Parents’ perceptions of public schools have changed recently, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it was teachers unions forcing schools to shut down, health officials forcing children to wear masks, or parents realizing the extreme left-wing agenda-driven curricula that schools were teaching students, many parents have soured on the country’s public education system.

Many have turned to homeschooling in its place. A recent Rasmussen poll found that among parents whose children were attending school, 62% of respondents approved of homeschooling for children , including 27% who “strongly approve.” Conversely, the poll revealed that only 31% of parents disapproved, including just 7% who “strongly disapproved.”

These results shouldn’t be surprising. In addition to what parents discovered about schools during the pandemic, the recent news stories of how many teachers are aiding students to transition genders without parent notification , or reports of schools having the majority of their students unable to achieve basic proficiency in math, reading, and science, would discourage any parent from sending their children to schools.

“Interestingly, I was once against homeschooling but changed my mind. Our children previously attended public school. Over a period of years and painful experiences, we did not see the school as a place where our children were cared for, protected, and properly educated. The school kept parents in the dark about issues involving the health and safety of children,” said Kelly Schenkoske, an education advocate and independent researcher who now homeschools her two children.

“They also began incorporating political messages into the school day. Our children were asking to homeschool, and I initially resisted. But after the implementation of social emotional learning and comprehensive sexuality education, in addition to some very difficult experiences our children encountered, we decided to try homeschooling,” Schenkoske told me.

Parents want their children to succeed, not fail. Furthermore, parents don’t want their children harmed by school educators who have more of an allegiance to sociocultural political agendas than their actual job of educating children. In many ways, it’s not an exaggeration at all to say that not sending them to public schools could be viewed as an act of survival.

“I think parents approve because we’re witnessing the advancement, success, and joy of homeschooling while simultaneously seeing the myriad of failures in many public and private schools,” said Schenkoske, who also has a podcast,  A Time to Stand . “Homeschooling is yielding successful, well-rounded young people, and many career fields are eager to hire homeschoolers due to their work ethic and knowledge. I think the approval percentage would increase if more people had a comprehensive understanding of the great opportunities and socialization that exist today for homeschooling.”

And for many of the parents who choose to homeschool their children, they are more than satisfied with the results. Multiple surveys showed that parents who homeschool their children believe they are getting a better education than the country’s public education system. According to some of the data available, the parents appeared to have made the correct choice.

For example, 67% of homeschooled students “successfully graduated from college.” Comparatively, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that only “61.8% of recent high school graduates enrolled in college.” Sources were unable to confirm if the 61.8% figure included homeschooled students. Additionally, data found that 25% of homeschooled students “enrolled in a grade above their recommended grade as per age level.”

Furthermore, homeschooled students averaged 72 points higher than “the nationwide mean performance in SATs.” For standard achievement tests, statistics showed that homeschooled students “averaged between 15% and 30% more points than the students attending public schools.”

“Homeschooling not only benefits a child’s academic learning and socialization, but it prevents many of the negative impacts currently increasing from public and, in some cases, private schools, which have lost their way,” Schenkoske added. “For our children, homeschooling is where they began to love learning. Through homeschooling, I’ve watched as our kids often pursue learning outside of their instruction and homework time because they are now excited to learn.”

“Our children have made wonderful friends, our family has made lasting memories together, and we’ve attended more field trips than before. After having attended public schools myself, I am amazed by how much our children are getting to learn, and I’m continually impressed by the curricula and literature that homeschooling has introduced us to,” Schenkoske said.