A Few Interesting Stats on Homeschooling

I went looking today for general homeschooling stats, just to see where our kids compare to those in the private and public school systems. Not necessarily to say... "told ya so" to critics, but just to see what if any, the real differences appeared to be. I didn't really find the all-revealing list I went looking for, but did find the following information interesting.

Here are a few simple facts as published by Heart of Wisdom... along with my thoughts on each point.

• The average dollar amount spent homeschooling a single child is approx. $450, according to this site. I don't know in what year this estimate was calculated, but speaking from experience I would say that at least for the earlier grade levels, this sounds about right. I would imagine the more children you have, the less you spend per student as they'd likely share many of the same resources and materials. If you're considering homeschooling and can't swing $450, you can actually accomplish a very successful homeschool on much less. This is a topic we'll be covering in a future post.

• 18% of homeschooling families bring in less than $25K, 44% between 25 and 49,000. If that's true, how remarkable is that? I wonder what year these stats are from? That makes a difference after all! lol Still, I would imagine they're fairly current, considering their source. These reported incomes likely reflect a single income family. Homeschoolers are notorious for their willingness to sacrifice certain luxuries to be home with their kids. Pats self on back.

• Over 75% consider themselves religious. No surprise there. Can I say that up until a few months ago I would have expected this number to be much higher? I've found a surprising number of homeschooling families who call themselves atheist or agnostic. There are just so many reasons, other than just spiritual to educate your kids from home. As for my family our reasons are equally weighted between spiritual, social, academic and our children's special interests and needs that makes homeschooling the absolute best option.

• The final two bullet points under basic stats concern social and academic performance, which as you can probably guess verify that homeschooled kids excel in both areas. That my friend is your reward for all the sacrifice you've had to make for your kids!

Heart of Wisdom offers links to individual studies for anyone interested in pursuing studies on homeschooling.

Additionally, you can find statistical information and research on homeschooling through the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI). They actually sell videos and books on homeschooling, but I cannot vouch for any of them, since I've not viewed or read them personally. There are many great homeschooling reads online that are free to access, so don't feel like you must purchase a book in order to start or manage a successful homeschool. If you think you need a book, I'd actually recommend starting at the library. ; )