In a clip titled Are Homeschooled Kids “Weird” or Wise?, Charlie Kirk is asked by a young student what he would say to people who oppose homeschooling. Kirk answers that critics might one day be applying for jobs from homeschooled students, whom he describes as “more polite, smarter, wiser, happier, more purposeful, less corrupted, more understanding, more battle-ready, better prepared, less confused, more biblical, more grounded, more Christ-like.”
He urged parents to homeschool their children if possible and cited the biblical promise that “blessed are you who are persecuted in my name,” rejecting the old stereotype that homeschoolers are “weird” and arguing instead that they are “wise” who will run society in the future.
The debate over homeschooling has become a defining battleground between conservative Christians seeking educational freedom and the political left. About 5–6 percent of school-age children are now educated at home, as parents choose homeschooling for religious freedom, academic excellence, safety, personalized learning, and stronger family bonds.
Studies show that homeschoolers score 15–30 percent higher on standardized tests, succeed in college at higher rates, experience lower levels of depression and anxiety, avoid the bullying that affects more than 20 percent of public-school students, and demonstrate healthier social development through civic engagement, volunteerism, and strong family values.
Despite these outcomes, liberals vilify parents who homeschool and oppose the practice on several grounds. They argue for state control of education to enforce “equity” and ideological messaging, claim homeschooling lacks proper oversight, raise concerns about limited exposure to diverse viewpoints, and accuse religious families of using it to instill “harmful” traditional values on gender, sexuality, and social issues.
This opposition exposes the fundamental conflict between parental rights and state authority: whether children should be raised primarily by their families or by government institutions.
Research from the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) shows that homeschoolers consistently outperform their peers, typically scoring between the 65th and 80th percentiles nationwide. On the SAT, they average 1190 compared to 1060 for public-school students, a 130-point advantage. More than 78 percent of peer-reviewed studies confirm that homeschoolers perform significantly better academically. Contrary to common misconceptions, 41 percent of homeschooled children are nonwhite, and Black homeschoolers score 23–42 percentile points higher than Black public-school students. Overall, homeschoolers demonstrate consistent advantages regardless of race, disproving claims that racial bias explains the results.
Reading scores are generally stronger than math, where homeschoolers sometimes trail public-school peers, a gap that may have career implications. Even so, homeschooled students excel in higher education: 74 percent go on to college (versus 44 percent of public-school students), 67 percent graduate (versus 59 percent), and their average GPA is higher (3.46 compared to 3.16). Admissions officers overwhelmingly expect homeschool graduates to perform as well or better than those from traditional schools.
Homeschooling offers clear advantages in mental health, especially in social-emotional development and personalized support. Parents can immediately address distress through conversation, coaching, or schedule adjustments, creating “emotional respite” that boosts confidence and reduces anxiety. Research confirms these benefits: 87 percent of peer-reviewed studies from 2021–2025 found homeschool students perform significantly better in social, emotional, and psychological development than their conventionally schooled peers.
Public schools, by contrast, face a mounting crisis. In 2023, 40 percent of high school students reported persistent sadness or hopelessness, and 69 percent of schools saw increased demand for mental health services since COVID-19. More than one in four students were chronically absent in 2022–2023 due to mental health issues. There is no comparison with the flexible support homeschooling families can provide their children.
Many parents also homeschool to instill religious and traditional values. Christian families make up the majority, at least 70 percent, possibly as high as 96 percent, and research shows their children are more likely to maintain faith into adulthood. Homeschooled students are 51 percent more likely to attend services regularly, and about 70 percent from religious families still attend church three times a month as adults.
Beyond faith, homeschooling fosters character and healthier lifestyles. Adolescents report greater strengths, lower depression, reduced substance use, and fewer risky behaviors, including notably fewer lifetime sexual partners. They also show higher levels of forgiveness, purpose, and civic engagement. Over 80 percent participate in outside activities, and as adults they are disproportionately active in volunteering, voting, political work, and public meetings.
While they are less likely to play organized sports (45.9% vs. 56.9%), they are more likely to join afterschool clubs (62.3% vs. 55.5%). Homeschool families also average 3.5 children, compared to 1.9 nationally, reinforcing strong supervision and involvement.
Critics dismiss positive statistics as small-sample, self-selected, or tied to homeschool institutions. While these points hold some truth, no large-scale study has shown homeschooling produces worse outcomes than public schooling. The opposition stems less from data than from ideology and control.
The left insists education must be standardized and controlled by government institutions to enforce “equity” and consistent messaging on social issues. Teachers’ unions, a key Democratic constituency, lose funding when students leave public schools, while bureaucracies have their own turf to protect.
Beyond money, ideological motives drive resistance: many homeschooling families are religious conservatives, seen as a threat to the secular worldview. The debate ultimately reflects a deeper divide between collectivism and individual rights, between state-approved values and parental authority over moral education.
The rhetoric of “equity” exposes this agenda. Framed as compassion, it justifies manipulating outcomes rather than ensuring equal treatment. In reality, any family can homeschool; opportunity is not limited. The real objection is that parents are choosing to opt out of state indoctrination.
At its core, the battle is over who decides children’s values. Parents have a constitutional right to guide their children’s education, yet activists and bureaucrats seek to replace that authority with government messaging, dictating what to think instead of how to think, a hallmark of authoritarian control.
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