Earlier this year, Breitbart news announced a startling figure: the number of homeschooled children in the U.S. rose 61.8% in the last decade.

But according to a recent BBC report, the U.S. is not the only country seeing such a dramatic rise in homeschooling. In the last six years, the U.K. has experienced a 65% increase in the number of homeschool students.  

Interestingly, the British resolve to home educate is quite similar to that of American parents, often stemming from a dissatisfaction with local schools or a desire to pass on a different value system to children. The BBC reports:

“Top of the list is a difference of philosophy or lifestyle at 13.4%. …

This is followed by a dissatisfaction with the local school or a conflict, accounting for 9.3% of families. …

Cultural or religious reasons are cited in 6.2% of cases, with bullying at 4.8% and special needs or medical problems at 4.3%.

With growing pressure on school places due to rising pupil numbers, 3.4% of home-educating parents say they could not get their child into a preferred school.”

Over the years, American homeschool students have defied naysayers by consistently demonstrating exceptional results in both academic and social measurements. By contrast, accounts of poor discipline, test scores, and curriculum in the public school increasingly show a system in disarray and unsuitable for learning. Given these results, would more parents be better off joining the growing ranks of homeschoolers who are taking control of their children’s education?

Iowa Politics.com via Flickr Creative Commons