Latest Statistics for Homeschool SAT scores: (From NHERI)
Findings
The SAT 2014 test scores of college-bound homeschool students were higher than the national average of all college-bound seniors that same year. [note 3] Some 13,549 homeschool seniors had the following mean scores: 567 in critical reading, 521 in mathematics, and 535 in writing (College Board, 2014a). The mean SAT scores for all college-bound seniors in 2014 were 497 in critical reading, 513 in mathematics, and 487 in writing (College Board, 2014b). The homeschool students’ SAT scores were 0.61 standard deviation higher in reading, 0.26 standard deviation higher in mathematics, and 0.42 standard deviation higher in writing than those of all college-bound seniors taking the SAT, and these are notably large differences.
There were some demographic differences between homeschool students and all students taken together. First, the family incomes of the homeschool students were similar to those of all students. Regarding ethnicity, for example, 72 percent of the homeschool students were White, 5 percent were Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander, and 4 percent were Black or African American, while of all college-bound seniors, the corresponding percentages were 49, 12, and 13. The average highest level of parental education was notably higher for the homeschool students than for all students.
Conclusions
This point-in-time description of SAT scores simply shows that the test scores of homeschool students are higher than the national average for all students. No careful analysis has been done of these scores to determine whether certain background variables might statistically explain the differences in scores. These relatively high SAT scores of home-educated students are, however, consistent with homeschool students’ high SAT scores in preceding research and with research findings on the overall success of college students who were home educated. [note 4]
Let me share a few of the statistics from the National Home Education Research Institute with you. (www.nheri.org) This should give you an added boost of confidence. Knowledge is power!
- Homeschool students score above average on achievement tests regardless of their parents’ level of formal education or their family’s household income
- Whether homeschool parents were ever certified teachers is not related to their children’s academic achievement.
- Home-educated students typically score above average on the SAT and ACT tests that colleges consider for admissions.
- The home-educated are doing well, typically above average, on measures of social, emotional, and psychological development. Research measures include peer interaction, self-concept, leadership skills, family cohesion, participation in community service, and self-esteem.
- Homeschool students are regularly engaged in social and educational activities outside their homes and with people other than their nuclear-family members. They are commonly involved in activities such as field trips, scouting, 4-H, political drives, church ministry, sports teams, and community volunteer work.
The research base on adults who were homeschooled is growing, thus far it indicates that they:
- Participate in local community service more frequently than does the general population,
- Vote and attend public meetings more frequently than the general population,
- Go to and succeed at college at an equal or higher rate than the general population
- By adulthood, internalize the values and beliefs of their parents at a high rate.
General Interpretation of findings is:
It is possible that homeschooling causes the positive traits reported above. However, the research designs to date do not conclusively “prove” that homeschooling causes these things. At the same time, there is no empirical evidence that homeschooling causes negative things compared to institutional schooling. Future research may better answer the question of causation.