Some parents decide to homeschool their children when they feel the local public school will not grant the religious freedom of expression that they feel their children should be allowed. The parents may feel the public school even denigrates the very faith they teach their children at home. When faith is an important issue to the foundation of the family, parents homeschool to make sure that the principles of their religious faith become part of an overall learning environment for their children.
While religious training is important for many homeschooling parents, other parents focus on the moral issues. These parents homeschool in order to be able to instill their family values, morals and principles into the lives of their children from a very young age and incorporate those morals into the foundation of the lives and the education of their children.
Some parents do not feel their public school offers the depth of educational learning they themselves can provide their children. Homeschooling gives parents the flexibility for one-on-one education with the use of curriculum best suited to their children's abilities.
Parents sometimes homeschool because they have issues with their public school. The school may have an environment they view as unsafe for their children. If the school has problems with drugs, negative peer influence and other safety issues, parents may elect to teach their children in a safe home environment.
Though schools do mainstream children with special needs, not all children are suited to a public school environment, however accommodating. Some parents homeschool their child due to the particular special needs of a child that make it difficult for him to learn in a public school setting.
Not all parents live in an area easily accessible to a public school. They may live so far from a school district that commuting daily is impossible and attending the nearest public school would mean the child would need to board away from home during the week. Instead, many of these parents elect to homeschool.
While schools have been viewed as a place children become socialized, some parents view public schools as an environment of negative peer socialization, tentative morals and a less than adequate learning environment. These parents homeschool partly to provide rich, positive socialization opportunities through activities, tours and trips both with family and with friends.