Public School Exodus: Homeschooling Sees Continued Growth
By Movieguide® Contributor
Studies and statistics now confirm that there has been a mass exodus from US public schools and that the number of homeschoolers has doubled in recent years.
Faithwire reported:
According to data released last spring by the National Center for Education Statistics, public schools lost more than one million students from the fall of 2019 to the fall of 2020. In other words, enrollment fell from 50.8 million to 49.4 million. Although the trend may have started before the COVID-19 pandemic, the exodus from public school certainly sped up during the health crisis.”
Many parents pulled their kids out of the public school systems after educators and administrators flip-flopped repeatedly on virtual versus in-person learning and mask mandates from 2020 into 2021.
The mishandling of the government-sanctioned education system saw parents enrolling their children in private and charter schools. And about five million children are now homeschooled.
The acceleration of this trend away from public school and toward private and homeschooling is now undeniably clear, many parents opting for alternatives that better represent their values and what they want passed down to their children.
CBN reports that, despite the reopening of public schools in 2022, for many, the damage is already done, and “Homeschooling numbers…are still significantly above pre-pandemic levels, according to data obtained and analyzed by The Associated Press.”
Many Christian families have opted to homeschool in order to protect their children and teach them strong faith values.
Celebrity families such as the Sorbos or the Camerons have also voiced their support for homeschooling.
Movieguide® previously reported on Kirk Cameron’s documentary, THE HOMESCHOOL AWAKENING, and his view of homeschooling:
“I had a healthy fear of homeschooling and after 6th grade we weren’t crazy about our local options,” Cameron explained of his introduction to homeschooling. “A friend introduced us to this incredible world where you could choose curriculum for your children, you were free to pass on your values and your faith in a community of like minded parents with the flexibility that you were looking for.”
“We dove in, and that is what THE HOMESCHOOLING AWAKENING is all about, the deep-dive into the everyday adventures of American homeschool families who are on a mission to put faith, family, and freedom back into learning,” he added.
As the culture wars continue to escalate in the US, it is important that such an awakening will continue to take place across the nation and around the world.
