Homeschooling

Homeschooling, also known as home education, is the education of children inside the home, as opposed to in the formal settings of a public or private school. Home education is usually conducted by a parent or tutor. Many families that start out with a formal school structure at home often switch to less formal and, often, more effective ways of imparting education outside of school. "Homeschooling" is the term commonly used in North America, whereas "home education" is more commonly used in the United Kingdom, elsewhere in Europe, and in many Commonwealth countries.

Prior to the introduction of compulsory school attendance laws, most childhood education was imparted by the family or community. In several countries homeschooling in the modern sense is considered to be an alternative to attending public or private schools, and is a legal option for parents. In other countries homeschooling is considered illegal or restricted to specific conditions, as noted in the Homeschooling international status and statistics. According to the US National Household Education Surveys, about three percent of all children in the US were homeschooled in the 2011 and 2012 school year. The studies found that of these children, 83 percent were White, 5 percent were Black, 7 percent were Hispanic, and 2 percent were Asian or Pacific Islander.