[Labyrinthos]

These statistics are just nonsense. You have to compare kids with the same social background.

I was thinking the same thing. In my area, for example, there is a city school district where only 38% of the students graduate; yet in the adjacent suburban public school district, 93% of the students graduate and go on to college. For the homeschool statisitics to mean anything, we need to know how many of the 7000 home schooled students would have gone on to college if they had attended the public high school that services their area (as opposed to any public high school). Maybe 86% would have gone on to college, suggesting that public school is a better choice. I would also like to know how many of the home schooled students actually graduate from college (as opposed to merely taking "some college courses"), as well as the quality of the colleges they are attending. Although home schooling may be a better choice, these particular stats are meaningless.

[TomSmedley]

These statistics are just nonsense. You have to compare kids with the same social background.

My MS thesis compared democraphically matched samples of kids who were being home schooled vs. kids in public schools. All were from white, middle-class fundamentalist families. The home school kids far outperformed the others on a standardized test of social maturity, the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales.

[Mom4444]

You seem to be the only one concerned with these statistics. School districts vary greatly. I would never put my kids in an average or under average school system. Many urban school districts do have scores in the 90s with a greater percentage of public school kids going on to college. ONLY 50% HOME SCHOOLED KIDS GO ON TO COLLEGE. THE SAT SCORES YOU SEE FOR HOME SCHOOLERS ARE ONLY THESE 50% of students. Where are the other 50%. Unfortunately, we know where they aren't--college. Finally, the Seattle School District posted the home schooled students' scores. Out of 14 high schools, only two high schools had lower scores than the home schooled. Only 23% of the home schooled kids met the standard. Parents of home schooled kids have greatly resisted the publishing of scores. Now, we know why. I am sure it works for some, approximately 50% it seems. Oh, also, why do we allow home school failures to re-enter the public schools and take more than their share of the resources.