In our July 2020 study, we found that white students who were educated at home underperformed their white public school counterparts in reading. When we looked at non-white and low-income students, we found these students’ performance followed a somwhat different pattern. 1/6

In our Alaska study, non-white and low-income students who were homeschooled outperformed their non-white and low-income peers in reading and writing, and underperformed only slightly in math. When averaged across subjects, these students scored better than their peers. 2/6

Why? For one thing, parents who choose to homeschool may be more involved in their children’s education on the aggregate. These populations may also differ in other ways: low-income students who are homeschooled may live in families with more middle-class ... 3/

...attributes than low-income public school students. There are also other possibilities--perhaps being educated at home exempts these non-white and low-income students from the negative effects of teachers’ bias or fellow students’ stereotypes, thus conferring benefit. 4/6

Our study does not show that all non-white or low-income students would benefit from being homeschooled. After all, these students still experienced a math gap, and students homeschooled in Alaska benefit from public financial support not available in other states. 5/6

However, these findings do suggest that homeschooling may provide an educational boost to some non-white and low-income students. 6/6

To read our full study, see here: https://www.othereducation.org/index.php/OE/article/view/258