Did You Know?

According to the National Home Education Research Institute, far less money is spent on children who are home schooled than those attending public schools. According to the Institute's figures, the average amount spent on home schooling per pupil in the United States is $450. Compare that figure to those of public schools and it's hard to believe. Consider the state of New Jersey. During the 2006-07 school year, New Jersey spent an average of $16,085 per student according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That figure is nearly 36 times higher than the money purportedly spent on home schooled pupils. Even California, a state with a much bigger population than New Jersey and nearly five times as many students as the Garden State, spent just under $9,000 per pupil during the 2006-07 school year. Though the home schooling estimates appear remarkably low, that could be due to the average household income of home school families, which the Institute reports is less than $25,000 for 18 percent of such families, and between $25,000 and $49,000 for 44 percent of home school households.