As of 2007, 1.5 million parents were home schooling their children - a 36 percent increase since 2003, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES).

"There is no reason to believe [the prevalence of homeschooling] would not keep going up," NCES spokesperson Gail Mullin said. In fact, the estimate may be low because homeschooling parents often prefer not to participate in government surveys.

The top reason that parents choose home schools - cited by 88 percent in the survey - is concern about safety, drugs, and peer pressure. The second most prevalent reason, which was cited by 75 percent of homeschooling parents, was dissatisfaction with local academics.

Labels: parents, homeschooling

Posted By: Aspen Education Group