Thinking About Homeschooling? We Answer Some Of The Most Common Questions

Homeschooling is one of those subjects that sparks curiosity and a long line of questions. Roughly 5.4% of the North American population is homeschooled, compared with 85% in public schools and 9.6% in private schools. In recent years, homeschooling has become increasingly popular, partially because it doesn’t offer a “one size fits all” option for students and their families.

Homeschooling offers many benefits beyond a flexible schedule. Most things are done with intention, with a deep focus on the child’s intellectual pace and emotional well-being, rather than on a school district’s timed schedule. Homeschooling can strengthen family bonds, increase real-world learning, and offer one-on-one support that’s hard to find through traditional educational channels.

And while traditional schooling also has its benefits, such as a built-in community, a standardized curriculum, and university-trained educators, many casual observers know little about homeschooling for comparison.

There are many benefits to homeschooling a child, and plenty of opportunities to open up their world beyond a public education. There are also a lot of misconceptions about the practice, and some truths that are worth exploring.

From community organizations outside of homeschooling to the financial breakdown of homeschooling curriculum, this article breaks down the basics of the ins and outs if you are considering a homeschooling journey, so you can decide, with some clarity and confidence, whether it’s the right fit for your family.

What Are The Legal Requirements To Homeschooling?

I’m going to start with the basics, because understanding what legal rights you have as a homeschooling parent and what to expect from your state government is an important first step.

First, the legal requirements for homeschooling vary by state. If you are interested in homeschooling, you should visit your state’s government website to find the key requirements.

I’ve included some of the basic requirements that are often required at the state level.

Do You Have To Alert Your School District? In many states, the first step is to notify your school district that your kids are enrolled in homeschooling and won’t participate in traditional schooling. 25 states require annual notice, 14 require a one-time notice, and 11 require no notice. I haven’t included specific state laws here because homeschooling laws can change at any time, and I encourage parents to contact their local government to learn more about the requirements.

Are There Required Subject Matters That Need To Be Covered? Subject matter selection selected by parents mirrors what’s learned in traditional schooling, and in some states, there are even some required subjects that must be taught. Popular required subjects among many states are math, science, social studies, health, physical education, and language arts.

It’s important to note that some states have very specific requirements, for example, in Connecticut, Colorado, and New Hampshire, state laws and education frameworks explicitly require that schools teach the U.S. Constitution and each state’s constitution. In several states, the law is much more lax; for example, in Oklahoma or New Jersey, it simply requires you to provide an education that is “equivalent” to public school without specifying specific subjects.

How Many Days Do Children Need To Attend Throughout The Year? Some states require a set number of school days or instructional hours to be completed in each 365-day cycle. The good news is that those days are usually very flexible, allowing parents to choose different courses and teaching schedules for their child. Keep in mind that there isn’t necessarily a set number of hours your child must attend per day. In some households, children are allowed to finish their day ahead of schedule if they finish all of their daily course load, while some parents will be more segmented with time, providing specific blocks for each subject.

Should You Track Your Child’s Attendance? Parents or teachers need to keep track of lessons, attendance, tests, and other details. It’s worth date-stamping all of your child’s completed work and saving that information until they have completed their at-home education. A general rule of thumb is that at least 180 days of school should be completed each year by your child, but only approximately 31 states set that threshold as a requirement. I suggest purchasing a rubber date stamp, especially if you will be homeschooling multiple children and you want to keep things moving more briskly.

Is Standardized Testing Required? Standardized testing is only required a handful of states at the time of writing: Hawaii, Oregon, Maine, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia. While that may be the case, testing and other assessments may help you, as a parent, determine where your child is excelling and where they are falling behind in their education. Even if your child moves quickly through subjects, you may still want to ensure they are retaining that information and not moving so quickly that it causes issues in the future for them.

Are There Homeschool Teacher Educational Requirements: Ten U.S. states require parents to have a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent qualification to legally homeschool: Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. Washington state also permits alternatives like college credits or a home-based study course. 

The curriculum itself also needs to be legitimate. What your child learns in the school year can be hand-picked to fit your family’s needs. The best way to choose a curriculum is to understand your child and know how they learn best.

IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTE FOR HOMESCHOOLING: Laws often change during the summer legislative sessions; make it a habit to check the HSLDA map every August before you start your school year.

The Administrative Side Of Homeschooling 

Although your child may not be in a traditional school, administrative duties persist. Aside from alerting the local school district (where required) that your child is homeschooled, there are other organizational habits to note. I can’t stress enough that having a record that your child is receiving a proper education is a smart move to make as a parent, to protect both you and your child from any potential accusations of misconduct should they ever arise.

Again, check in with your state to see what’s required, but in general, you will want to maintain a few standards.

• Attendance: Keep track of class attendance and hours.
• Track Results: Track state-required testing, dates, and results where applicable.
• Curriculum: Log what curriculum you’re using.
• Reading Lists: Create and keep lists for the books your child is reading
• Samples: Keep samples of your child’s work.

Aside from just basic bookkeeping, here are some additional administrative guidelines to help secure your child’s future, both through proper lesson planning and by tracking their progress to ensure future admissions standards are followed should they decide to pursue additional education following high school graduation.

Plan Ahead: Plan your school year with intended breaks, holidays, enrichment schedules, and testing windows. You will want to make sure your child understands what they will be learning each year, and when that work will be completed, but you also want to make sure they are staying on schedule, and that when they return from breaks, they’ve retained the information from their previous school year.

Credits: If your child is in high school, log credits with course descriptions. There are also “dual credit programs” that allow students to earn high school and college credit at the same time. This means credits can go towards college degrees or graduation. These types of dual credit programs are often available at certain community colleges and select four-year universities, and transcripts will be provided for completed courses. If your child plans to attend college classes as a high school student, you may want or need to attend a homeschooling day ahead of registration.

Transcripts and GPAs: If their child is in high school, homeschool parents will need to set up their child’s transcripts for higher education, scholarships, or financial aid, and calculate their GPA. Transcripts essentially confirm graduation, list the courses the student took and their grades, and validate the GPA. A few companies and sites offer transcript templates to make the process more organized for parents. Transcripts should be organized by grade, the courses they took, what their grades were in each course, credits, and GPA.

Assess Progress: As an administrator, you should monitor your child’s progress to ensure they understand the material and are progressing through the lessons. Taking the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a great way to assess progress. The standardized test also earns a student college credit by passing the exam. Some online curricula include built-in testing to assess students’ progression. In some households, homeschool parents will also use the first few weeks after an extended break to offer a refresher period for their children, which can help determine if their child has retained the information from their most recent coursework.

The bottom line is to know what your state requires and stay organized. It’s better to keep things tidy in a binder and not need them than to toss them and need them later for graduation. You can also go the extra mile and store if you have the storage space, and save all of your child’s textbooks and completed work, a practice that Parenting Patch’s founders use for their own four children.

Homeschooling is a wonderful, flexible option for families who aren’t interested in traditional schooling, but that flexibility does come with the caveat that you will need to be both teacher and administrator.

What Does The Homeschool School Year Look Like?

One of the most freeing parts of homeschooling is that there’s no typical “homeschool school year.” There are also no fixed start or end dates unless the homeschooling family sets them. Of course, families can choose to follow a school year similar to that of public or private schools, but there’s far more flexibility.

Here are a few of the more popular programs homeschool parents prescribe to, at least on the surface:

Traditional: Some homeschooled families follow a traditional “school year” that matches public schools: August to May or September to June. Holiday and summer breaks would also be similar to public schools. This can be a good choice for parents who want to ensure their children are staying on pace with their public school friends and who want to ensure their kids have breaks that align with other kids.

Year-Round: Steering away from traditional schooling, some families opt for year-round schooling. This could mean shorter lessons and more breaks because school runs into the summer. One big advantage to year-round schooling is that with shorter breaks throughout the year, your child may retain more of their knowledge between a change in subject matter and grade-levels. Shorter but more frequent breaks may also play well into family vacation time.

Block: In lesson planning, some families opt for block scheduling instead of period scheduling. This means a family could focus deeply on one subject for multiple weeks before moving on to the next subject or lesson. An example would be spending six weeks studying aspects of history, then six weeks learning different areas of science. Block scheduling can work with both traditional and year-round schooling. Some parents may also find this approach more advantageous if they have to catch up on their own knowledge base, since there is less focus on a lot of new subjects all at one time.

Interest-Led: Interest-led homeschooling is based on a student’s interests. This style is flexible, offers more field trips and exploration, and projects take the place of homework. Instead of sitting behind a desk or screen, real-world learning takes center stage. My Editor-In-Chief and his wife say they regularly teach their kids through this type of immersion, taking their children on a walk of the Boston Freedom Trail to teach them about that period in history, for example, and conducting much of their art history lessons at The Art Institute of Chicago. We’ll talk in a moment about how to find homeschool groups that also want to participate in interest-led learning.

Unschooling: Like interest-led philosophies, unschooling focuses on a child’s interests rather than a traditional curriculum. This means that instead of books and online classes, children learn through real-life experiences. Adventures are had, exploration is encouraged, and projects are based on personal interests rather than mandatory lessons. There is controversy surrounding unschooling and potential knowledge gaps in a child’s education when parent’s go to the extremes to allow their children only to learn what they are interested in learning about. For that reason, some parents will allow for more child-led intent while still ensuring core knowledgebase materials are explored.

And there’s always the option to “build your own” homeschooling program. Maybe you decide to mix several of the options above, or maybe you try a method that better matches your child’s needs.

With so many different kinds of ways to celebrate the homeschool year, there is no average, typical day for a homeschooler. Some parents plan lessons around meals and extracurriculars, while others individualize learning by morning, afternoon, and evening shifts.

The beauty of homeschooling is the flexibility. Parents can do what’s best for their child and their family’s schedule.

These Popular Homeschool Curricula Might Set Your Child On The Right Path

Now that you know more about the ins and outs of homeschooling, it’s helpful to learn about some of the more popular curricula used by other homeschooled kids and parents. Because homeschooling isn’t a “one size fits all” lifestyle, there are many directions and philosophies to choose from.

My goal here isn’t to provide you with an all-inclusive handbook for choosing a curriculum, but to open your eyes to the vast number of choices you can make. Perhaps some of these suggestions will help you choose the exact right program for your child.

Some popular educational philosophies include:

• Structured: Similar to public schools with grades and workbooks.
• Montessori-inspired: Hands-on with a focus on exploration.
• Classical: Latin, literature, and history are the main centers of focus.
• Unit Studies: Subject matter centers around a main theme, like oceans or space.
• Charlotte Mason: Lessons are short, and curricula cover a wide range.

I encourage you to deep dive into each of those philosophies before you settle on a path forward. Once you grasp the type of educational philosophy you’re looking for, there are some popular curricula with other homeschooled families to choose from. These curricula are popular for their results, community buzz, and consistency. Consistency in a curriculum can lead to higher test scores, stronger readers, and better preparedness for higher education.

While there are endless choices out there, here’s a short list of some of the more popular among the homeschooled community. Keep in mind that curricula are not one-size-fits-all and vary in their ideologies, focus, and approaches. The easiest way to categorize curricula is religious, secular, and neutral.

• Non-Secular (Religious): Faith-based themes throughout the curriculum.
• Secular: The curriculum doesn’t teach with a religious perspective.
• Neutral: Curriculum used by both religious and secular students.

Non-Secular Homeschooling

Non-secular (religious) homeschooling incorporates specific faith-based beliefs, worldviews, and doctrines into the curriculum, often using religious texts as core instruction. Because religious ideology spans a wide range of beliefs, from relatively liberal to ultra-conservative, I won’t get into the specifics of each option; however, here are five popular programs used by many religiously focused homeschooling families in the United States.

• Abeka Academy
• BJU Press Homeschool
• The Good and the Beautiful
• Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool
• Sonlight

Non-secular homeschool programs vary in the intensity of their faith-based teachings. Some prescribe to a creationist view of the world and incorporate biblical teachings throughout all of their coursework, often teaching in direct contradiction to science-based reasoning, while others take a more subtle approach, providing students with biblical studies and aligning some history, literature, and other lessons with a faith-based framework while still providing for a modern-day teaching of science, math, and other reason-based subjects.

I won’t dive into each of the options above or others because even within each of those programs, the level of focus on religion can be varied and complex.

Neutral Programs For Homeschooling

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of homeschool programs to choose from that offer neutral educational options, neither secular nor non-secular at their core. I’ve included a few options below just so you, as a potential new homeschool parent, can begin to understand the scope of available options.

Khan Academy: This online platform offers full curricula in many subjects, including SAT prep. Khan Academy starts for 2-year-olds (or around pre-k) and goes through adulthood. Because Khan Academy is free and it covers a variety of courses, it’s an affordable and beloved option for homeschoolers. Khan Academy is a self-paced online program, which means it’s easy to fit into your homeschool schedule and flexible for your child to learn and advance at their own pace.

Derek Owens: An online educator popular in the homeschooling community for his math and science courses. Derek’s courses cover everything from pre-algebra to AP calculus. His courses are a wonderful supplement for homeschool teachers who need assistance with math and science subjects. Derek Owens offers courses for ages 9 through 18. Our editor-in-chief’s 14-year-old daughter is a fan of this program, and Owens has helped her excel in math, her least favorite subject, to the point where she is already taking Calculus at 14.

Outschool: An online educational marketplace of sorts offering virtual live classes, one-on-one sessions, and group classes. Classes are taught by passionate individuals who specialize in specific subjects. From art and math to video games and foreign languages, there is something for kids with a range of interests on Outschool. This online academy offers courses for ages 3 through 18. Outschool’s educators are often teachers and former teachers, but there are also experts in their fields who have passed Outschool’s testing and offer their expertise with hands-on experiences. One of the best parts about Outschool is that classes are live-recorded, so students can refer back to previous classes or watch a class that they missed for any reason.

Miacademy: A comprehensive homeschool curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grade. (Older ages can look into the sister program MiaPrep.) It offers core subjects such as math, science, English, and history. Parents can also track grades, attendance, and progress through the system. There is a bible study option for this program, but it is completely optional.

And you can go even more niche with programs like Tynker and Scratch (from MIT) which teaches coding to children as a singular focus.

My main point in showcasing a few of these options is to make parents aware that with in our connected world, there are plenty of opportunities to connect children to various ways of learning. And in your own community there are likely many art programs, coding classes, outdoor adventure programs, and other neutral based programs to choose from. Your local library is often an excellent starting point to discover the varied opportunities available to your homeschooled child.

Secular Homeschooling Programs

If you want to focus on completely non-religion-based learning, more along the lines of what your child would receive from a public school setting, these secular programs are a great starting point. Once again, the success your child has with these programs starts with understanding their learning style and how each program might fit it.

Time4Learning: Time4Learning offers a full academic program for students. Lessons include video, worksheets, and interactive activities in core subjects. Time4Learning offers classes for preschool through high school. This program also provided high school transcript support, which is a nice additional layer for parents looking for a more inclusive program.

IXL Learning: an online learning platform that covers a wide range of subjects and skills. The adaptive learning portion allows students to progress based on their understanding. IXL Learning allows parents to track their child’s progress, and it offers real-time diagnostic assessments. IXL Learning is for ages pre-K through 18. This program is actually used by public, private, and homeschool families. It’s important to note that this is a supplemental platform, not a full curriculum.

Blossom & Root: This nature-based curriculum focuses on the happiness nature brings and the lessons it teaches us through exploration. Nature study, journaling, and nature exploration are all things students can prepare for. Blossom & Root offers lessons for ages pre-K through eighth grade. Many parents who focus on this type of program will supplement their child’s coursework with other options, such as Singapore Math and Pandia Press, to ensure they are prepared for their high school years and beyond.

If you are searching for specific core subject assistance, there are also plentiful curricula that focus on whatever subject or skill you’re looking for. From math to language arts, here are some notable subject-specific companies to look into if interested in broadening your child’s understanding.

• Math Specific: Singapore Math, Math Mammoth, and Beast Academy.

• Language Arts Specific: Bob Books, Explode the Code, and Brave Writer

• Science Specific: Pandia Press, Pitsco Education, and Mystery Science.

• Social Studies Specific: Atlas Focused Studies, and iCivics.

Whether you find a company that offers a full curriculum in multiple subjects or go with a subject-specific curriculum, there are countless possibilities to meet your homeschool needs. The beauty of homeschooling is the flexibility to meet your child’s needs, and these popular online classes make crafting the perfect curriculum possible.

You might even choose to allow your child to pick and choose! Do they want to learn to code and love Minecraft? Give Tynker a try! Do they want to learn a second language? Try Duolingo (a family plan can allow you to learn right alongside them!) to get them started, then continue on with Rosetta Stone. That’s the beauty of building the perfect homeschool program for your child; there are endless possibilities!

Regardless of whether you plan to use secular, non-secular, or neutral programs, I suggest talking to other homeschooling parents to understand the benefits and drawbacks of each. As a homeschool parent, be prepared to switch to a different curriculum at the drop of a hat. I can’t even begin to explain how many parents quickly realize or realize over time that the program they have chosen isn’t working well with their child. Teachers are trained to spot a child’s issues and adjust to help them succeed, but as a new homeschool parent, that work now falls on you to recognize and address.

How Does Homeschooling Come Into Play With The SATs And ACTs?

If your child is looking to pursue higher education, they’ll most likely need to take the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or ACT (American College Testing). While SATs are mandatory for most colleges, the ACT is a suggested additional test. It should be noted that homeschoolers and students at public or private institutions follow the same guidelines for taking the SAT and the ACT.

While some colleges are making the SAT optional for admission, preparing for and taking the test are great ways to track educational progress.

SATs: The SATs are administered by the College Board and focus on reading, writing, and math. Scoring ranges between 400 and 1600. The higher the score, the greater the chance of admission to various colleges and of receiving grants and scholarships. High school students take the SAT in their junior or senior year.

• Homeschooled students can take the SATs by registering through the College Board.

ACTs: The SATs are more popular than the ACTs, but they’re another reliable college entrance exam. The ACT is a non-profit organization and tests in four areas: Math, Science, Reading, and English. The best possible score is 36

• Homeschooled students can take the ACT by registering through the official ACT website.

There are early testing options for those studying for the SAT or the ACT. These tests are not mandatory for students but offer insight into how they have been comprehending the lesson plans over the past couple of years.

Some popular early testing options include:

• PSATs (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test): 10th and 11th grade.
• SAT Subject Tests: 10th, 11th, and 12th grade.
• Other Prep Platforms (Khan Academy, PrepScholar, and Magoosh): 10th, 11th, and 12th grade.

To find out if your desired college or university requires an SAT or ACT score to apply, view their admissions portal or application requirement checklist.

Homeschooling For Neurodiversity And Special Needs

Many families homeschool their child because they have special needs or are neurodivergent. Homeschooling provides one-on-one support, a safe environment, and flexibility between education and care. Traditional schooling is always the best educational space for neurodivergent learners.

Traditional schools often struggle to find the support for those with special needs, ADD, autism, and dyslexia (to name a few). They need proper care and the correct tools to offer aid. However, that can be hard to find or expensive, leaving many to homeschool.

If your child is a neurodivergent learner or has special needs, you can enroll them in homeschooling to provide a better learning environment.

• Days can be shorter and more flexible based on comfort
• You can adjust the pacing of the lessons based on your child’s understanding
• Your child gets one-on-one attention or is in a small group
• A customized curriculum that can include virtual learning for autistic learners, multisensory math and science classes, and shorter lessons for attention-deficient individuals.

More importantly, homeschooling allows your child to be in a safe, controlled atmosphere. There’s no bullying, social pressures, or classroom transitions. Days are calm, customized, and regulated.

There’s also curricula designed specifically for students with special needs. Some of the more popular curricula for those with special needs are:

• Boardmaker: The platform has symbol-supported materials for those with special needs. There are 1,500+ activities to support comprehension.
  • Best fit: Families who need communication supports, visual schedules, behavior scripts, or accessible materials rather than a full lesson-by-lesson curriculum.
• Functional Skills for Life: The curriculum focuses on essential life skills and habits, including hygiene, safety, money, time, and more.
  • Best fit: Students who benefit from real-world skills instruction as a mainstay or supplement to academic content.
• Cathy Duffy: The Cathy Duffy curriculum offers resources for those with special needs.
  • Best fit: Families who want help choosing curricula tailored to their child, not a curriculum itself.
• Reading Horizons: Offers a personalized approach to learning through a variety of supported assessments.
  • Best fit: Students with reading challenges (including dyslexia, decoding difficulties, or late-emerging literacy needs).

It’s important to note, however, that some states differ in how they handle the educational standards ot those with special needs. By pulling out of public school, some states no longer provide Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Some states offer services like speech and occupational therapy, while others don’t. And this can go even deeper, because if you’re homeschooling a child with severe developmental delays, there can be extreme situations; in NC, you cannot opt a homeschooled child out of standardized testing for instance, even if he has such severe delays that he cannot read, write, or communicate. In public school, he could be opted out.

As your child’s homeschool teacher, you’re now their educational case manager, responsible for administrative tasks such as tracking progress and making accommodations.

Financially, there are no federal tax credits for those with special needs, but you may be eligible for Medical Expense Deductions. ABLE Savings Accounts, Child and Dependent Care Credits. and state-specific homeschool tax credits.

Groups And Organizations Outside Of The Home

Did you know that your homeschooling journey doesn’t need to be alone? If you plan to teach your children instead of sending them to public or private schools, there are ways to foster social normalcy and community with other homeschooled children. Likewise, since homeschooling differs from traditional school, you’re probably wondering how and where to sign your child(ren) up for after-school activities and sports.

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to integrate your child into society without them being attached to public or private schools.

Homeschool Groups

Also called co-ops in the homeschooling world, they’re when multiple homeschooled families get together for lessons, field trips, support, and social time. These organized meetups can be held daily, weekly, or monthly, as homeschooled teachers traditionally schedule them. Meetups are often organized around a lesson in which students work together.

There’s a slight difference between co-ops and a homeschool pod. Co-ops tend to be more structured and community-driven. Homeschool pods, on the other hand, are more informal and shorter.

Enrichment Programs

Enrichment classes or programs are designed to support homeschooling. Enrichment classes do not replace homeschool; rather add to its coursework. These programs could be classes or experiences focused on particular subjects, such as visiting a museum or attending a learning center. These programs can be done with other homeschool groups or with their own household.

Enrichment programs vary by household, with some done once a week and others multiple times a week. These programs can be quite extensive, as parents can choose to stay or leave (depending on the program), and they can be organized by age or grade.

Homeschooled families love enrichment programs because they offer peer interactions, experts in a particular subject, and they offer flexible structure.

Social Media Meet-Ups

Thanks to social media, homeschooled students can meet other homeschooled students. Like-minded Facebook groups are popular, where parents ask others if their classes want to join them on trips to the zoo, museums, parks, and other places. Social media meet-ups are flexible and casual. It’s a great way to meet new people and share homeschooling tips.

There are pros and cons to social media meet-ups, of course. Pros are meeting new people in a flexible atmosphere. Cons are that attendance can be inconsistent, and it’s important to keep safety in mind when meeting new people in public spaces.

You may even find that certain “niches” form and groups quickly become fractured into new groups, which can pull your children’s friends in various directions. Don’t be surprised if, over time, you’re balancing multiple groups for various activities and friend time.

Sports & Activities

Sports and extracurricular activities are just as important to a child as lessons in English and math are. Exercise and other forms of physical activity offer multiple benefits for a child’s mind and body. And while they’re not in a traditional school with sports and clubs, homeschooled kids can still partake in sports and join extracurriculars. Depending on the state, some public schools allow homeschooled kids to join their teams.

If you live in a state that does not allow homeschooled kids to join public schools’ sports teams, there are other ways to play:

• Homeschool Sports Leagues: Check your region or state to see what homeschool sports leagues are in your area.
• Community or Rec Leagues: Most community or rec centers have sports teams to join or try out for.
• Private Schools: Depending on the state, some private or charter schools allow homeschooled students to join their teams if they live in the school’s district.
• Club Sports: Club or travel sports are great for high-level athletes.
• Alternative Sports: Hiking, horseback riding, and skiing are great ways to get involved without traditional schools.
• Scouts: Boy and Girl Scouts are great ways to learn about leadership, earn badges, develop entrepreneurial skills, and more.
• 4-H Club: The club joins children and teens in various programs to enrich and engage “learning through doing.”
• Book, Stem, Lego Clubs…: Whatever a child’s interest is, there’s bound to be a club or organization that supports it. Find local groups on social media or explore libraries to find clubs in your area.

As mentioned, clubs, teams, and programs vary by state. To find out exactly what’s offered for your child, explore what your state offers.

The Ins And Outs Of Finances And Homeschooling

Aside from the curriculum, the ins and outs of the finances associated with homeschooling are another important and popular topic. Homeschooling can be as affordable or as expensive as you want it to be. Learning at home is affordable, but when field trips, activities, and extracurriculars are added, homeschooling can become more expensive.

Curriculum Costs: Prices can vary depending on your teaching style. There are low-budget approaches that provide access to free online resources, but books may need to be purchased. There are also learning subscription plans that add video lessons to your curriculum.

• Range: $50-$1000+ per year 

Tax Incentives and Breaks: Currently, there is no direct federal tax break for homeschooling, and expenses for books and tutoring cannot be deducted from your federal income tax return.  However, federal benefits like the child tax credit and 529 savings plans could be great options for families. States differ on what they offer for tax deductions and credits, such as:

• Education Savings Accounts: Some ESAs offer public funds to families for approved homeschool expenses.
• Charter School Allotments: Those enrolled in charter school programs may be eligible for annual allotments to spend towards curriculum.
• State Grants: Some states offer grants or reimbursement packages for educational materials.

As an example, our editor-in-chief homeschools his kids in Illinois, where homeschool parents can claim a nonrefundable tax credit of 25% on qualified education expenses exceeding $250, up to a maximum of $750 per household.

Homeschool Teachers: Parents who homeschool their children do not receive a salary or government payment, which means you are paying for your child’s education and giving up your time to teach them. This could add financial stress if you need to work to support your family.

The largest fee associated with homeschooling is often the cost of pricey subscription packages. However, there are multiple affordable options to meet every family’s needs.

Parental Burnout From Homeschooling

Teaching homeschooling is a full-time job on top of being a parent. It requires organization, patience, motivation, and consistent guidance. Homeschool teachers wear many hats as both teachers and parents, which can lead to exhaustion and irritability.

Signs of parental burnout can include:

• Feeling inpatient or irritable.
• Loss of motivation to teach a lesson.
• Losing the joy in teaching and the shared connection with your child.
• Difficulty juggling teaching, parenthood, and personal relationships.

Another form of homeschool burnout is “deschooling.” It’s exhaustion from unlearning everything traditional schools have taught us. Whether that’s the actual structure of day-to-day classes, grading, or lesson plans, it’s easy to burn out when you’re trying to “un-teach” things that have either been taught to you or your child.

While not every homeschool teacher gets burned out, common causes can include over-scheduling, a lack of support, fear of comparison, and the high emotional demands of teaching your child.

Burnouts can happen to the best of us. It’s important to see the signs before they spiral into something bigger. Some gentle ways to ease burning out to stay present and functioning as an educator, be sure to:

• Take breaks for yourself.
• Add “personal days” to your schedule.
• Accept help by joining co-op groups.
• Have movement breaks.
• Take a step back from comparing and focus on your child’s strengths.
• Connect with other like-minded parents and teachers through online communities.

Parental burnout is common in the homeschool world, but it can be prevented. Leave some wiggle room in schedules to accommodate breaks and time off to recoup and recenter.

Yes, there are a lot of choices when it comes to homeschool, and it’s easy to make the “wrong choice” at times, but with planning and the ability to be flexible, you’ll soon hopefully find yourself on a path forward that helps your child succeed. Remember to lean on the support of other homeschooling parents in your community, and to reach out to homeschool-based organizations and others when you have questions or need help. At the end of the day, there’s no “right answer” for homeschooling, only a lot of opportunities to discover.

The information provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Homeschooling laws and regulations vary significantly by state and are subject to frequent legislative changes. While we strive to provide the most current information, it is your responsibility as a parent to verify specific requirements with your local school district or State Department of Education.

For comprehensive legal tracking and protection, we highly recommend visiting the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). They serve as the leading authority on homeschooling law and provide the necessary resources to ensure your family remains in full compliance with local and federal mandates.