The number of Hoosier families relying on homeschooling has risen by 400 percent in the last five years.
Locally, much of that growth is coming from children who previously attended the region's lowest-performing schools.
In the 2005-06 school year, at least 23,455 Indiana families obtained private school numbers from the state -- a voluntary step -- to pull students from schools to try another approach.
No ISTEP tests. Often no desks.
Sometimes no textbooks.
While local districts have seen dramatic increases in the number of children homeschooled, the total is still small: Just 2 percent of students statewide are homeschooled.
Locally, families are using parent-designed education to further educational beliefs, pursue religious training or avoid the pitfalls of public and charter schools.
Ethnic families embrace it
Local trends track national ones, showing a stronger embrace of the homeschool option among ethnic groups, particularly black families.
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