Home schooling is on the rise in SC. In one city, it rose more than 300%
Home schooling is on the rise in South Carolina in a way that sets the Palmetto State apart from most others right now.
The Washington Post analyzed data from nearly 7,000 school districts across the country and found a large rise in home schooling particularly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, so much so that home schooling is by far the fastest-growing form of education in the U.S.
While the numbers of home-schooled children in most states have dipped just slightly since the end of the pandemic, in four states, including South Carolina, the numbers are still growing.
Out of 32 states and the District of Columbia from which the Washington Post was able to collect data, South Carolina ranked 18th for the growth rate of home schooling. The number of children being home schooled in the state has increased 49% since the 2017-18 school year, The Post found.
The city of Anderson in the South Carolina Upstate, home to fewer than 30,000 people, had a 373% increase in the number of home schooled children in the last six years.
According to the National Home Education Research Institute, South Carolina has 30,474 children who are home schooled, which is 3.6% of all students in the state.
The Washington Post reported that the national surge in home schooling crosses “every measurable line of politics, geography and demographics.”
Further, The Post said despite claims that home schooling was on the rise due to the failure of public education, its study found no correlation between the quality of a public school district and the rise in home schooling in that area.
The Post report also notes that home schooling generally is subject to less oversight and standards for academic progress than traditional public and private school settings.
“Many of America’s new home-schooled children have entered a world where no government official will ever check on what, or how well, they are being taught,” The Washington Post reports.
South Carolina offers three options for parents who want to home school their children.
The first option allows the parents to home school their children under the “auspices” of a public school district, as long as it is approved by the district’s board of trustees. The second option is for home-schooling parents to rely on the support of the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools.
The last option in South Carolina is for parents to choose a home school organization that has at least 50 members and meets requirements mandated by state law.
Additionally, you must at least have a high school diploma or GED and teach at least 180 days a year to home school your children in the Palmetto State.
