Is Homeschooling worth it? POV from a former homeschooled student || Middle School || 2026-2027 School Year
Is Homeschooling worth it? POV from a former homeschooled student || Middle School || 2026-2027 School Year
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| "Field Trip" To the beach - October 2020 |
As another school year approaches, one debate inevitably makes its annual comeback: Homeschooling.
Adults who believe homeschooling deprives children of social development and important life experiences.
Adults who believe homeschooling provides a more personalized, flexible, and effective education.
Students who have actually experienced homeschooling themselves—some who loved it, and others who couldn't wait to return to traditional school.
Students who have never been homeschooled, who assume every homeschooler is a dork
As someone who's experienced both public school and homeschooling, I can confidently say that reality is a lot more nuanced than any of these four groups make it seem. Ironically, I even began writing this blog because of a homeschooling English assignment years ago. So, rather than telling you whether homeschooling is objectively "good" or "bad," I want to share what it was actually like from the perspective of someone who experienced it.
My Situation Wasn't Typical
Before sharing my thoughts, it's important to explain the circumstances surrounding my homeschooling experience.
I was homeschooled during 6th grade (2020–2021)—right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
That alone made my experience very different from someone being homeschooled today.
For one, I had already spent years in public school before homeschooling. I already had an established group of close friends, so I wasn't starting from scratch socially.
Second, because everyone else was attending school remotely or through hybrid schedules, my friends were also home most of the day. We still talked regularly online, played games together, and stayed connected despite not being in the same classroom.
My parents also played a huge role in making homeschooling successful. Both of them hold PhDs in the humanities and have years of teaching experience. They understood how to structure lessons while still giving me room to grow independently.
Finally, I naturally enjoy independent learning. If I become interested in a topic, I'm perfectly happy spending hours reading about it or teaching myself new skills.
These factors mattered. A lot.
Had even one of them been different, my experience may have been completely different as well.
What I Loved About Homeschooling
Looking back, I honestly remember more positives than negatives.
The biggest advantage was freedom.
Instead of following a rigid bell schedule, I could organize my day around when I learned best. If I finished my coursework early, the rest of the day was mine to explore other interests.
That extra time allowed me to dive deeper into coding, practice violin more consistently, and spend far more time reading than I ever had before. I even found myself reading books that students typically encountered in later grades simply because I had the time and curiosity to do so.
Learning also became less confined to a classroom.
Every week, my family would take "field trips" to state parks, beaches, museums, and other local places. Those experiences made learning feel connected to real life instead of just another worksheet.
Homeschooling also gave my family flexibility that traditional school couldn't.
During the school year, we were able to travel to Korea for personal family reasons without worrying about missing weeks of classes. Instead of trying to catch up afterward, school simply came with us.
As a Christian family, homeschooling also created more opportunities for spiritual growth. Faith naturally became part of our daily routine instead of something reserved for weekends.
Overall, homeschooling gave me ownership over my education in a way I hadn't experienced before.
The Downsides No One Talks About Enough
Despite everything I enjoyed, homeschooling wasn't perfect.
The biggest challenge was something many homeschooled students probably understand: FOMO.
Whenever my friends talked about funny moments in class, school events, inside jokes, or shared experiences, I couldn't fully relate. I wasn't missing the academics—I was missing being part of those everyday moments.
Making new friendships was another challenge.
Even though I stayed in contact with existing friends online, it was much harder to naturally meet new people. Friendships usually develop through seeing the same people every day, working on projects together, or simply sitting next to someone in class. Those opportunities disappeared while learning from home.
Returning to public school in seventh grade also came with an adjustment period.
Academically, I didn't feel behind. But socially, it felt like everyone else had continued writing a story while I had stepped away for a year. It took time to settle back into classroom routines and reconnect with school life.
There's also a challenge that isn't discussed very often: when your parents are both your teachers and your parents, those roles can become blurred.
Sometimes it was difficult to separate school from home because both happened in the same place with the same people.
Would I Do It Again?
Probably not. Not because homeschooling failed me, because in many ways, it was incredibly successful.
But one major thing about myself is that I am an extrovert. I enjoy talking with friends before class, connecting with teachers, working on group projects, participating in clubs, performing in orchestra, and simply being around other people.
Especially in high school, education isn't the only institutional purpose. It offers extracurriculars and most importantly people you can collaborate, communicate and builds memories with.
Those experiences matter just as much as what's written in a textbook.
So... Is Homeschooling Worth It?
My answer is both yes and no.
Homeschooling didn't make me dramatically advanced than public school nor did public school make me dramatically smarter than homeschooling.
When I look back, I don't think the biggest difference was the curriculum. The biggest difference was the environment.
The quality of my education depended far more on my willingness to learn, my parents' ability to support me, and the opportunities available to me than on whether I was sitting in a classroom or at my dining room table.
For me, homeschooling offered freedom, flexibility, and time to explore my interests.
Traditional school offered community, friendships, extracurricular activities, and experiences that simply can't be recreated at home. Neither system is automatically better, but the better option depends on the student.
A highly independent learner with strong support at home may absolutely thrive through homeschooling.
Another student may flourish in the energy, structure, and social environment of a traditional school.
After experiencing both, I've come to appreciate each for different reasons.
If someone asked me whether homeschooling is worth it, I wouldn't answer with a simple yes or no.
I'd answer with another question:
"What kind of learner are you?"
Because that, more than anything else, is what determines whether homeschooling becomes an incredible opportunity—or simply the wrong fit.
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