Debate Desk
Is Homeschooling Bad for Children's Education and Social Skills?
Homeschooling is legal in all fifty states, homeschooled students score at or above their peers, and the socialization worry has little evidence behind it.
The claim
Critics worry that children taught at home will fall behind in academics, miss out on socialization and lack oversight if they are neglected or isolated. They say states should regulate more closely.
The answer in three points
- Parents have a long recognized right to direct their children's education. The Supreme Court held in Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925) that the state may not compel attendance at public schools, and in Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) that a state could not force Amish children to remain in school past eighth grade over their families' religious convictions.
- The academic record is good. Studies of homeschooled students have generally found that they score at or above the national average on standardized tests, though the research has limits because families who homeschool differ from those who do not.
- Socialization is easier than it sounds. Homeschooled children join co-ops, sports leagues, churches, music lessons and community groups, and the notion that a classroom of thirty children of the same age is the only way to learn to get along is questionable. Child safety is a separate matter, and states already have laws against abuse and neglect.
Families that homeschool are making a serious commitment, and a free country trusts them to do it well.
The numbers
- The National Center for Education Statistics reported that roughly 3 percent of students ages 5 to 17 were homeschooled in 2019, according to its household surveys, and other surveys found the share rose after 2020.
- Homeschooling is legal in all fifty states, according to the Home School Legal Defense Association's state-by-state summaries.
- The Supreme Court decided Pierce v. Society of Sisters in 1925, striking down an Oregon law requiring public school attendance.
What they will say next
"Some parents are not qualified." Many parents use structured curricula, online classes and tutors, and families can hire help for subjects they do not know. We do not require a teaching license of parents who help with homework.
"Isolated children may be abused." Abuse is a crime, and a child in school is not immune. Teachers are mandatory reporters, and the answer is to strengthen child-protective services, not to presume that all families are suspect.
"They will be unprepared for college." Many homeschooled students attend and do well at colleges, and admissions offices welcome them.
"Oversight protects children." A reasonable approach could include simple notice requirements. Heavy oversight burdens most families for the sake of a few cases.
A free country lets parents choose what they believe is best for their children.
"Some homeschooled children have no oversight at all." A few do, and states can require basic notification or assessments without regulating the curriculum. The balance between parental freedom and child protection is one most states have managed in practice.