seems to work out something unique that works for them.

Edited August 2, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Mynyel]

Increase here too. HSing is BIG in this area. I also know a few people that want to homeschool but life circumstances make it pretty much impossible. Others want to HS but...kids are too young to formally start! :)

[m0mmaBuck]

MIL teaches at a local private school and told me that many of their families that can no longer pay the tuition are HS'ing their kids using the same curriculum (Abeka) the private school uses rather than put them in PS. The school even helps these families by giving away any "old" or partially used workbooks from the previous year.

 

I think there are some families putting their kids in PS because they need two incomes but there are also many families pulling their kids home from the more expensive private schools and pulling their kids out of the failing public system.

[MariannNOVA]

I see it growing here in northern Virginia. I just received my 8/1 SHARENET newsletter (it comes twice a month) and there was 2+ hours worth of co-ops, groups, etc to look up and research. I've watched the info increase, the number of groups increase, and the amount of high school programs, etc increase as well.

Edited August 2, 2010 by MariannNOVA

[Crissy]

This is based on purely anecdotal evidence. Maybe it's the economy? A regional thing? A fluke?

 

 

 

I sent my son to high school last year, but it wasn't for any of the reasons listed.

I wasn't prepared to give him the quality education he deserves, so he's now at the public school taking a full schedule of AP classes and thriving.

 

I imagine there are a variety of reasons for the trend you are seeing.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I've always known families who homeschooled during elementary and middle school and then sent their kids to high school for many reasons. So as my kids age, yes, I am running into many people who used to homeschool who are no longer doing so. But at the same time, there are lots of families who are starting to homeschool their littles - I just don't meet as many of them anymore because my kids are older!

[KrissiK]

I don't see it either way, here. Although I do know that our local Christian School that's been around for 80 years is really suffering financially because of a drop in enrollment. I don't know if those kids are being put in PS or if they're being hsed, though. I think some people may be quitting hs because it's harder than they thought, or they were pressured into it (or peer-pressured into it) and aren't really committed. HSing is hard. DS1 and I are constantly at logger-heads and not a day goes by that I don't consider putting him in school.:001_smile:

[Mommamia]

This is based on purely anecdotal evidence. Maybe it's the economy? A regional thing? A fluke?

 

So many of my friends are giving up homeschooling and sending their kids to private or public school. I mean, even some of the stalwarts who used to mentor and lead workshops and teach co-ops in our area.

 

Has anyone else noticed this as a trend? I'm thinking there won't be formal statistics available for a while that would point either way.

 

I've noticed the same thing. My friends who have decided not to homeschool this year have all voiced some sort of burnout. With that, I'm trying to restructure my mindset and our routine...hoping to avoid burnout.

[Audrey]

No, I don't think so. Even back when I was hsing, there were always some who didn't keep their dc home through high school, the pioneers of hsing who wrote the books and did the workshops and the whole thing.

 

I do think we should be careful not to blame everything on "the economy," even though it's an easy target. :-)

 

:iagree: with Ellie. I'll bet if you did a bit of informal surveying of those who are putting their kids in school, the majority will be kids in jr. high to high school age. Lots of people "say" they're in it for the long haul, but if you've been homeschooling a while, you notice that that vast majority of people opt for ps around the 11/12 and up age.

 

It's not a new trend.

[hillfarm]

One of the big things in my area that is drawing homeschool kids' families into enrolling them in ps for high school is that for only $50 or so, they are able to take all their courses at a local community college and earn credit toward a two or four year degree. When a child enters this program, even though they enroll with the ps, they never set foot there. All of the classes they attend are either at the community college or online through the community college.

 

This has been a real blessing for many families that could have never afforded any college for their chilren otherwise.

 

In my area, I am seeing more young families deciding to homeschool without ever considering public school. However, there are also the families with middle schoolers where the mother has put the kids in public school and gone back to work to earn money to pay for their eventual college expenses. I haven't been able to determine whether the actual number of homeschoolers has increased or decreased. I wonder if the public school system would release this information? I plan to ask them when I drop off our NOI this year.

[Rosy]

Our co-op has two campuses, both of which are full and have waiting lists. Purely anecdotal, but I don't see it declining anytime soon...especially with an increase in public school partnerships (which isn't considered homeschooling by some, but it does mean an increase in kids being taught at home under the guidance of their parents).

[Desert Rat]

In my region, homeschooling is on the rise because of the poor state of our educational system. Nevada is ranked in either 49th or 50th place. Consistently.

[AuntieM]

I

What I've noticed is a step down the ladder, so to speak, from one set of circumstances to another:

 

Full time private school kids are now going to university model schools for fewer hours and/or fewer subjects.

 

The university model kids are stepping down into the less expensive (but high quality) co-ops, taking only as-needed classes.

 

Co-op kids are coming home for all or most of their classes, taking fewer costly enrichments.

 

Educated exclusively-at-home kids are going to public school as mom returns to the workforce.

 

This is how I see it in my community. Of course there are those who will continue to homeschool through the severest of financial difficulties, on principle and conviction, but where I've seen the changes it is mostly due to financial necessity.

 

ETA: FYI, we are located in an area of "excellent" school districts, so home schooling is often the result of social/spiritual convictions.

[Laurie4b]

I've seen both sides of the economic coin. We have friends that privately schooled their kids but can no longer afford the tuition and are homeschooling. We've seen homeschooling moms place their kids in school because they need to get a job in order help make ends meet. I'd say that statistically, the number of each is about even so homeschooling numbers have probably not changed in our area.

 

Well, except in one school district. The number of students leaving the school district for homeschooling or private schooling did take a bit of a jump last year when several events in one year appear to have been the "straw that broke the camel's back". The band director fathered a child with a student, two girls were arrested for attempting to poison another student (rat poison on her food but another student saw them sprinkle it on and warned her, THANK GOODNESS), the superintendent fired two kindergarten teachers citing budget issues but then the school board bought him a fully loaded cadillac (nearly $100,000.00), and the principal of the local elementary school left his fingerprints in a third grader's shoulder because the child bow his head in silent grace (never uttered a single word outloud) before eating his lunch. The judge dismissed the charges saying that it was wise of the principal to defend the separation of church and state even if it meant using force. IT WAS A THIRD GRADER!!!!

 

So, in one school district, homeschooling to a rather profound leap forward. Thirty families if I remember correctly. I don't think its reached its pinnacle because the idiocy within the government system (at least in our state) is continually deteriorating.

 

Faith

 

What region is this? I hope the family pursues the case against the principal leaving marks on a student silently praying. Unbelievable!

[ScoutTN]

Increasing here, from my observations.

 

My circle of friends hs mostly for social/spiritual reasons rather than financial ones. But I'm sure the economic trends to affect the hs population too - both up and down as pps have described.

 

Many here make extensive use of co-ops, tutors and university/classical schools for high school, but still consider themselves homeschoolers even though they have delegated a majority of the actual teaching to others.

[Karen in CO]

I think it maybe an issue of the friend's kids aging and plain-old burn out. I have seen lots of homeschool families who had planned to go for the longhaul quit as their kids got older - or quit after the first graduated or quit when the youngest got kindergarten age or quit after they realized that it is acutally hard and isn't nearly as much fun as just planning to homeschool.

 

I've seen unschoolers put their kids in the local classical charter school once they got highschool age and started trying to figure out how to get little Johnny into college. I've seen classical schoolers put their kids into the local arts charter school because they wanted their kids to love school again. Every year I see gung-ho newbies replacing the worn-out vetrans. Along the way, I keep planning just one year at a time.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

I don't know what it's like here... I don't know any other homeschoolers in real life!!!! :glare:

 

But the reasoning given by many here (private schools to homeschool, homeschool to public school) makes sense to me, although I wonder if more people could be induced to continue homeschooling even while working. I wonder how many people assume that just because they are working they can't homeschool.

 

I'm sure it is a lot more difficult with more than one child, and I'm definitely not trying to say anything about those who have returned to work and children to p/s, but I hope they realize it isn't necessarily an either/or in all cases.

[Gooblink]

I'm happy to hear it doesn't appear to be a trend. :)

 

Aside from several people I know dropping out, attendance at the annual conference was way down. That, I suppose, is more a reflection of the economy than anything.

[Crimson Wife]

Aside from several people I know dropping out, attendance at the annual conference was way down. That, I suppose, is more a reflection of the economy than anything.

 

A bunch of families in my support group decided to skip the regional conference this summer after having been faithful attendees for years. For many families, it's hard to justify something like $100 per person per day registration fee plus travel costs in this economy. They're still HS, though.

 

Our support group is growing, but there's quite a bit of turnover. Very few families HS for high school in my neck of the woods (probably because the whole UC system requirements makes it very difficult to do so).

[Mommyfaithe]

This is based on purely anecdotal evidence. Maybe it's the economy? A regional thing? A fluke?

 

So many of my friends are giving up homeschooling and sending their kids to private or public school. I mean, even some of the stalwarts who used to mentor and lead workshops and teach co-ops in our area.

 

Has anyone else noticed this as a trend? I'm thinking there won't be formal statistics available for a while that would point either way.

 

I am seeing that here too....but I think it has a lot to do with burnout. Nearly all of my friends have sent at least some of their kids back to ot to school for the first time. Even my sil is starting her ds in the high school. He is my ds's age and they have both always been homeschooled.

 

I am finding much less support and fewer and fewer like-minded homeschoolers in the area.

 

I am sad and wondering if I will be able to hold on and complete hs'ing my kids. For my olders it was a lifestyle and a conviction. I am beginning to feel more and more as maybe it wasn't the very best decision....I don't knw. I feel wobbly lately...as if, if I sent them to school maybe we would have been better off financially by now and maybe my children would have received other opportunities that I couldn't provide....maybe not....

 

So, the plan for me is to continue one year at a time...and see how it goes. Come to think of it, that was my plan 16 years ago....hmmmmmm...

Faithe

[MaMa2005]

If the waiting list at DS's co-op is any indication, there has been a large increase here.

[Karen in CO]

I am finding much less support and fewer and fewer like-minded homeschoolers in the area.

 

I am sad and wondering if I will be able to hold on and complete hs'ing my kids. For my olders it was a lifestyle and a conviction. I am beginning to feel more and more as maybe it wasn't the very best decision....I don't knw. I feel wobbly lately...as if, if I sent them to school maybe we would have been better off financially by now and maybe my children would have received other opportunities that I couldn't provide....maybe not....

 

So, the plan for me is to continue one year at a time...and see how it goes. Come to think of it, that was my plan 16 years ago....hmmmmmm...

Faithe

 

 

:grouphug:

 

When I started homeschooling my oldest, I knew why I was homeschooling him. When the youngers came into the mix, I homeschooled them because I was a homeschooler, not because of some great conviction.

 

This year we are homeschooling. Next year, we'll look at it again and so on. I've always taken it one year at a time too continuing to choose what we think is best then forging ahead.

[pdalley]

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=7588025

 

According to this homeschooling in NC has doubled in the past ten years. More and more people in our own little corner of the world are choosing to homeschool for many different reasons.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

This is based on purely anecdotal evidence. Maybe it's the economy? A regional thing? A fluke?

 

So many of my friends are giving up homeschooling and sending their kids to private or public school. I mean, even some of the stalwarts who used to mentor and lead workshops and teach co-ops in our area.

 

Has anyone else noticed this as a trend? I'm thinking there won't be formal statistics available for a while that would point either way.

 

What I've seen in my military community is more families who are willing to consider homeschooling for a season. That could mean to finish up a year in order to get away from a bad teacher, to do a year or part of a year before moving, to homeschool while following the active duty parent from one temp. school to another between duty stations, or to avoid the bad school systems and high private school prices at a particular duty station.

 

You might have read columns about homeschooling that talk about pioneers and settlers and refugees. Pioneers were people who started homeschooling before there were networks of like minded people and who sometimes faced long legislative or court battles to secure those rights. Settlers refers to the great wave of growth in homeschooling. Refugees are those who come to homeschooling in desparation, looking for a safe educational place.

 

I'm seeing what I perceive to be a growth in refugees. Some of them may stay as settlers, having found something that really works for their family. But others are just looking for a stopgap that will help them survive until they can return to school.

 

And burnout is a real issue. I have to take some steps this summer to make sure that isn't where I'm headed.

[ma23peas]

I think it depends on how homeschooling friendly the community is..we live in an area that has a great deal of opportunities for homeschoolers...sports/orchestra/band/science classes/lots of co-ops....out of all the homeschoolers I know (200+) I have only known of 5 families return to school....one had a health issue and her children are in a private school and a public, one tried it for 2 months then returned to homeschooling, one tried homeschooling for 1 year then returned to public school , one homeschooled 2 years then went to public and the other returned to homeschooling ....in that same time I could easily pull up 75 families that just started homeschooling in the past 3 years.

 

I'm sure it's different just like the housing market is great in some areas and tanking in others...

 

Tara

[Gooblink]

Burnout. I've got to protect against that, as well.

 

I still haven't been able to find a yearly schedule that works to alleviate that. We've gone with the ps schedule and I feel there is too much time off in the summer and not enough time to get a breather during the school year.

 

I tried a 3 week on, 1 week off schedule that was too hard to manage.

 

I've tried 9 weeks on, 1 week off year round, but always feel that, by June, I've gotta take some time off.

 

Then, of course, there's thinking about all the stuff I could be doing with my time if I weren't tied to the homeschool all day...

 

And yet, I love what I do. :)

Edited August 3, 2010 by Gooblink
typo

[silliness7]

Well if homeschoolers aren't homeschooling anymore then their kids are being educated somewhere else. It probably doesn't take long at all for the local public school or private school to realize that their enrollment has exceeded their expectations...great fodder for local news stories. Stay tuned. :001_smile:

[Julie in AZ]

Aside from several people I know dropping out, attendance at the annual conference was way down.

 

The AZ homeschool conference had recorded attendance this year. :) Homeschooling is growing here.

 

Of course, we're part of the "way down at the bottom of the list" in public schools as a state.