In 2007, 36 percent of homeschooling families stated religious or moral grounds for teaching children at home. This is the number one reason given by Americans for educating children in home schools. Some conservative families choose to homeschool because they can dictate the curriculum. Parents may want specific science and religious lessons taught to their children, and the best way to control what your child is being taught is to teach it yourself. Traditional public schools are considered secular, or non-religious, and religious homeschooling families prefer to have religious and moral teachings for their children.
The second most popular reason in 2007 for Americans to homeschool was for the safety of their children. Twenty-one percent of parents were concerned about drugs, school environment and peer pressure at traditional schools, and they decided it was reason enough to school their children at home. These parents may live in school districts with unsafe schools. Also, many parents are concerned with the student engaging in drugs and drinking.
In 2007, 17 percent of parents decided to homeschool because they were dissatisfied with the academic instruction in regular schools. These parents homeschool because they believe they may offer better academic instruction at home. Some of these parents hire private teachers or tutors to educate their children privately in their own home. Children learn at their own pace without any distractions from other students. For socialization, students may participate in local team sports or other extracurricular activities like regular students.
The smallest group of homeschoolers give other reasons, such as far distances to regular schools or the desire for nontraditional education, to teaching their children at home. Some American families may live in rural areas where the nearest school is not convenient for daily education, while other families want unique and progressive approaches to education, such as Waldorf or Montessori. Also, parents may not be able to afford a private school and decide to teach their children themselves to save money.