Compare and Contrast Essay: Homeschooling vs. Grade Schooling

The graduation rates of college from which an individual was homeschooled throughout was 66.7% rather than 57.5% of students who attended grade school. Grade schooling and homeschooling are both sufficient options to a path for a bright future for they spend the same amount of time on education and both cover the same materials. Although the similarities are notable, the different attributes of social interaction and teacher to student ratio, both are a concern that is worthy of  discussion. 

The first difference is the teacher-student ratio offered by these options. In homeschooling, the teacher or parent could give their full attention to the student if help is necessary. This allows absolute understanding of a topic on the student’s behalf, leading to better test scores. On the contrary, grade schooling usually has large classrooms, as a result not meeting the individual needs of students. In America, grade schooling is averaging every 16 students to 1 teacher, making it difficult to fully maximize the potential of all students. The different attention requirements of students could potentially be met with the one-on-one homeschooling, rather than the grade schooling providing larger group lessons. 

Another notable difference is the development of social skills. Homeschooling is an isolated environment; therefore,  the opportunities for social interactions are limited.  The possibility of relationships and communications to form with peers must be planned by the teacher or parent. Additionally, social skills are imperative to succeeding in everyday life from going to a job interview or to everyday encounters with strangers. Contrastingly, grade schooling is in an environment that allows sharing and peer review. From kindergarten to twelfth grade, students are continually faced with numerous instances that require social skills to get a task completed; these scenarios will subconsciously develop the social skills that are necessary to succeed in the future.

Although there are some similarities, the differences between homeschooling and grade schooling are extreme. The student to teacher ratio and the social skills are just some of the few examples of the dissimilarities. When considering putting a child in grade school or homeschool, one must consider the future developmental objectives needed by a student, and the possible benefits each option could offer to the student.