In the 2024-2025 school year, homeschooling continued to grow across the United States, increasing at an average rate of 5.4%. This is nearly three times the pre-pandemic homeschooling growth rate of around 2%. Notably, 36% of reporting states recorded their highest homeschool enrollment numbers ever — exceeding even the peaks reached during the pandemic.
I’m in a dilemma. My kid is nearing school age. My wife already stays at home with the kid. I live in a fairly rural, conservative area. My wife is a former science teacher and we both have masters degrees. I look at the people we live around and wonder, is it going to be a good idea to send my kid to school? Especially because they are already showing advanced capabilities.
I was homeschooled. Its the best! “they need social interaction” yeah, but not necessarily with the retarded kids in public school, sorry… I got plenty enough social interactions. I had friends that went to public school. I played soccer, made friends there. I went to church, had friends there. My parents had friends who had kids I was friends with. I also surfed and liked other sports well enough. There were the neighborhood kids I was friends with, and I lived rural too. I had brother too. Enough about friends.
But yeah, if yall give homeschooling a good try and be committed I believe it is 1000% better than public school. And I think that is both because of education and social education. Some public school kids that I see -especially these days-… its just sad and pitiful… like cant read a clock or read or write cursive? There are so many bad influences too, I know that sounds cliche even, but its true. The wrong friends are worse than the wrong education, sometimes… Oh also both my older brothers are very successful, im a little less successful but still awesome, I make enough and live well. Im also the only one of my brothers that had a drug phase too though. But… im clean now and got shit back together.
Hey my mom also was a science teacher before she became a mom and started homeschooling!
Social interaction is really, really important, right?
I think you aren’t giving other little kids enough credit. They aren’t their parents. I had good friends with awful family cultures, and I’m better for knowing them.
I think you may be judging ‘rural’ neighbors a little harshly, too. And your own kid, especially if they are bright.
…It doesn’t mean you can’t supplement their curriculum though, or advance them. My Dad grew up in a really poor area in the deep, deep south. But he just skipped grades, and didn’t come out as a religious nut or anything, and he didn’t have the benefit of two masters degrees parents.
…I’m bringing this up, because I also knew some homeschooled people, and I feel like it screwed them up. Different situation, but still, the isolation makes me very hesitant.