Do homeschooled kids have poorer learning outcomes?
Homeschooled students appear to have superior learning and life outcomes vis-à-vis publicly schooled students across numerous metrics.
According to educational research company ThinkImpact, homeschooled students perform above average on their SATs and ACTs, scoring "between 15% and 30% more points than students attending public schools." They also graduate college at higher rates: 67% compared with 59% of publicly schooled students.
A review of 16 studies on the achievement of homeschooled students versus conventionally schooled students found that 11 showed superior outcomes for homeschooled students, one showed superior outcomes for conventionally schooled students, and four found no significant difference. Among the studies, homeschooled students were observed to have higher GPAs, test scores, civic involvement, mental health and life satisfaction. Additionally, one of the studies noted that homeschooled students had a greater degree of receptivity to ideas, being "more agreeable, conscientious and open" than their conventional counterparts.