Homeschooling in the United States

What is homeschooling?

Homeschooling is where parents decide to teach their children an academic curriculum, such as the British Cambridge curriculum, at home instead of sending them to a traditional public or private school. Home schooling is legal in all 50 states of the United States, but each state has its own laws that families must adhere to.

How does homeschooling work?

In the USA, each state has set up its own regulations to enablehomeschooling. Some of the most common features across the various states canbe summarised as follows:

• Registration of children if they are enrolled in a particular school,
• Establishing the necessary applications and registrations regarding homeschooling,
• Determining which homeschooling programme and curriculum are suitable for both the child and the family,
• Ensuring that anysubjects prescribed by that state are covered in the curriculum, and
• Getting involved in an information exchange  and support circle by contacting the associations and organisations in each state.

How to homeschool in the US

Texas

Homeschooling regulations in the state of Texas have a very flexible and easy approach, including an online component. There are two simple steps that families who want to switch to homeschooling in Texas should follow.

1. If your child has a formal enrolment at a traditional school, then you need to withdraw this.
2. Choose your homeschooling curriculum based on your child's needs or preferences.

The choice of homeschooling curriculum in Texas depends on the parents. However, the curriculum you choose should cover at least the following topics: reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics and good citizenship and should have textbooks, workbooks, and the features of an online homeschooling programme.

There is a wealth of support in Texas for homeschooling families, such as the Texas Homeschool Coalition and Texas Home Educators, among others.

California

There are several ways to homeschool your child in California, such as through an existing private school, through a public charter, or through an independent study programme by opening your own private homeschool. Many families in California choose is to enrol their children in a public school that has an online schooling option, which is free. There are five simple steps involved if you choose to start homeschooling in California:

1. If your child has a formal enrolment at a traditional school, then you need to withdraw this.
2. Sign up for a private school homeschooling programme.
3. Become an authorised teacher or hire a certified private teacher.
4. Use the option to set up a homeschooling programme independent from the public school.
5. Enrol in a school for parents who are also homeschooling.

The California Department of Education (CDE) does not offer information and guidance on homeschooling programmes or curricula. In fact, parents who submit the private school affidavit agree that they will provide all curricula, teaching and other materials required for homeschooling.

Organisations in California that provide information about home education laws, types of online homeschooling programmes, scholarships, newsletters, discounts, and more, include the  California Homeschool Network(CHN), Christian Home Educators Association(CHEA), and HomeSchool Association of California

Florida

There are two paths that parents can choose when deciding to homeschool their children in Florida, namely, education under the homeschooling statute or enrolling in an umbrella school.

To start homeschooling your child in Florida it is enough for parents to follow the steps below:

1. File a notice of intent with the local superintendent’s office.
2. Choose a curriculum that suits your child.
3. Keep a portfolio of training records and store them for two years.
4. Provide annual student evaluations to the superintendent.
5. Supply an annual evaluation file after the completion of the homeschool curriculum.

The choice of which homeschooling curriculum to use in Florida is entirely up to the parents, however, whether you are homeschooling your children individually or at home using an umbrella school method, you will need to introduce standardised tests as part of your child’s annual assessment.

You will also need to keep training records for homeschooling in Florida. So, when choosing your homeschooling curriculum, it's important to consider whether it helps you meet these requirements.

Florida has several homeschooling associations that provide support and information about homeschooling, namely, the Florida Parent-Educators Association, Florida Homeschooling, and the Christian Victory Academy of Central Florida, Inc.

How does homeschooling work?

While students are able to self-pace and work independently a lot of the time, the teaching responsibility ultimately falls on the parents. This means it's the parents' job to make sure their children are on track with the state’s standards and that they are ready for graduation.

Homeschooling in Indonesia can be taken to mean one of four different things:

1. You pay a teacher(s) to come to your house and educate your children in your home.
2. You take your children to a building where a group of homeschooled children gather together to be taught by teachers chosen by the parents.
3. Your children are still young and, instead of putting them in playgroup, you connect with other parents of pre-school aged children to arrange for occasional play-dates.
4. The parents are the sole educators of their children.

What are homeschooling co-ops (and how do they work)?

A homeschool co-op or cooperative, is a group of homeschool families that meet together to share in the education of their children and work together toward similar goals. These goals could be field trips, extracurricular activities, focusing on life skills, enrichment or aiding in the socialisation for homeschoolers.

Co-ops may also include several parents, all working with the same curriculum, coming together to share the responsibility of educating their children. One caveat is that in certain areas, parents are not allowed to homeschool other people's children, so check your local regulations. Another co-op option is for several families to join together and hire a teacher.

Do you need to be qualified to homeschool your child?

Currently, 36 states in the US have no parent qualifications for homeschooling. Some states require that parents who wish to homeschool be “competent,” “qualified,” or “capable of teaching,” without stating specific guidelines for required formal qualifications. Other states have minimal education requirements for parents wishing to homeschool.

Check your state’s requirements for parents’ qualifications for homeschooling before starting on your homeschooling journey, but you will more than likely meet your state’s qualifications for homeschooling without much difficulty.

Can homeschoolers go to college?

Yes! Homeschoolers do not need a GED or a diploma to apply to college or to qualify for financial aid. They will just have to declare that their homeschool education meets state law requirements. The process of applying to colleges is not difficult, but it can be tedious, time-consuming and very detailed. It is important to check the requirements for homeschooler applications with the colleges of your choice.