What Is Homeschooling & How To Start Today in 2026!

When we made the decision to sell our home and live in our RV full time, we knew we were also deciding to start homeschooling Aiden. This is a big decision for any parent, and when you are considering it or reading about it, it’s always about “them,” “their kids,” “their family,” but this is about me, mine.

I was definitely overwhelmed when I was trying to figure out what is homeschooling and what the best approach would look like; it felt like foraying into a new frontier. Homeschooling has only kept growing since then, and now, in 2026, there are more resources, co-ops, and online programs available to families than ever before.

I definitely view homeschooling with a sense of parental empowerment, as a mother who is giving my son a worldwide education. I can tell you I wouldn’t change my decision for all the sand in the Sahara!

What Is Homeschooling?

1. Legally educating your child at home, not at school.
2. Parents or a tutor choose curriculum, schedule, and teaching style.
3. Requirements vary by state: paperwork, core subjects, basic records.
4. Full-time, like our RV worldschooling, or blended with charters.
5. The goal: a full education built around your child’s life.

Homeschooling has grown steadily every year since the pandemic pushed millions of families to rethink traditional schooling, and it hasn’t slowed down. More families than ever are choosing to educate their children at home, and the stigma that once surrounded the choice has faded considerably.

Be Prepared To Defend Your Decision to Homeschool Your Child

Many families were first introduced to the idea through distance learning and later moved into full homeschooling, giving them a head start on understanding what is homeschooling and what it actually asks of a family day to day.

There are still people, including family and friends, who don’t have this knowledge and cannot grasp the idea that homeschooled children can have a solid education and a full, satisfying life without attending a traditional school. That gap in understanding is exactly why the question of what is homeschooling comes up so often at parks, grocery stores, and family dinners.

If there were to be a silver lining to the new age we are living in post 2020, from an educational standpoint, it would be that more people than ever are homeschooling their children in this country.  

Although there are a vast number of families utilizing distance learning right now, many families were initially faced with the decision of choosing Distance Learning vs. Homeschooling and therefore have a better understanding of what homeschooling entails.

There are still many people, including family and friends, who don’t have this knowledge and cannot grasp the idea that homeschooled children can actually have a solid education or satisfying life without attending a traditional school. 

In spite of how popular homeschooling has become, there are still many misconceptions and untruths floating around due to a lack of knowledge regarding homeschooling.

Common Misconceptions of Homeschooling

When you are first trying to figure out how to start homeschooling, you’re likely to get some pushback from the people around you. When you make it “public” that you’ve switched to a homeschool curriculum, you may get judgmental comments from friends, relatives, co-workers, and even strangers who ask why your kids aren’t in school. Yes, this still happens in 2026. Most of it traces back to people simply not knowing what is homeschooling in practice, versus what they picture it to be.

Here are a few of the most common myths, and the truth behind each one:

• Parents are not qualified to teach.
• Children are stuck in the house all day.
• Homeschooled children don’t have friends and are undersocialized.
• Homeschooled children can’t get into college.

You aren’t qualified to teach: False!

Consider this: you’ve been teaching your child since the day they were born. Most states don’t require homeschool teachers to be certified, though some ask for a high school diploma or GED. HSLDA keeps an updated, state-by-state breakdown of exactly what’s required where you live.

Modern homeschool curricula, many of them fully online now, come with lesson plans, teacher’s guides, tests, and answer keys, giving parents the tools they need to teach a genuinely rigorous education.

Children are stuck in the house all day: False!

Homeschoolers are exposed to opportunities beyond the schoolroom, as demonstrated by our own life on the road. Exploring your own country, or even your own city, leads to memorable and educational days.

With museums, parks, science centers, and community events often available at reduced weekday rates, homeschooled kids frequently spend less time sitting than kids in a traditional classroom. Planting a garden, building a water feature, or just playing outside all count as learning too.

Homeschooled children don’t have friends and are undersocialized: False!

Coordinated homeschool groups exist for field trips, classes, youth groups, arts, and sports. These activities, along with co-ops and community meetups, give kids plenty of chances to meet and talk with a wide variety of people. As homeschoolers like to say, if you’re living, you’re socializing, and that’s true.

Homeschooled children can’t get into college: False!

Colleges actively recruit homeschoolers. Homeschooled students consistently perform well on standardized testing and are often more self-disciplined and better prepared for independent college life. Admissions offices increasingly note that the time-management skills homeschoolers build at home translate directly into a smoother transition to college.

If you’re still weighing your options, it can help to see the two paths side by side. We broke down the real differences between homeschooling and traditional school so you can compare workloads, socialization, and outcomes honestly before you decide.

How to Start Homeschooling Your Child Today:

Steps can vary depending on where you live and the laws governing your educational choices, but the basic path looks the same everywhere. Answering what is homeschooling for your particular family starts here, with the legal groundwork.

What are your State Homeschooling Laws?

It may sound intimidating, but one of the easiest parts of the whole process is starting with your state’s homeschool laws and requirements.

HSLDA, the Home School Legal Defense Association, remains the country’s largest homeschool advocacy organization and keeps a page devoted to homeschool laws by state at hslda.org/legal. Select your state, and you’ll find detailed, current information on requirements, how to withdraw from public school, mandatory subjects and testing, and other resources.

While it may sound scary, probably one of the easiest parts of the whole process is to start with finding out what your state homeschooling laws are and their requirements.

Withdrawal from Public School

Withdrawing from your child’s school is an important step that cannot be ignored, especially when deciding to homeschool midyear. Additionally, each state has its own regulations in place, so a written/formal notification may or may not be required when setting up your homeschool.  If you happen to live in a state that does call for notification to withdraw, make sure you follow through in the manner required, or your child could be considered truant or a dropout.

Your Why For Wanting to Homeschool Your Child

I know my “why,” and I feel passionate about the global education I’m providing for my son. If you’re just starting to figure out how to start homeschooling, it can help to write down your why before you figure out your how. Working out what is homeschooling going to look like day to day for your family starts with that why.

If putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) appeals to you, you may find real clarity in the process. If it doesn’t, that’s fine too. A game plan, a visualization board, a checklist, or plain research all work; whatever gets you moving toward your family’s goal.

How Do You Start Homeschooling?

1. Check your state’s legal requirements.
2. Choose a homeschool method.
3. Pick or build curriculum
4. Set a flexible daily rhythm
5. Connect with local homeschool groups

Finding a Homeschool Curriculum

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by how many homeschool curricula exist. You will eventually find one that fits your family’s lifestyle and beliefs; it’s not one-size-fits-all, and it may take some trial and error. Curriculum is often where what is homeschooling really gets defined for your household, since it shapes your daily rhythm more than anything else.

For our family, having the flexibility to shape our son’s education matters deeply. Our curriculum choices let me emphasize Black excellence and expose Aiden to African American authors and history that a traditional classroom might not have prioritized.

If you’re curious what homeschooling for Black families can look like, my comprehensive resource guide for Black homeschooling families is just as relevant now as when it was written, and it’s a great starting point for building a curriculum that reflects your values.

That kind of intentional curriculum-building isn’t limited to any one race, religion, or background. When you’re deciding what the best homeschool program looks like for your family, don’t feel boxed in by anyone else’s version of school. You have room to build something that fits your child, even if it ends up looking nothing like what you first pictured.

If cost is a concern, know that plenty of families build a strong homeschool education without spending much at all. Between library resources, free online curricula, and community programs, the price tag doesn’t have to be the barrier people assume it is.

If budget is part of your decision, we put together a full guide on how to homeschool for free, covering the free curricula, library programs, and grants that can cover most of what you need.

Homeschool Co-ops. Share the Load

If you live in an area with a solid homeschool population, you have a unique opportunity to join what is known as a homeschool cooperative (co-op). The homeschool co-op is an outgrowth of homeschool support groups.  These co-ops provide group educational environments for pupils who mainly learn from home.

By joining a co-op and sharing classes with other homeschool families, parents can lean on each other’s strengths. You might be the math person; your co-op partner might be the grammar guru. For a lot of families, that’s the moment what is homeschooling stops feeling overwhelming and starts feeling doable. 

Homeschooling Support Groups are Sanity Savers

Besides the legalities, if you were to ask, “What do I need to do to start homeschooling?’ Another solid step would be to include reaching out to a mentor or veteran homeschooler for more insight and support.

In addition to the personal one-on-one connection of a mentor, there are several local, state, and national support groups available with advice, guidance, and resources to help you.  

Many of these organizations were started by parents and homeschool instructors coming together as a community to work through the stigmas and challenges created simply because they wanted to find an alternative way to educate their children.

Homeschooling is a great way to take charge of your child’s education.

The idea of homeschooling can be scary, exciting, challenging, and a whole lot of other adjectives you’ll discover along the way…When you take this step towards determining your child’s learning, remember everyone had to start at day one in homeschooling, and no one is going to be more invested in educating your child than you! So, what is homeschooling, at the end of the day? It’s the freedom to shape your child’s education around your family instead of the other way around.

Frequently Asked Questions on What Is Homeschooling