If your child is experiencing difficulty in their public school environment, for whatever reason, you may consider pulling them out. This is not a decision to take lightly and it can be very hard to know what path you should take once you decide to do this. You have many options which include private schools, charter schools, and homeschool.

Some reasons why students are taken out of traditional school/public school:

• Lack of school safety – fear of going to school
• Bullying
• Low test scores
• Behavioral problems
• Emotional problems
• Learning disabilities/disorders
• Family travel or lifestyle does not permit regular attendance

Things to consider before choosing to homeschool:

• How much time does the parent have to supervise?
• What homeschool curriculum will you choose?
• What is your curriculum budgets?
• Can you do “dual enrollment”? Meaning that the student can do some subjects at home and some at the public school? This will also be determined by your school district laws.
• Are you or your student really self motivated and disciplined?
• What are your state and school district requirements for homeschooling?
• What are your educational goals for your child?

Homeschool is the number one growing trend in education. More and more parents are realizing that education is not one size fits all. However, with that said, it is important to know what you are really getting into with homeschooling and that there are other options as well. Not all families are cut out for homeschooling and the last thing you want is for education to become less important to your child.