Our teenagers have been homeschooled from the beginning and they have no problem with socialization. Our homeschool group is made up of over 150 families and the activities are endless. Additionally, band, church groups and Boy Scouts add to the mix. Do you really want you children getting their greatest influence from NEA teachers and children whose parents have values not remotely close to yours? We don't have to deprogram every evening.
Bob Cook and Sangoo made good points. Here are mine:
One successful homeschooler (12 kids!) wrote that when you're finished raising your children, you want them to act like adults, not kids. Interacting with adults more than usual is not going to make them grow up to be childish or screwed up, and "socializing" with a bunch of kids who can't spell "socializing" if you spot them the "s-o-c" is not going to help you toward that goal. Let's also remember that the vast, vast majority of time after kindergarten is not spent socializing, it's spent sitting in a room with 35 other kids listening to a union employee talk, and not interacting with the other children at all, under penalty of punishment. Granted, that's much like schools have always been, even back when they were effective, but notice the lack of "socialization."
Second, studies show the average public school kid has two extracurricular activities per week with their peers, the average homeschooler has five.
Third, my kids are homeschooled, and they get along famously with just about every kid they meet. Homeschooling will not desocialize your kids, that is a convenient myth that the NEA uses to keep the pipeline full of future democrat voters.