Homeschooling in Kansas: A Further Exploratory Study

Abstract

In a previous exploratory study of homeschooling in Kansas by McGraw, Bergen, and Schumm (1993), it was observed that homeschooling families had large numbers of children (M = 3.8). Based on a list of homeschooling families from a community homeschooling organization within the state of Kansas, homeschooling families had a large number of children (M = 3.5) and were associated with a variety of Protestant denominations. It appears that perceptions of homeschooling as a threat to public education are probably misplaced as the over-all percentage of children being homeschooled in Kansas relative to those in public and private schools probably does not exceed two percent. However, homeschooling may represent a less financially expensive alternative to private schooling for large families and may compete more directly with religious private schools than with public schools.