Homeschooling is one of the most significant educational decisions a family can make. Whether you're crisis-homeschooling after a difficult school experience, carefully planning years in advance, or somewhere in between, this guide will help you navigate the landscape.
What is Homeschooling?
Homeschooling is the practice of educating children at home rather than sending them to a traditional public or private school. Parents take primary responsibility for their children's education, choosing the curriculum, setting the schedule, and tailoring the learning experience to their child's unique needs and interests.
In the United States, approximately 3.7 million students are homeschooled, representing about 7% of school-age children. This number has grown significantly, particularly after 2020, as families discovered the benefits of personalized, flexible education.
Benefits of Homeschooling
There is no single "homeschool parent." Families come to homeschooling for vastly different reasons, and understanding your own motivations is the first step to choosing an approach that will work.
"The school pace or style doesn't match my child." This is one of the most common reasons families begin homeschooling.
- Gifted learners who are bored and unchallenged
- Struggling learners who need more time or different approaches
- Learning differences (dyslexia, ADHD, autism) not well-served by classroom instruction
- Hands-on, visual, or kinesthetic learners who don't thrive in desk-and-worksheet environments
Pros and Cons of Homeschooling
Advantages
- Personalized learning pace and style
- Flexible schedule and location
- Strong family bonds and more time together
- Safe, supportive learning environment
- Freedom to align with your values
- One-on-one attention and support
- Less time wasted (typically 2-4 hours/day)
- Ability to pursue interests deeply
Challenges
- •Requires significant parent time and commitment
- •Can be isolating without intentional community
- •Parents must be organized and self-motivated
- •May require financial sacrifice (one income)
- •Curriculum and planning decisions fall on you
- •Need to arrange social opportunities
- •Burnout is real without proper boundaries
- •High school planning requires extra effort
How Does Homeschooling Work?
One of the most overwhelming aspects of beginning to homeschool is discovering there are many different ways to do it. Here's an overview of the major approaches.
Traditional / School-at-Home
Replicating school structure at home with textbooks, workbooks, lesson plans, and grades.
Good For:
- Families transitioning from school
- Parents wanting clear guidance
- Children who thrive with routine
Challenges:
- •Can reproduce school problems
- •May feel rigid
- •Can lead to burnout
Classical Education
Based on the 'trivium' — three stages of learning aligned with child development: Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric stages.
Good For:
- Families valuing Western intellectual tradition
- Parents who enjoy learning alongside children
- Verbal children who enjoy discussion
Challenges:
- •Requires significant parent involvement
- •Can be rigorous and demanding
- •Latin requirement challenging for some
Charlotte Mason
Emphasizes 'living books,' short lessons, nature study, and habit formation. Children are seen as born persons worthy of respect.
Good For:
- Families who love literature
- Children who struggle with workbooks
- Those valuing nature and outdoor time
Challenges:
- •Requires extensive read-aloud time
- •Less measurable progress
- •Finding appropriate books takes research
Montessori
Emphasizes independence, hands-on learning, and child-led exploration within prepared environments.
Good For:
- Younger children (ages 3-6)
- Hands-on, independent learners
- Families valuing practical skills
Challenges:
- •Materials can be expensive
- •Requires training to implement well
- •Harder with older children
Unschooling / Child-Led Learning
Trusts children to direct their own education through natural curiosity and life experiences.
Good For:
- Self-motivated, curious children
- Parents who trust the process
- Children recovering from school trauma
Challenges:
- •Requires significant trust and patience
- •Hard to document for legal requirements
- •Difficult to explain to skeptical family
Eclectic / Relaxed
Mixing and matching methods and curricula to fit each child and subject. This is the most common approach among experienced homeschoolers.
Good For:
- Most families, eventually
- Families with multiple children
- Pragmatic, whatever-works mindset
Challenges:
- •Can feel scattered without intentionality
- •Requires understanding multiple approaches
- •May lack cohesive vision
How to Start Homeschooling
Ready to begin? Here's a step-by-step approach to launch your homeschool journey.
Research Your State's Laws
Before anything else, understand what's legally required in your state. Requirements vary significantly — some states require notification, testing, and record-keeping, while others have minimal requirements.
View State Compliance GuidesUnderstand Your Child
Before choosing curriculum or methods, observe your child. How does your child learn best? What are their interests and strengths? What were they struggling with in school? If withdrawing from school, allow for a "deschooling" period — generally one month per year they were in traditional school.
Clarify Your Goals
Ask yourself: Why are we homeschooling? What do we hope to achieve? What does success look like? How long do we plan to homeschool? Your answers will guide your choices about methods and curriculum.
Choose Your Approach (Loosely)
Based on your "why," your child, and your goals, consider which approaches might fit. Don't commit too rigidly — your approach will evolve as you learn what works for your family.
Select Curriculum (Minimally)
For your first year, choose math carefully (it's hardest to switch mid-year) and a language arts curriculum. Everything else can be library books, free resources, and exploration. Don't overbuy! You can always add more later.
Find Community
Before you need it, connect with local homeschool groups, online communities, and other homeschool families. Community is what will sustain you through the challenging days. This is not optional for long-term success.
Start!
Just begin. You will make mistakes. You will learn. You will adjust. The worst thing you can do is wait until you have it all figured out. You won't figure it out until you start.
Is Homeschooling Better?
Whether homeschooling is "better" depends entirely on your family's situation. Here are the honest realities veteran homeschoolers wish they'd known:
✓ Homeschooling takes less time than you think
Elementary: 2-3 hours. Middle school: 3-4 hours. High school: 4-6 hours. One-on-one instruction is incredibly efficient compared to classroom teaching.
✓ Socialization is not a problem
Homeschoolers often socialize better — interacting with diverse ages, learning from adult modeling, and developing skills in natural settings. You'll need to be intentional about creating opportunities, but this is rarely the issue critics imagine.
✓ Homeschoolers get into college
Yes, homeschoolers attend all types of colleges, including elite universities. Many colleges actively recruit homeschoolers. You'll need transcripts, test scores, and documentation — but the doors are open.
⚠ The honest challenges
- • Burnout is real — build breaks into your schedule
- • Bad days happen — not every day is Instagram-worthy
- • You will change your approach — almost nobody homeschools the same way they started
- • Your mental health matters — caring for yourself is not optional
Special Considerations
Common Questions
You Can Do This
Homeschooling is not one thing. It's thousands of families making thousands of different choices based on their unique children, values, circumstances, and goals. There is no single right way to homeschool — and that's the beauty of it.