One of the common misconceptions about homeschooling is that it is only done on the fringes, that a very small number of families choose to educate at home. That was true in past decades, but not any longer. Take a look at a few fast facts:
- The homeschool market is currently a billion-dollar industry.1
- More than 2 million children are homeschooled in the United States alone.2
- Homeschooling has seen an average yearly growth of between 2 and 8 percent over the last several years.3
- Homeschool enrollment is outpacing traditional school enrollment by seven times as many new students.4
- On average, $400 to $599 is spent annually on each homeschooled student.5
- 68.1 percent of homeschool families have three or more children.6
Christian publishers as well as general market publishers are taking notice:
- In August 2013, Zondervan released the Homeschool Mom’s Bible.7
- YWAM Publishing has released unit studies and curriculum guides (2001-present) to complement their popular Christian Heroes Then and Now series by Janet and Geoff Benge as well as their Heroes of History series and Heroes of History for Young Readers series.
- Christian Book Distributors has a section of their website dedicated to homeschool resources and sends out dedicated e-blasts and catalogs targeting homeschooling customers each year.
- In 2000, Random House debuted a companion series of nonfiction study guides to the popular Magic Tree House books titled the Magic Tree House Fact Tracker series.
When you reach out to one homeschooler, you also connect with their friends, families, and homeschooling support groups. Homeschoolers love to share news about great resources. Consider that a Google search of homeschooling blogs returned over 2,000 matches from Weebly, over 38,000 matches from WordPress, and more than 79,000 matches from Blogger. Not to mention the fact that technology has expanded the reach of homeschooling, making it easier to take part in online communities and use resources.8
And the growth of homeschooling doesn’t stop at the US border.
- Canada: An estimated 60,000-80,000 homeschoolers in 2006 has risen to approximately 100,000 today9
- Australia: An estimated 20,000 homeschooling and distance education students in 1995 has risen to approximately 30,000 families in 201210
Ready to plug into this growing community? Let’s dive in!
1. www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/14/sunday/main4447823.shtml.
2. www.nheri.org/research/research-facts-on-homeschooling.html.
3. Ibid.
4. www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/06/07/Report-Growth-in-Homeschooling-Outpacing-Public-Schools. See also nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=91 and nces.ed.gov/programs/projections/projections2020/tables/table_02.asp.
7. zondervan.com/9780310431473.
8. Research performed May 17, 2013.
9. www.hslda.ca/assets/pdf/summary-final.pdf and correspondence with Member Services, HSLDA Canada, September 6, 2013
10. learninfreedom.org/homeschool_growth.html and www.hslda.org/hs/international/Australia/default.asp
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