Anonymous
Post 06/15/2026 19:08     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
Anonymous wrote:Read any thread about any of the public schools in the DMV. They are all full of complaints about teachers, other students, parents, school administration, tech in classrooms, school calendar, etc. Then add in school shootings.


This.

We would homeschool (for academic reasons, not for religious or political reasons) to better educate our kids, if we could. We cannot find a way to make it work.

In our social circle, almost every homeschooling family does it for academic reasons. College admissions has gone well for those who did homeschool.

The one exception is for a special needs child which their public school would not support sufficiently.

In each of these cases, the parents are both well educated.
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2026 19:03     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
Anonymous wrote:I notice this too OP. I am a healthcare provider to DoD children and there feels like an uptick in homeschooling. At one time, these same kids would have gone to DoD schools or enrolled/unenrolled in local publics when they moved every 3 years. Now, it feels like the trailing spouse is homeschooling much more frequently.

I will say, the kids seem healthy, social and bright when I talk to them. Not weird, and mom’s not outwardly conspiratorial (they’re with me getting vaccines and antibiotics if needed). Of course I have no idea what their academic situation is


DoD dependent children get moved almost every 2-4 years. Schooling in public schools varies widely between districts, even in the same state. Home schooling can be prevent the educational disruptions.
Anonymous
Post 06/13/2026 15:09     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As a public school teacher, I have certainly thought about it. The behavior issues in a lot of schools are out of control.


I know MANY teachers who will not send their kids to public schools. My youngest DD is in Pre-K with a kid whose mom is a public Kindergarten teacher, and she won't send him to public K. All of us moms were shocked to hear her, but she's been working for like 15 years in multiple schools.

The homeschool kids I know are not all conservative, many are super liberal/hippy. The two groups dress similarly and actually have a lot in common. Neither wants the government involved in their kids' education.

-too much laptop usage
-crazy discipline issues in schools
-not enough attention spent on regular students. My best friend was in a Title 1 school and her regular child was just straight up ignored. They'd put her on her chromebook while they worked intensely with other kids. She was getting very little teaching or attention. I have felt similarly about my own kids.

I'm PP and almost all of my colleagues send their children to private school or lottery in to our option programs (myself included)
Anonymous
Post 06/13/2026 14:36     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
there can be pockets of religious undercurrent. But I am also seeing parents who are dissatisfied with public school and can't afford private school. There are more home school resources now and the flexibility can work to your advantage.
Anonymous
Post 06/13/2026 12:52     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
Schools have gotten worse. Everything is on screens. There is so much wasted time. Some teachers are so burnt out and unsupported.

That said, homeschooling if done the right way is amazing but it’s a TON of work. Letting your kids drift around and counting on “osmosis” is not homeschooling.
Anonymous
Post 06/13/2026 12:03     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
I notice this too OP. I am a healthcare provider to DoD children and there feels like an uptick in homeschooling. At one time, these same kids would have gone to DoD schools or enrolled/unenrolled in local publics when they moved every 3 years. Now, it feels like the trailing spouse is homeschooling much more frequently.

I will say, the kids seem healthy, social and bright when I talk to them. Not weird, and mom’s not outwardly conspiratorial (they’re with me getting vaccines and antibiotics if needed). Of course I have no idea what their academic situation is
Anonymous
Post 06/13/2026 11:49     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
It’s the dissatisfaction with schools. It’s not quite as popular in the DMV because there are many options: very selective privates, excellent parochial schools, Montessori elementary, Waldorf, public magnet schools/AAP centers. Many, many areas do not have these options. They have the regular public school and maybe a Catholic private school that is mediocre. That’s it. Public elementary schools everywhere are bad. Curriculum is terrible, little direct instruction, Edtech and movies. The only difference between the “good” districts and the bad are how much parents supplement outside of school. But this isn’t feasible for all families or kids. Some kids are too tired after 4pm to be receptive to significant learning, or have extracurriculars, or the parents have other kids that have busy afternoon schedules.
Anonymous
Post 06/12/2026 11:09     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
Anonymous wrote:There is a video about kids who grew up in hippie communes from the 60s and didn't have schooling. Its very interesting. Like anything else with no regulations homeschooling can be so much better than the standard or so much worse.


I think the majority of these people would be better just supplementing traditional school.
Anonymous
Post 06/12/2026 10:34     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
Anonymous wrote:I haven't noticed it around the DMV but there seems to be a huge rise in homeschooling among the people I went to school with and extended family in my hometown in the midwest. This is mostly in the suburbs of a medium city with very good school districts. A lot of them moved back to the area citing the good schools so this is surprising to me. My extended family isn't even actually homeschooling their children in any kind of formal way, they say the kids will learn what they need through osmosis. It's not happening because the nine year old does not know how to read at all. The homeschooling regulations in the state were relaxed and it doesn't seem like the kids need to be tested or keep up with certain curriculum or anything.

But what's behind it? Social media? A lot of these people are Republican/MAHA but why would these people want the kids not to learn? Easier to control an uneducated population? The elites don't want competition for their own kids? Just plain indoctrination?


Idiocy, Trad wives, Christian Nationalism, White Power crap

The largest evangelical denomination just banned women from being pastors. After the largest child sexual abuse occuring in their churches. It's all about putting women back to the dark ages, white men shits and stopping education.
Anonymous
Post 06/12/2026 10:26     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
There is a video about kids who grew up in hippie communes from the 60s and didn't have schooling. Its very interesting. Like anything else with no regulations homeschooling can be so much better than the standard or so much worse.
Anonymous
Post 06/12/2026 09:26     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
Homeschooling with no government supervision is a scenario where lots of kids are abused and killed. Look it up. I’m not saying that’s anywhere close to the majority of kids but there’s a reason some of these people don’t want the government involved in their lives—because people are asking questions about their kids’ bruises and malnutrition.

And unschooling or being low effort at teaching your kids is another form of abuse. There needs to be standards.
Anonymous
Post 06/12/2026 09:19     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
Anonymous wrote:Racism and religion.


I know a lot of homeschool parents and neither is a factor. I think this is something others say that's completely unfounded in reality.
Anonymous
Post 06/12/2026 09:16     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
Anonymous wrote:As a public school teacher, I have certainly thought about it. The behavior issues in a lot of schools are out of control.


I know MANY teachers who will not send their kids to public schools. My youngest DD is in Pre-K with a kid whose mom is a public Kindergarten teacher, and she won't send him to public K. All of us moms were shocked to hear her, but she's been working for like 15 years in multiple schools.

The homeschool kids I know are not all conservative, many are super liberal/hippy. The two groups dress similarly and actually have a lot in common. Neither wants the government involved in their kids' education.

-too much laptop usage
-crazy discipline issues in schools
-not enough attention spent on regular students. My best friend was in a Title 1 school and her regular child was just straight up ignored. They'd put her on her chromebook while they worked intensely with other kids. She was getting very little teaching or attention. I have felt similarly about my own kids.
Anonymous
Post 06/12/2026 09:10     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
Read any thread about any of the public schools in the DMV. They are all full of complaints about teachers, other students, parents, school administration, tech in classrooms, school calendar, etc. Then add in school shootings.
Anonymous
Post 06/12/2026 09:06     Subject: What is behind the rise in homeschooling?
Anonymous wrote:I have no issues with people who homeschool their children well. But the people I've seen (not in the DC area) do not. It's more about pulling the kids out of school than teaching them anything. They do not value education. I think these kids will be incredibly lost when they grow up. I also think it's a government psy op to make people dumber and easier to control.

The same could be said of public school.