Fascinating Facts & Stats

Research Facts on Homeschooling by Brian D. Ray, Ph.D
July 10, 2006
copyright by Brian D. Ray
www.nheri.org

GENERAL FACTS

There are about 2 million homeschool students in the United States.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Home-educated score about 20 percentile points above public-school students on standardized tests

Homeschool students score above average on achievement tests regardless of their parents’ level of education or family’s household income.

Whether a parent is a certified teacher or not, is not related to their children’s academic achievement.

Degree of state regulation of homeschooling is not related to academic achievement.

Home-educated students typically score above average on the SAT and ACT tests.

SUCCESS IN THE “REAL WORLD” OF ADULTHOOD

Homeschoolers:
— participate in local community service more frequently than does the general population.
— vote and attend public meetings more frequently than the general population.
— go to and succeed at college at an equal or higher rate than the general population.

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The following are general facts gathered from a wide variety of sources ——-

~Students home schooled their entire academic lives have the highest achievement.

~98% of home schooled students are involved in two or more activities

* Ninety-five percent of homeschoolers had an adequate comprehension of politics and government, compared to 65% of U.S. adults.
* Seventy-one percent of homeschool graduates participate in ongoing community service activities, including politics, compared to 37% of adults in similar ages.
* Eighty-eight percent of HS graduates are members of organizations (community groups, church, or professional organizations) compared to 50% of U.S. adults.
* Significantly, 76% of homeschool graduates voted in a national or state election within the past 5 years, compared to 29 percent of similar U.S. adults.

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HOME SCHOOL STATS: Looking for some solid data to back up your home school experience? Go to the National Home Education Research Institute website at www.nheri.org and find a whole list of great FACT SHEETS that you can pass along to family, friends, legislators, etc. For example, FACT SHEET Ic supplies general characteristics of home schoolers, academic statistics (including specific ones for Montana), and social and emotional adjustment stats.