Homeschool, Public School, or Private School?

If you’re looking at different schooling possibilities for your children, or if you’re wondering if the grass really is greener somewhere else, you’ve come to the right place to think through your different options.

Now, this doesn’t mean I’ll tell you what to do. There are lots of people who would love to tell you exactly what you should do—you may have run into them already. But I don’t believe there is only One Right Way to educate children. There are too many variables (among families, schools, children, circumstances) to make such a sweeping statement. What I will do here is to help you think through all of your options, honestly and hopefully without bias.

What qualifies me for this task? I’ve been a teacher for 30 years in a wide variety of settings and roles, and I’ve been a parent for nearly as long. I’ve seen it all—or most of it—during my time as a:

• Public high school English teacher
• Homeschool teacher, pre-K through high school
• Public elementary school substitute teacher
• Private school art teacher, pre-K through elementary
• Sunday school coordinator and teacher, pre-K through high school
• Private school board member
• Homeschool and public school parent; private school grandparent

Thinking through all of your schooling options means considering the pros and cons of each—the best of what each has to offer and also the drawbacks. Because the truth is, every schooling option has both positive and negative points.

Before we begin, three important words to remember are location, location, location: where you live and what options you have in your area. Do you live in a “good” public school district, and are you in agreement with the leanings and priorities of the school board? Are there acceptable private school options within a reasonable driving distance of your home? Do you live in an area where, if you homeschooled, your children would have access to social, extracurricular, and academic opportunities, especially as they get older? Each option below assumes that you have, in your own area, a schooling situation you would be able to use and feel comfortable having your children attend.

That said, let’s take a look at your three basic options (with variations below) and the pros and cons of each.

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Homeschool

For many people, a significant positive aspect of homeschooling is its flexibility. You are in charge of your own schedule—your daily start and end times, vacations, holidays, time spent on each subject, random days off, sick days, etc. In every possible way, how you spend your time is under your control. The state you live in will require more or less of you in terms of subjects, testing, etc., so you should check out your state’s laws at the HDLSA website.

Because of all that flexibility (and greater efficiency with schoolwork), your child will also have more time to spend on hobbies or special interests throughout the day—or at least, they ought to. This also means that there is more chance for a not-so-good use of time, as well, and you as the parent will need to oversee this.

Other advantages of homeschooling are that you can teach multiple ages at once, learn together as a family, and have siblings learn from one another. On an individual level, students can learn at their own pace, even if their learning is asynchronous; for example, a nine-year-old might be reading at an eighth grade level and doing math at a third grade level, or vice versa, and this is okay (trust me, it really is okay).

For the Christian, another reason to homeschool is the ability to teach your children as freely and as often as you like about God, Jesus, church history, or whatever other aspects of your religion are important to you. Jesus can be integrated into your day in a very natural, spontaneous fashion, or with a Bible curriculum that you choose and do with your children.

Those are some key positives of homeschooling … but of course, you, the teacher, must make all of this happen. For 23 years, I truly enjoyed orchestrating all of it (I chose curriculum, made schedules, planned lessons, graded, drove my kids around, organized classes and social activities, and taught all four of them for a large part of each day). I loved it, but not everyone would, of course. Would you enjoy doing this every day? Homeschooling is a lot of work for you, the teacher, and a big time commitment.

A few other things about homeschooling that could be negative aspects are: it’s a 24/7 kind of job, and you’re with your kids (and they’re with each other) pretty much all of the time. It’s very difficult to work full-time, so there is usually a significant financial sacrifice in order to homeschool (I worked part-time from home during my homeschool years). It’s also easy to get distracted, or let your kids get distracted, so a certain amount of self-discipline is needed. For some families, depending on location, local opportunities, and the parent’s efforts to get out of the house regularly, homeschooling could be isolating (I haven’t seen this personally, but I know it can happen so it’s only fair to mention it here).

Besides considering your own personality and whether it’s compatible with homeschooling, it’s important to consider your child’s, as well. Some children do very well with homeschooling, some would do well anywhere, and some do best in a school setting. Sometimes children have special needs that could be better met with public school resources (although many special needs students thrive at home or in private schools, as well). You know your child best, so think about that honestly as you consider all of your choices.

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Public School

There’s no getting around it: the number one positive aspect of public school is that it’s free. Let’s just say that right up front. However, there are “hidden fees” to public schooling that may have surfaced since you were in school. When my sons were in public school for part of their school years, I paid for field trips, school supplies, instruments, lunches, and many fundraisers. I’m sure I spent more on clothing and shoes during these years, as well. But tuition, of course, is paid for with tax dollars and is free to families in the district.

Other positive aspects of public school are: a feeling of community with others who live in your immediate area (walking or riding together to school, participating in school events, talking about school “over the back fence,” etc.). Supporting other students and teachers, especially those who are like-minded. Having more diversity in the classroom, including special needs students and often more racial, religious, and socioeconomic diversity. Greater options for extracurricular activities and class choices. The blessing of a great teacher, other adult mentors, or other students who can be a positive influence on your child. And for some, a strong feeling of wanting to support local public schooling for the good of all in the community is a big reason that they use the public schools. Some Christians believe very strongly in being a Christian presence in the public schools, whether as a parent, teacher, or student.

Here are two more aspects of public school that some parents don’t like to say out loud, but they are what many would consider positive aspects: 1) public school also means that your child is out of your hair for seven or eight hours a day, and 2) you are not the one who is primarily responsible for their education. (These are mostly true of private school, as well, of course.)

Potential negatives? You are tied to the school schedule, both daily and yearly. The diversity in your child’s classroom may not be a positive thing, for many reasons. Your child may get a teacher who, quite frankly, ought not to be in the classroom, or who has vocal opinions or lessons that you don’t agree with, and possibly don’t even know about. Your child may be influenced by peers or the school atmosphere in a negative way. You may not like the curriculum or you may feel that your child isn’t being challenged or is falling farther and farther behind. Your child may be exposed to certain concepts or topics before they are ready, or in an inappropriate way. Bullying can happen anywhere, of course, but is more likely in a school setting. You may not agree with district practices regarding smartphones, recess, time allowed for lunch, outdoor time, or other significant aspects of the school day. Your child may feel pressured to hide their Christian identity or feel that they can’t share honestly in certain class discussions or when writing papers. You will need to make a decision about allowing your child to ride the bus. And for the most part, God and religion will be absent from your child’s day (there could be exceptions to this, of course, depending on their teachers, friends, and possibly extracurricular activities).

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Private Christian School

Private school has many of the same pros and cons of public school: the school schedule, peer influence, and good or not-so-good teachers, for example. But there are notable differences, and I’ll concentrate on those here. (I’m also concentrating on Christian private schools here because that’s what I know, but much of this post will also apply if you’re considering a secular private school.)

For many people, the biggest obstacle to private schooling is that the cost of full tuition can be well beyond what they could afford. Many private schools, though, have significant scholarships or financial aid available, so it’s worth looking into that if you find a school that you really like. If you feel that you are being led to pursue this option, you can make a quick phone call or fill out a financial aid application to see if it’s actually a possibility.

Be sure to read the belief statement of any private school you’re considering. You can assume that your child would be exposed to those beliefs while in the classroom, which, if you’re a Christian, would be a good thing. Your child will likely be surrounded by other children who are also Christians, their friends and teachers will believe in God and Jesus, and anyone in the school can speak or write freely about that without fear of being ostracized for their beliefs.

If you have several private schools in your area, you’ll probably notice that they’re all a bit different. They each have a different “feel”—a different approach to education—so it’s worth visiting each one you’re considering to see if you think it would be a good fit for your family and your child. There are many different approaches to schooling today, and private schools (Christian and secular) often specialize in classical, Charlotte Mason, forest school, traditional, eclectic, Montessori, special needs, and more. Some will have almost a homeschool feel, while some will look on the surface very much like a public school. This variety means you can choose a school that most closely aligns with your own family’s preferences.

Other possible pros and cons are: there will likely be no buses, so you’ll provide transportation. Students may come from a much wider area, so your child’s friends may live farther away. Your child may be required to wear a uniform of some kind. Class sizes may be smaller, sometimes much smaller, than public schools (although, of course, larger than homeschooling). You may have to switch schools at some point and make decisions all over again—this happens usually either in seventh or ninth grade, unless you choose a K-12 private school. There will probably be fewer extracurricular choices or class choices than in a public school, and there may be less diversity in the classroom.

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Two other schooling options to think about

“Blended family” options: You may find that one or more of your children benefits from a certain type of schooling, whereas the other children may not. If that’s the case, you can be a “blended family” for schooling, where each child does what suits him best and what is best for the family in general. We did this for several years with our two younger sons, and I’ve linked an article about that below.

Hybrid options: A hybrid situation is where you combine homeschooling with either public or private high school, often on a daily basis. Your child may take certain classes at school and do the rest of their classes at home. Or they may do extracurricular activities at a school and do academics at home. There also may be a public technical school (high school) in your area that your child can attend part-time, for free.

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I’ve tried to present just about every important point I can think of as to the pros and cons of homeschooling, public schooling, and private schooling … but still, I’m sure this list isn’t exhaustive. I pray that God will give you discernment and peace of mind as you make these decisions for your family. I want to leave you with a few more articles that can help:

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