Homeschooling Can Make Kids Smarter? – Homeschooling Benefits

Did you know that Thomas Edison (pictured above) was homeschooled?

There are a lot of parents who choose to homeschool their children. There are a lot of different reasons parents don't send their kids to public school. Homeschooling is a way for parents to take complete responsibility over what their child learns. It is a way for them to improve their child's education and it provides a great bonding experience for both the parent and the child, but does it have other benefits?

Studies have proven that children who are homeschooled have the potential to be smarter than their public school counterparts. Mitchell Stevens, a professor at Stanford and the author of the Kingdom of Children, A History of Homeschooling, is very revealing of the history in public schools. Initially, it began in rural areas and over time, it spread to all areas of the world. The advances in technology have made homeschooling easier and more efficient over time and the number of resources available to homeschooling parents is astronomical.

If you are interested in learning more about homeschooling, you can purchase Mitchell Steven’s eBook on Amazon.

Studies Supporting the Benefits of Homeschooling

Yes, some studies support the benefits of homeschooling. The Academic Statistics on Homeschooling has proven that homeschooled students have higher test scores on standardized testing than children taught in public school. A survey completed in 2012 showed that over 1.22 million children are being homeschooled, which is an 18% increase over previous years.

Studies by the National Home Education Research have proven that homeschoolers are more active in the community as children. This trend continues later in life.  They are currently working on new studies to see how in-depth community activism goes.

Children who are homeschooled have a greater chance of carrying on their education and being active in a variety of hobbies and interests. For example. 75% of homeschool students go on to attend college, versus the national public school average of 45%. Homeschooled students are also more likely to to be active voters. In the last five years, 75% of homeschooled alumni were active voters, versus 23% of people who attended public school.

The Journal of College Admissions reveals valuable information surrounding homeschooling and SAT and ACT scores. On average, SAT scores for homeschooled children are higher than children who are taught in public schools. SAT scores showed the following deviations in homeschool students scores:

• 0.61 standard deviation in reading
• 0.26 standard deviation in mathematics
• 0.42 standard deviation in writing

Studies have also shown higher ACT scores for homeschooled students versus their public school counterparts. You can ensure your child’s homeschool success by strictly adhering to the standards laid out in 2008: Vol 6, Issue 3, of Academic Leadership by Fort Hays State University.

Colleges Are Developing More Respect for Homeschool Graduates

With the increase in homeschooling's popularity over the last several years, home education stood on the world's stage. As a result, researchers devoted more of their attention to gain insights into how homeschooling increases student's ability to learn.

Colleges have become more respectful towards homeschool seniors and no longer discriminate in any way. Furthermore, homeschoolers who have entered the college environment are recording better records of achievement.

Surprisingly, homeschool students actually enjoy more benefits than public schooled students. Homeschoolers often go through an easier admissions process and arrive with more credits.

Homeschoolers Typically Enter College with More Credits

Since homeschool students can work through subjects at their own pace, they advance through classes faster than students who are held back by a traditional classroom setting.  According to Michael Cogan, a University of St. Thomas researcher, homeschool students typically earn college credits before their college freshman year. The average freshman entering college from homeschool has 14.7 college credits. Compare that to the typical public school student who only has 6 credits. Not only does this save homeschoolers time in college, but it can also save them thousands of dollars.

Homeschoolers Typically do Better on the SAT and ACT

Since homeschoolers have a chance to prepare on an individual basis, they generally perform higher when it comes to standardized testing. This surprises many critics that assume a lack of regular in-class testing would put home educated students at a disadvantage.

Standard college admissions tests are no exception. In 2003, the average result on the ACT was 22.5 for homeschoolers, in comparison with 20.8 for public school educated students. The SAT showed similar results, with homeschoolers averaging 1092 and public school students averaging 1020.