It’s 2025, and an estimated 300+ million children are now homeschooled worldwide. The United States is no exception: almost 8% of all school-age children receive their education outside school walls.
This post-COVID shift brought many ambiguities to the table. On the one hand, it accelerated tech innovation, and on the other, deepened educational inequalities and caused learning loss for students. To put it into context, the results of the Educational Recovery Scorecard revealed that isolated students only recovered one-third of the original math loss between 2022 and 2023. And as of this year, it doesn’t surprise anyone that many families are deciding to search for the best homeschooling programs, hoping to change this dynamic for their kids.
Is Homeschooling Becoming The New Norm?
Traditional homeschooling is a learning approach where education happens at home, not in the classroom. Parents or guardians usually teach their children, but subjects like math or reading can also be outsourced. In most cases, families make this choice in search of more flexibility and personalized learning that aligns with their values. A Brighterly homeschool math tutor, for example, can provide these things, all while making learning engaging.
What are the reasons for parents to make this drastic change? Believe it or not, personalization or alignment with core values are not the main reasons for parents to make the decision. What’s playing a bigger role are factors like gun violence, inequality, and dissatisfaction with the modern US education system. On that note, alarming data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress backs up these motivations, revealing that two-thirds of US children fail to read proficiently, with 40% of children operating as non-readers. And the result? Homeschooling is entering mainstream with a significant number of parents opting for homeschooling curriculum.
To help those parents out, educational websites offer comprehensive lists of homeschooling resources. In case parents need professional support, platforms like Brighterly provide private tutoring with lesson plans and progress tracking to support learning as best as possible.
Benefits of Homeschooling
- One-on-one learning allows children to receive targeted support tailored to their knowledge gaps, goals, and learning styles.
- Homeschooling eliminates unnecessary competition among children and alleviates negative pressure associated with grades.
- More flexibility for families.
- Homeschooling allows for a safer environment, where children feel more relaxed and ready for learning.
- Families can expect to build stronger child-parent bonding through play and socialization.
Homeschooling is an exceptionally forgiving way of teaching when it comes to a customized educational approach, especially for children with special educational needs. But it doesn’t end there: according to a nationwide study of US students, homeschoolers showed higher SAT scores compared to students from traditional schools.
What’s interesting is that the majority of parents still undermine the benefits of homeschooling, believing it may isolate and deprive children even more than they are now. It can technically be true for many students. But here’s a catch - homeschooling was once a primary way of learning in all households. What parents don’t realize is that people who drove our history (think, Albert Einstein, Mozart, and Abraham Lincoln) were all homeschoolers. And while it can look different now as we use modern technology and online homeschooling resources instead of chalkboards, ink, and paper, the main principle stays the same.
While some parents may be concerned about peer-to-peer engagement when homeschooling, many families already find creative ways to foster social interaction through co-ops, sports, and local meetups.
How Brighterly Supports Homeschooling
Brighterly homeschooling is an educational platform for reading and math that is an optimal solution when parents need targeted support in these subjects. The platform is committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all elementary and middle school students, regardless of their background or skill level.
Self-Guided, Free Home Learning Resources
Brighterly has curated hundreds of practical reading and math pages to support learning at home. They are downloadable PDFs crafted to illustrate math and reading concepts in a visually engaging way for learners in K-9. To make it both enjoyable and effective, they are designed age-appropriately and intuitively, making it a perfect resource for homeschooling.
One-On-One Assistance From Expert Teachers
Brighterly reading and math tutors are professionally trained teachers specializing in one-on-one instruction for homeschoolers through gamified & interactive approaches. The platform has become an endpoint resource for over 200,000 parents, whose satisfaction is reflected in the average TrustPilot score of 4.6.
100% School-Aligned Curriculum
Each Brighterly student receives a custom-designed math and/or reading curriculum, which is designed to help close learning gaps. Brighterly homeschooling activities are fully aligned with the US Common Core standards, making Brighterly one of the best options to tutor homeschoolers. Moreover, the platform’s curriculum is regularly updated with research-based study resources, data, and STEM learning techniques.
Potential drawbacks
Although homeschooling has some significant advantages, it also comes with potential drawbacks, especially when performed incorrectly. One of the most evident hurdles for parents is the time commitment required from them, where many must balance teaching with work and/or house chores.
Another common concern is poor socialization, as well as overwhelming schedules. Luckily for parents, educational platforms like Brighterly offer flexible scheduling so they can work the sessions around their busy lives and allow time for extracurricular activities for their children. Additionally, this guide to preparing for homeschooling highlights key essentials and mindset shifts needed to avoid common pitfalls.
How to Get Started with Homeschooling
- First, it’s essential to check your state homeschool requirements. Visit your state’s Department of Education homeschool web page to get the most up-to-date info.
- Next, determine your homeschool curriculum. Evaluate whether that’s text-based, live classes, or an online curriculum.
- Finally, find your perfect platform for supplemental learning in the subjects you need most help with.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a parent considering switching to homeschooling, you’re not alone - many families are now in the same conundrum. In many ways, homeschooling is a return to how education used to be. But with modern technology, it now has a completely new twist, and platforms like Brighterly make it even easier to get quality education and strengthen children’s skills at home.
