School View

Many non-homeschoolers can go along with the idea of homeschooling in elementary school, and perhaps even in middle school, although the eyebrows begin to rise at that point. However, to the non-homeschooler, why anyone would homeschool in the high school years is beyond understanding. To many, this seems absurd. Yet to the veterans, there are many reasons to continue homeschooling, or to begin, during these years. Here are the top four reasons that come up every time homeschoolers are asked about their decision.

1. Flexibility – The specifics may vary, but some element of flexibility ranks as the highest reason for homeschooling during the high school years. That could mean the family travels, runs a business, or participates in competitive sports. Or, perhaps the largest factor of flexibility is the desire to select their own uniquely suited curricula. Whatever the specific case may be, homeschooling allows for more flexibility on every level of life for this aged student.

2. Training in Life Skills – While similar to flexibility, this reason for homeschooling comes up again and again for families who have more than just academics on their mind. Many homeschoolers realize that the final opportunity they will have to prepare their children to live as adults is during high school. For this reason, many say that their choice to homeschool during this time goes beyond flexibility and moves into training of the whole child – training to prepare the child to live independently in ways that mechanized public school systems just cannot do.

3. Learning Skills Preparation – Many homeschoolers will also tell you that a primary reason that they chose to homeschool this long is because their child needed additional strategies for learning that they were not going to get in their local public school. The high school years provide a final chance to teach students how to learn, not just what to learn, and this skill is not stressed enough in the schools according to these homeschool families.

4. Accelerated Learning – The opportunity to accelerate a student’s learning, such that they can complete college courses from home at an earlier age, is another widely cited reason for homeschooling in high school. Not only does this give the student an incredible opportunity to grow in their knowledge beyond the average high school textbook, but it also allows the family to start the college process at reduced costs, which saves thousands of dollars over the course of the student’s college years. No room and board, beyond what is already being spent, is necessary, and students can gain incredible course opportunities this way, too.

There are other common reasons, but these four dominate the most frequently cited benefits to homeschooling in high school. There is no shortage of curricula or resources to homeschool efficiently in high school, and therefore, many more families are extending their homeschool programs into the latter years.