One of the attractions of home-schooling is its versatility. Along with their studies, many home-schoolers are involved in sports, 4-H, and civic organizations. Brian Ray with National Home Education Research Institute estimates up to 2.5 million children are being home educated in the U.S.

“People want a good, solid academic education for their children. Two, they want a safe environment for their children, safety from drugs and alcohol, safety from pre-marital sexual pressure. Three, they want strong families.”

And home-school students are good ambassadors. Michael Smith with the Home School Foundation says they’re inspiring others who wouldn’t normally choose to teach their kids at home.

“They see that they function socially as normal people. They are not weird and different. And they also see that these families that are home-schooling, are being drawn closer together as a result of having the children at home. There’s nurturing that goes on.”

Ray says home education is spreading in great numbers across all income and racial demographics.