How to Decide If Homeschooling Middle School Is Right for You

Deciding to homeschool middle school was not something I took lightly. As a mom, I was nervous about the transition, unsure how it would work, and honestly a little overwhelmed by the idea of having my kids home full time. What began as a stressful decision, however, turned into something that has been truly positive for our family. If you are wondering whether homeschooling could be the right choice for your tween or teenager, our experience may help.

Online Middle School

Our family began looking into online learning because we needed an option that could support our daughters academically while also giving them more flexibility and peace at home.

• We may not be the typical family, even though that has been part of our name, but doing what is right for our children has always mattered more than doing what everyone else expects.
• I have never been afraid to make choices that are a little outside the norm, especially when those choices benefit my kids.
  • Every child is different, and what works for one student may not work for another.
  • I also chose not to worry about comments suggesting that homeschooled kids become “weird.” My focus was on helping my children feel safe, supported, and able to learn.

We decided to try homeschooling tweens because my middle daughter was experiencing a great deal of anxiety in junior high.

Every day she came home tense, worried, and overwhelmed about homework. After spending seven anxious hours in a classroom, she struggled to handle even more pressure at the end of the day. It was clear that something needed to change.

Benefits of Homeschooling Middle School

The move from elementary school to middle school was difficult for her. In elementary school, there were more breaks, longer recess times, and more opportunities to move around between lessons. In junior high, she suddenly had only a few minutes to gather her things, go to her locker, and get to the next class.

• That short transition time created additional stress.
  • With so little time between classes, she rarely had a chance to use the restroom, which can be especially difficult for girls at that age.
  • Teachers were often dealing with classroom behavior issues, so her requests to leave the room were sometimes dismissed. That only made her anxiety worse.

Homeschooling Middle School

This was not our first experience with middle school struggles. Our oldest daughter also dealt with worry and bullying during her sixth through eighth grade years, which made that season very hard for her as well.

These problems were not tied to one specific school or location. My oldest attended junior high in California, while my middle daughter was in Idaho. Looking back on my own school years, I remember middle school being difficult too. For many kids, this age can simply be a tough stage of life.

I will be honest: I was very nervous about having both girls home full time, especially because I also work from home.

I wondered how I would manage teaching, grading assignments, keeping up with their schedules, and creating new content for my site every day. If you are at that stage right now, I understand how overwhelming it can feel.

Middle School homeschool curriculum

• Once I began figuring things out, I wrote about how to start homeschooling to help other families who were feeling the same way.
• The first thing to know is that homeschool programs vary by state, so it is helpful to search online for homeschool programs in your area.
  • If you are looking for a certain grade level, you can narrow your search to middle school homeschool programs or online middle school options.

I also created a full article listing free homeschool program options for families who want to explore affordable choices.

• Call the program directly and ask questions about what they offer.
  • Some programs combine in-school days with homeschool days, which may feel less intimidating if you are not ready to homeschool five days a week.
  • There are many curriculum options available if you prefer to choose lessons and manage instruction yourself.
  • There are also fully online programs where lessons are completed on the computer. In many cases, grading is automatic, which can reduce the workload for parents. This is the style we chose.

Choose a program that fits both your child and your family’s lifestyle. At the beginning, I did not want to take on every piece of instruction myself. I needed an online school option that would work for them and for me.

Homeschool Middle School Programs

• The first fully online program we tried was okay, but after about three weeks we realized it was not the best long-term fit.
  • Do not be afraid to switch programs if something is not working. We quickly learned that our girls needed a curriculum with more of an auditory learning style, and we were able to make a smoother change.
    • The program we chose was The Learning Odyssey, which later became Time4Learning, where the lessons are completed online.
    • Some programs also provide funding for learning materials and other educational needs, which can be helpful depending on your situation.
• Every child learns differently. It is perfectly fine to choose individual courses or different options for each child based on grade level and learning style.

Benefits of Homeschooling

One major benefit of homeschooling middle school is that children can often complete their required education in much less time than a traditional seven-hour school day. That leaves room for practical life skills, such as learning how to make a vegetable garden, cooking, managing time, and exploring interests in a hands-on way.

This was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to try homeschooling middle schoolers. There is so much more to learning than sitting at a desk with a textbook.

• Science and math can be part of everyday activities like baking. Kids can learn accurate measuring, fractions, conversions, and problem solving in a real-life setting.

We have also shared many of our travel experiences on our Road trip blog. Traveling gave us opportunities to teach social studies as we drove through different states, visited monuments, and experienced the beauty of national parks.

Online Homeschool Middle School

There are also many homeschool field trip ideas that become easier when your children are learning at home. Museums, parks, historical sites, and local educational programs can bring lessons to life in a way books alone cannot.

• You can teach entrepreneurial and computer skills by helping kids start their own blog.
  • Writing posts supports language arts, while photographing food, projects, or items they want to feature can become part of art.
  • Researching topics for their writing also strengthens reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.
• When the time comes, you can discuss driver education at home as well. Depending on your state, an official certificate may still be required for licensing, but you can talk through responsibility, safety, and expectations using your own teen driving contract.
  • This is usually more related to high school than middle school, although some states allow permits at younger ages.

Homeschooling Teenagers

The difference we saw in both girls was dramatic, especially at the beginning. Being able to take breaks when needed, reset emotionally, and return to lessons with a clearer mind made a huge difference.

My middle daughter no longer had the daily anxiety attacks she experienced while attending public school. She learned what needed to be completed each day and began pacing herself so her work could get done. I probably had the steepest learning curve of all. During the first semester, I realized a few important things.

Choosing to Homeschool Middle School

1. You do not need to follow a rigid schedule every single day to stay on track.
   1. If a ski lesson or appointment falls on a Tuesday, you can move that day’s schoolwork to Saturday and continue forward.
   2. A weekly planner can help everyone keep track of assignments. Each child can have their own schedule, and completed assignments can be crossed off as they go.
2. Learning does not have to happen only at a table or desk.
   1. We tried that at first, but our girls were more productive when they worked in separate comfortable spaces and took short breaks between lessons.
3. Starting homeschool does not mean you must continue forever.
   1. You can continue through graduation if it works well, but if you try homeschooling and decide it is not the right fit, that is okay.
   2. Many families move back and forth between homeschool and public school. You may need to meet with your local school system to make sure classes align and credits transfer.
      1. I chose an Idaho homeschooling program that was still connected to the public school system in case my girls wanted to return later.
         1. Keep in mind that this type of program may still require state testing, which we were comfortable with.
      2. After sixth through eighth grade, we planned to decide whether the girls wanted to continue online learning or return to school.

Homeschooling can feel overwhelming at first. I was very stressed for the first month or so, and we originally decided to try it for one year and then talk about whether to continue.

• The main thing my girls missed was regular social time with friends.
  • We made an effort to involve them in activities such as 4H and other opportunities where they could spend time with kids their age.
• When we weighed the benefits of being able to travel during the year against the limited social time they had during the public school day, they felt homeschooling was the better choice for our family.

Homeschooling middle school students

• We plan to keep reevaluating as high school gets closer, and their opinions may change. Taking it one year at a time makes the decision feel much less overwhelming.
  • There are often homeschool groups and online communities in many cities, so it is worth looking for local support.
    • These groups can be helpful for playdates, curriculum ideas, encouragement, and advice from families living a similar lifestyle.
    • Many also organize group field trips and educational activities.

I hope our experience helps as you consider whether homeschooling middle school is right for your child. It may not be the best choice for every family, but for us, it brought more peace, flexibility, and confidence during a challenging stage of life.