Reason #18: Just Joining the Crowd
More and more families are realizing that the opportunity to homeschool is a valid option, and are jumping in on the fun. Homeschooling became legal in North Carolina in 1985, and as more and more people begin to recognize it’s benefits, it’s been a growing movement ever since. It’s been legal and recognized as a parent’s right in all 50 states since 1993. Today, about 4.5% of children are homeschooled in this state. During the 2008-2009 school year, there were a grand total of 41,042 children being homeschooled, according to the NC Division of Non-Public Education’s estimates. That’s the highest number ever. That would also mean that homeschoolers would make up the 6th largest school district in the state: below Wake County (1stat 134,002), Charlotte-Mecklenburg (2nd at 132,281), Guilford County (3rd at 71,292), Cumberland County (4th at 52,885), and Forsyth County (5th at 51,351) but higher than Gaston County (6th at 32,583) and Durham County (7th at 32,455) (2007-2008 Department of Public Instruction Report).There are 2,476 homeschooled children in Forsyth County where I live, which would make it the largest “school” in the district, ranking above West Forsyth High School (1st at 1,975), East Forsyth High School (2nd at 1,880), and Mt. Tabor High School (3rd at 1,762) (2008-2009 report by the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools).
