Why Homeschool and Who Homeschools?

Do you ever wonder why homeschool is a choice for so many people? These homeschool survey results were gathered as part of my Master’s Degree research. As my main research focus, I wanted to learn why homeschool moms chose to homeschool and with what they struggle.

I wondered what portion of the population homeschools due to a child’s learning problems. I also wanted to know how many kids are homeschooled due to giftedness or for other reasons.

If you’re a homeschooling parent, you’ll see that you are NOT alone!

Please note: This information is copyrighted – ALL Rights are reserved.

Homeschooling Parents’ Highest Level of Education:

From this chart, we can see MOST homeschooling parents have a college education. This may be why homeschool education is often quite successful.

What is your highest level of education?
Answer Count Percentage
No answer 0 0.00%
Did not finish high school (DNFHS) 0 0.00%
High School Diploma or GED (HSGED) 37 18.50%
Associate’s Degree (2 year) or more than one year of college (ASomC) 50 25.00%
Bachelor’s Degree (4 year) (BS4YR) 80 40.00%
Master’s Degree or PhD (MSPhD) 33 16.50%

Number of Years Homeschooling at the Time of the Survey:

As you can see, when it comes to how long a family has been homeschooling, the average is around 5 years.

How many years have you been home schooling? If you are not home schooling, or have not yet started home schooling, please enter zero.
Calculation Result
Sum 957
Standard Deviation 4.0535509124717
Average 4.785
Minimum 0
1st Quartile (Q1) 1
2nd Quartile (Median) 4
3rd Quartile (Q3) 6
Maximum 22
*Null values are ignored in calculations
*Q1 and Q3 calculated using minitab method

Numbers of Homeschoolers with Learning Disabilities:

From this pie chart, we can see MOST kids (61%) started out in public school.
why homeschool Homeschooling Origin for Children with Learning Disabilities

Homeschooling Parents’ Confidence Levels:

In answer to this question, we can see most parents are confident. As you can see, most parents believe they CAN teach their child effectively.

How confident are you that you can effectively teach your child(ren) with learning difficulties at home? [Your Confidence Level]
Answer Count Percentage
No answer 0 0.00%
Extremely Confident (ExCfd) 43 21.50%
Very Confident (VConf) 88 44.00%
Confident (Confd) 53 26.50%
Somewhat Uncertain (SUnCt) 15 7.50%
Very Uncertain (VUnCt) 1 0.50%
No Confidence (NoCnf) 0 0.00%

Homeschooling Parents’ Frustration Levels:

In this chart there is a stand-out category! We can see most homeschooling parents are moderately frustrated. Apparently, the parents are frustrated at a level that would be typical in many families.

On average, how frustrated are you when you try to teach your child(ren) with learning difficulties at home? [Your Average Frustration Level]
Answer Count Percentage
No answer 0 0.00%
No Frustration (NoFrs) 14 7.00%
Moderate Frustration (ModFr) 133 66.50%
Frustrated (Frust) 26 13.00%
Frequently Frustrated (FrqFr) 27 13.50%
Extremely Frustrated (VryFr) 0 0.00%

Number of Children in The Family

From this chart, we can see there are often 2-3 children in a family that homeschools. That’s right in line with societal norms. Although you hear about homeschooling families with a LOT of kids, the distribution of kids in these families is typical of society.

How many children do you have, whether homeschooled or not?
Calculation Result  
Sum 525
Standard Deviation 1.5793590472087
Average 2.625
Minimum 1
1st Quartile (Q1) 1
2nd Quartile (Median) 2
3rd Quartile (Q3) 3
Maximum 11
*Null values are ignored in calculations
*Q1 and Q3 calculated using minitab method

Number of Homeschooled Children

When it comes to homeschooling, you can see families homeschool an average of two children. There are families who have some kids go to school while siblings are homeschooled.

How many children are you currently home schooling?
Calculation Result  
Sum 394
Standard Deviation 1.1954497061776
Average 1.97
Minimum 1
1st Quartile (Q1) 1
2nd Quartile (Median) 2
3rd Quartile (Q3) 2
Maximum 7
*Null values are ignored in calculations
*Q1 and Q3 calculated using minitab method

Number of Children with Learning Difficulties

From this chart, we can see there are 1-2 kids in the family with learning difficulties.

How many of your children have learning difficulties?
Calculation Result  
Sum 303
Standard Deviation 0.90541426982349
Average 1.515
Minimum 1
1st Quartile (Q1) 1
2nd Quartile (Median) 1
3rd Quartile (Q3) 2
Maximum 9
*Null values are ignored in calculations
*Q1 and Q3 calculated using minitab method

Diagnosed Learning Disabilities of Homeschooled Children

When we look at this chart, we can see the top learning disabilities cause problems with reading, writing, and attention.

What learning disabilities has your child or children been formally diagnosed as having? Please limit responses to THIS question to conditions diagnosed by psychologists, neuropsychologists, school psychologists, etc. The next question will ask about disabilities you suspect, but haven’t been professionally diagosed.
Answer Count Percentage
Attention Deficit (ADD) 36 18.00%
Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity (ADHD) 56 28.00%
Auditory Processing Disorders (CAPD) 45 22.50%
Dyscalculia, Mathematical Computation difficulty (DysCA) 22 11.00%
Dysgraphia, Written Expression difficulty (DysGA) 61 30.50%
Dyslexia, Basic Reading Disability (DysLX) 68 34.00%
Oral Expression, Expressive Language Delays (OrExp) 34 17.00%
Other, Please Specify (NoLst) 2 1.00%
Other 101 50.50%

Distribution of Homeschooled Children with Learning Disabilities

From this chart, we can see most of the kids are typical. That means they don’t have a disability or giftedness.
why homeschool distribution of exceptional gifted and typical homeschooled students

Suspected, but UNdiagnosed Learning Disabilities of Homeschooled Children

From this chart, we can see the most common suspected disabilities are the same as those diagnosed with disabilities. You can compare this chart with the prior chart.

What learning disabilities do you suspect your child or children have, but have not been formally diagnosed as having? Please limit responses to THIS question to conditions you suspect your child may have, but for which your child does not have a professional diagnosis.
Answer Count Percentage
Attention Deficit (ADD) 24 12.00%
Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity (ADHD) 13 6.50%
Auditory Processing Disorders (CAPD) 40 20.00%
Mathematical Computation difficulty (DysCA) 33 16.50%
Written Expression difficulty (DysGA) 58 29.00%
Dyslexia, Basic Reading Difficulty (DysLX) 47 23.50%
Oral Expression, Expressive Language Delays (OrExp) 25 12.50%
Other, Please Specify (NoLst) 0 0.00%
Other 36 18.00%

Chronological Grade Levels of Homeschooled Children

In this chart, we’re looking at the grades the child(ren) should be in based on the child’s age. As you’ll see in the next question, some kids are behind their grade level. It’s important to remember, even kids in public school can be multiple grades behind.

What grades would your children be in if they were in a traditional school? (check one for each child)
Answer Count Percentage
Kindergarten (GrK) 28 14.00%
1st Grade (Gr1) 19 9.50%
2nd Grade (Gr2) 34 17.00%
3rd Grade (Gr3) 35 17.50%
4th Grade (Gr4) 41 20.50%
5th Grade (Gr5) 48 24.00%
6th Grade (Gr6) 30 15.00%
7th Grade (Gr7) 38 19.00%
8th Grade (Gr8) 25 12.50%
9th Grade (Gr9) 24 12.00%
10th Grade (Gr10) 15 7.50%
11th Grade (Gr11) 9 4.50%
12th Grade (Gr12) 13 6.50%

Chronological Grade Levels of Homeschooled Children

This is a chart of the same chart from above. As you can see, most homeschooled kids are in the 2nd through 8th grades.
why homeschool distribution of grades for homeschooled students with learning disabilities

Number of Grade Levels Homeschooled Children are Behind (NOTE: May be behind due to inadequate public schooling prior to the decision to homeschool)

While homeschoolers can be behind, it’s important to remember kids in public school can be multiple grades behind too. From results above, we know the majority kids started in public school. If they fell behind while in school, that could be why homeschool became the family’s choice. For kids with disabilities, the number of years behind is often less for kids being homeschooled.

How many years behind grade level is your child in his / her primary area of learning difficulty? If you have more than one child with learning difficulties, give an average number of years behind. Enter zero if your child is at or above grade level in his /her area of disability.
Calculation Result  
Sum 319.5
Standard Deviation 1.5537836882913
Average 1.5975
Minimum 0
1st Quartile (Q1) 0
2nd Quartile (Median) 1
3rd Quartile (Q3) 2
Maximum 7
*Null values are ignored in calculations
*Q1 and Q3 calculated using minitab method

Assistive Technology in Homeschool Homes

From this chart, we can see parents do provide assistive technology at home. As you probably know, the technology helps kids be more successful with their learning.

What types of assistive technology are you already using at home?
Answer Count Percentage
Books on Tape, or Audio Books (BkTap) 105 52.50%
Calculator (Calcu) 103 51.50%
Handheld Speller (SpelD) 19 9.50%
Text-to-Speech software (Tx2Sp) 17 8.50%
Voice Recognition or Speech-to-Text Software (Sp2Tx) 11 5.50%
Word Processor (WdPro) 118 59.00%
Other, Please List (NoLst) 0 0.00%
Other 51 25.50%

Computers Available in Homes of Homeschooled Children

From this chart, we can see MOST homes have computers in them.

Do you have a computer at home that your child can use for remediation or learning software?
Answer Count Percentage
No answer 0 0.00%
Yes (Y) 196 98.00%
No (N) 4 2.00%

Special Training of Parents Homeschooling Their Children

When we think about training for parents, we can see parents haven’t had these specific types of training.

What specialized training or seminars have you already participated in to help you homeschool your child(ren) with learning difficulties more effectively.
Answer Count Percentage
NONE (None) 98 49.00%
Assistive Technology (Astiv) 9 4.50%
Learning Styles (LrnSt) 57 28.50%
Multisensory teaching techniques (MltSn) 52 26.00%
Orton-Gillingham (OrtGl) 16 8.00%
Universal Design for Learning (Making learning accessible all the time) (UnivD) 6 3.00%
Other, Please specify. (NoLst) 2 1.00%
Other 48 24.00%

Homeschooling Parents’ Interest in Special Training

From this chart, we can see parents are interested in training. The key is to find out what kind of training.

Classes or seminars can help you become a more effective teacher for your child who has learning difficulties. How interested are you in participating in such training opportunities? [Your Training Interest]
Answer Count Percentage
No answer 1 0.50%
Very Interested (VeryI) 93 46.50%
Interested (Inter) 56 28.00%
Uncertain (Uncrt) 24 12.00%
Not Very Interested (NotIn) 19 9.50%
No Interest Whatsoever (DefNo) 7 3.50%

Special Training Desired by Homeschooling Parents

When it comes to training, parents want help with learning styles and multisensory teaching. Because of the parent’s interest, I have created sections in this website about Learning Styles and Multisensory teaching.

What specialized training or seminars would you like to have available to help you better teach your child with learning difficulties?
Answer Count Percentage
None (None) 28 14.00%
Assistive Technology (Astiv) 60 30.00%
Learning Styles (LrnSt) 82 41.00%
Multisensory teaching techniques (MltSn) 112 56.00%
Orton-Gillingham (OrtGl) 44 22.00%
Universal Design for Learning (Making learning accessible all the time) (UnivD) 64 32.00%
Other, Please specify. (NoLst) 2 1.00%
Other 46 23.00%

Likely Participation in Special Training for Homeschooling Parents

Lastly in this chart, we can see parents want either face-to-face training or online, self-paced training.

We are interested in the types of training environments you would be LIKELY to participate in. Check each type of training environment you would be willing to participate in.
Answer Count Percentage
Face-to-Face, as a local seminar/class near you. (F2F) 144 72.00%
Online as a “Chat” seminar (ONLIN) 77 38.50%
Online as a self-paced learning module (ONSLF) 144 72.00%
Online in a formal class with others (ONLCL) 71 35.50%
Other, Please Specify (NoLst) 0 0.00%
Other 20 10.00%

Why Homeschool?

When you look at all of the results above, you can see people have different reasons for why homeschool education is their choice.

If you’ve considered homeschooling, but are afraid, you might find success stories of interest. Homeschool Success Stories for Why Homeschool was these Moms’ choice for schooling.