Literature review · 2019
Bringing Achievement Home: A Review of the Academic Outcomes of Homeschooling Students in the United States, by Lindsey M. Burke (at the time Director of the Center for Education Policy, The Heritage Foundation). Published by the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).
Homeschooling in the U.S. grew from an estimated 10,000–15,000 children in the 1970s to about 1.8 million students by 2012. This review looks at what the most prominent U.S. studies since the 1980s say about how homeschooled students do academically, from kindergarten through college.
Key findings
- Of 38 studies reviewed, 24 (about two-thirds) found positive academic outcomes for homeschooled students, 12 found mixed or neutral outcomes, and 2 found negative outcomes.
- Among 26 studies of K-12 students, 15 were mainly positive, 9 mixed or neutral and 2 negative. Among 12 studies of students in or preparing for college, 9 were positive, 3 neutral or mixed and none negative.
- State education department data show homeschooled students’ median percentile on standardized tests above that of their peers.
- The author cautions that methodological limits rule out a causal conclusion: the positive results may reflect homeschooling itself or family characteristics such as greater parental involvement.
34 pages · PDF · © Home School Legal Defense Association · Hosted by EFI with HSLDA’s permission