Are Homeschooled Kids at a Disadvantage?

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Homeschoolers are not at a disadvantage when it comes to learning opportunities. Given the growth of homeschooling over the past two decades, there are now few academic resources, whether Advanced Placement classes or other specialized instruction, that are available to a conventionally schooled child but not to a homeschooled child. As a result, homeschooled children are academically prepared for college. Data from the Colorado Commission on Higher Education show that, based on SAT scores, ACT scores, college freshman year cumulative GPA, and cumulative credit hours, “academic performance analyses indicate that homeschool graduates are as ready for college as traditional high school graduates and that they perform as well on national college assessment tests as traditional high school graduates.” Studies have also shown that a greater proportion of homeschooled students go on to college than their traditionally schooled counterparts. Some California universities, including the University of California at Riverside and Stanford University, have even made special efforts to attract and enroll homeschooled students, who as a group have gained a reputation for being particularly motivated and for possessing “intellectual vitality.” They are also prepared socially. One study that looked at freshmen at a private liberal arts college reported significantly fewer anxiety symptoms than a matched sample of traditionally schooled students.