Numerous Benefits Of Homeschooling Detailed In New Survey

As U.S. public school scores plunge yet again, a new study shows homeschool students are more likely to report positive mental health outcomes, to be married and have children, to volunteer in their communities, and to believe in God. 

The report's findings come as President Donald Trump contemplates returning most of the federal government's role in education back to the states and eventually abolishing the U.S. Department of Education.

Compared to the other groups, long-term homeschoolers -- those who spent at least eight years being educated at home -- reported the lowest levels of depression and anxiety, were the least likely to say they "feel helpless dealing with life's problems," and "exhibited the highest levels of optimism, gratitude, and life satisfaction," found a report titled "Diverse Outcomes for a Diverse Population," released early last month. 

Cardus, a Christian think tank based in Canada, interviewed adults aged 24 to 39. Long-term homeschoolers, who spend at least eight years being educated at home, "were more likely to be married, had the lowest divorce rate, and had more children, on average," according to the latest Cardus Education Survey.

Homeschooling for the long-term benefited religious faith and family stability, survey results revealed. Belief in God increased progressively with the amount of time one spent outside the public school system: 72% of long-term homeschool students believed in God, compared to 61% of medium-term homeschoolers, 56% of short-term homeschoolers, and 41% of those who were never schooled at home. Those educated at home the longest also reported the highest levels of Bible reading and church attendance and were most likely to say they felt the presence of God at least once a week.

Long-term homeschool students were the only group in which a majority reported currently being married (63% compared to 40% of those never homeschooled). Only 4% of long-term homeschoolers got divorced, less than half the rate of those who were never homeschooled (9%). Students homeschooled for the long haul also had more children on average than never-homeschooled students, with a birthrate approximately one-third higher at 1.23 (still well below replacement level).

These results should not surprise anyone, since "parents are the primary educators of their children," Meg Kilgannon, senior fellow for Education Studies at Family Research Council, told The Washington Stand. "Closing the U.S. Department of Education is a vital first step in a long process of reforming education in America."

The homeschool report came out as the "Nation's Report Card" -- the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)'s long-term trends exam (LTT), released last month -- showed reading scores falling for fourth and eighth grade students in U.S. public schools. Eighth graders also saw their math scores decline.

Concerningly, reading and math scores continued to fall after students returned to school from the COVID-19 closures and remain stubbornly below pre-pandemic levels. "In 2024, the average reading score for the nation at grade 8 was 2 points lower than 2022 and 5 points lower compared to 2019," reported NAEP. 

"In 2024, the average score at eighth grade was not significantly different from 2022 but was 8 points lower compared to 2019." At fourth grade, reading scores were two points lower compared to 2022 "and 5 points lower compared to 2019," reported NAEP. Although fourth grade students improved moderately in math in 2024 compared to 2022, they remained three points lower than their 2019 scores.

"This department was set up in 1980. Since that time, we've spent a trillion dollars on education to watch our performance scores go down," Secretary of Education Linda McMahon told Fox Business host Larry Kudlow on Friday afternoon. "We are clearly not doing something right."

Homeschooling may provide one antidote to falling test scores. "When it comes to improving student outcomes, the U.S. Department of Education has a longstanding record of failure. Keeping the focus of education as local as possible is the best way to keep parents engaged in their children's education," Kilgannon told TWS. 

"Returning federal monies for education to the states will ensure that maximum dollars are flowing to schools with minimal strings. The federal government is not responsible directly for the education of any child. That work is done by localities and states."

The president vowed to abolish the department on the campaign trail. In a July 2023 campaign video, then-candidate Trump promised he would begin "closing up the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. and sending all education and education work and needs back to the states" after entering office. 

Secretary McMahon told DOE employees last Monday via email that the president had "tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of the bureaucratic bloat here at the Education Department -- a momentous final mission -- quickly and responsibly." But officials now debate the best timing for the department's overhaul.

Since the Department of Education was established by legislation, a president cannot abolish it via executive order. However, he can shrink its oversight, footprint, and influence. Late last week, The Wall Street Journal previewed the purported text of an executive order that would prepare the DOE for legislative closure. "The experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars -- and the unaccountable bureaucrats those programs and dollars support -- has failed our children, our teachers, and our families," the draft executive order read.

State education officials are excited about the opportunities to reclaim their voice in education, free from oppressive federal mandates, once the executive order takes effect. "When he eliminates the federal Department of Education, it is going to be tremendous for our states," Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters told "Washington Watch" shortly after the 2024 election.

President Jimmy Carter established the Department of Education in 1979, and the agency became functional in March 1980. President Ronald Reagan campaigned on a pledge to abolish the newly formed federal education agency, which was widely seen as a payoff to such reliably Democratic teachers unions as the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. 

But President George Bush campaigned in 1988 on a goal to be remembered as "the education president." His son, President George W. Bush, expanded the federal footprint in education with the "No Child Left Behind" act, co-authored by the late liberal Senator Ted Kennedy. Candidates Bob Dole, John McCain, and Mitt Romney opposed such talk. In 2012, Mitt Romney promised voters, "I'm not going to cut education funding" at the federal level, much less abolish the Education Department.

But doing away with the DOE is an idea whose time has come, Kilgannon told TWS. "We live in the greatest country in the world but have some of the world's worst educational outcomes for the money we spend," she said. "Our children deserve the very best, and our country owes it to children and families to stop doing things that don't work and start trying new ways to make American education great again."

Originally published at The Washington Stand