The number of Virginia students being educated at home increased last school year by 4.3%, according to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). The year before an almost 6% increase occurred, according to a report by the Virginia Mercury. The growth comes amid a debate about homeschooling regulations.
Last year, slightly more than 56,000 students were educated at home in Virginia. That compares to nearly 1.3 million full-time students enrolled in the state’s public schools.
The number of homeschooled students has mushroomed by 221% in Virginia since the 2004-05 school year.
The driving factors:
- concerns for safety in public classrooms
- fear of poor academic quality
- preference for religious instruction
- the need for specialized education for the child.
“I can provide something for my child that the public school [system] isn’t able to offer them,” says Amy Buchmeyer, a staff attorney at the Virginia-headquartered Home School Legal Defense Association, or HSLDA.
Buchmeyer, who was homeschooled, cites a Cardus survey that reported homeschooled students are more well-rounded in other aspects of life.
The study split homeschoolers into three groups: short-term, medium-term, and long-term.
Long-term students scored the highest in overall mental health and displayed higher levels of optimism and gratitude, though they are less likely to pursue higher education past an associate’s degree, according to Buchmeyer.
Homeschooled students are more likely to start families and stay married, be active in their communities, and start their own businesses, she says.
The number of Virginia students receiving a religious exemption in order to opt out of public school has also increased in the past two school years at about the same percent as homeschooled students. There were 6,755 students who received a religious exemption last school year.
Parents who choose home education are required by the VDOE to submit a notice to their local school district at the beginning of the school year and a follow-up report at the end.
Religious exemption requires an initial notification of intent with no reports on academic progress, according to VDOE.
This lack of academic reporting for religious exemption does not concern Buchmeyer.
“I think there is too much regulation currently placed on home schooling,” she says.
A bill was proposed in January to require Virginia parents who opted out for religious reasons to abide by the same regulations as homeschooled parents, but it did not advance.
“Virginia has a long-standing tradition and legacy of religious liberty,” says Callie Chaplow, director of government affairs at the Christian-founded Home Educators Association of Virginia.
Home education reports vary because there is no standard method of reporting results or monitoring child welfare.
“Once homeschool kids are out of an oversight situation, whether that’s check-ins that are happening or even yearly reporting, the opportunity for both educational neglect as well as abuse becomes prevalent,” says Tess Ulrey, executive director of The Coalition for Responsible Home Education.
Founded by homeschool graduates, the organization recommends policy changes for home education requirements and published the Make Homeschool Safe Act last year as a model policy outline.
Ulrey says that because mandated check-ins are not necessary, children can be left vulnerable.
Typically, homeschooled students who submit standardized tests score above the national average, but Ulrey says that data is skewed due to flawed reports. One study by Magnet ABA Therapy found homeschool graduates perform 15% to 25% better on standardized tests, although the research methods for these findings are unclear.
“We also see that homeschool students perform consistently lower in math than their traditional school peers. Reading is kind of a flip from that,” Ulrey says. “We also know that home school children are less likely to attend university.”
Homeschool regulation varies from state-to-state. Oftentimes, school representatives are not required to perform regular check-ins on these homes. As of September, 12 states have no requirements to start home instruction, according to the HSLDA.
Virginia Mercury
