5 reasons homeschooling might be more appealing to parents

Homeschooling emerged as a popular alternative to traditional public education during the pandemic—and it remains in high demand for some K12 parents for several reasons.

The first reason reflects parents’ overall satisfaction with their child’s educational experience, says a new survey from Outschool, a virtual learning provider. Furthermore, their satisfaction levels vary depending on the type of schooling their child is enrolled in. Here’s a look at that data.

Parents who said they’re ‘very satisfied’ with their child’s education

• Microschools, co-ops or learning pods: 69%
• Homeschooling: 53%
• Private schooling: 55%
• Virtual schooling: 44%
• Public schooling: 27%

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Another reason parents are opting for alternative methods like homeschooling is safety. Among those who said they were dissatisfied with their child’s current educational experience:

• 44% cited bullying/social issues
• 43% said children were not being prepared for the real world.
• 35% cited concerns over school shootings and gun violence.
• 35% believe there is too much focus on teaching for the test.

Additional findings from the homeschooling survey:

*Parents desire educational models that are tailored to their children’s needs

• 78% of respondents agree that traditional K12 education models need to be reimagined
• 86% agree or strongly agree that parents should have more involvement in their child’s education.

*Parents rank their reasons for dissatisfaction with their children’s educational experience:

1. Bullying
2. Lack of preparation for the real world
3. Poor teacher performance/classroom control
4. Concerns surrounding academic achievement
5. “Woke” or liberal agenda of the school

*A large share of parents are now considering homeschooling

• 35% of public school parents said yes to the question, “Would you or are you considering homeschooling?
• 51% and 47% of current charter and private school parents, respectively, answered the same.
• 22% of parents say they have less faith in traditional public schooling.

Take a look at the findings or view the visual summary.