How to Break up with Your Public School

As homeschooling continues to grow and gain respect as an acceptable way to educate children, more and more parents are pulling their kids out of the public school system for a safer environment and richer learning experience at home.

If you’re contemplating calling it quits with your child’s public school and moving on to homeschooling, consider these steps to ensure a smooth transition.

Talk to Your Child
He or she may have questions and reservations about leaving friends and the familiarity of the classroom. You may intercept some resistance leading up to and during the transition, but reassure your child that you know what’s best and point out some of the perks of homeschooling, such as more freedom to move and study different subjects.

Make It Official
Mail a Declaration of Intent to Homeschool to your child’s school district and become familiar with your state’s homeschooling laws. Stipulations vary across the country from low-regulation states, which do not require any notification that you’re homeschooling, to high-regulation states, which require submission of test scores and more in order to homeschool.

- 15 states require only notification of homeschooling

- 19 states and the District of Columbia require submission of test scores and/or professional evaluation of students

- 5 states have additional requirements, such as curriculum approval, parent qualification, or home visits by state officials

- 11 states do not require notification in order to homeschool

Choose Curriculum
If you haven’t already chosen curriculum, make a list of features you want in your child’s curriculum and stick to your list as closely as you can while you explore. You may decide to research online, get feedback from friends who homeschool, or visit expos or bookstores. Get to know what’s out there and look for materials that fit your student’s learning style, which will become clearer as you homeschool.

You’ll also want to set goals for your homeschool, make a schedule, and do plenty of prepping, planning, and praying.

Breaking up can be hard to do. Fortunately, ending your relationship with your child’s public school shouldn’t be difficult if you’ve done your homework.

Have you transitioned from public school to homeschool, or vice versa? What was the experience like?