Home Education. in Pennsylvania

Transcription

1 Home Education in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Department of Education 2005

2 Home Education in Pennsylvania Compiled by John Creason Statistician March 2005

3 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Edward G. Rendell, Governor Department of Education Francis V. Barnes, Secretary Bureau of Educational Technology Kathleen M. Brautigam, Director Division of Data Services Gerald W. Hottinger, Chief The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) does not discriminate in its educational programs, activities or employment practices based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion, ancestry, union membership, or any other legally protected category. This policy is in accordance with state law, including the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, and with federal law, including Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the Pennsylvania Department of Education s non-discrimination policies: For Inquiries Concerning Non-Discrimination In Employment: Pennsylvania Department of Education Equal Employment Opportunity Representative Bureau of Human Resources 333 Market Street, 11 th Floor Harrisburg, PA Voice Telephone: (717) Text Telephone: (717) Fax: (717) For Inquiries Concerning Non-Discrimination in All Other Pennsylvania Department of Education Programs and Activities: Pennsylvania Department of Education School Services Unit Director 333 Market Street, 5 th Floor Harrisburg, PA Voice Telephone: (717) Text Telephone: (717) Fax: (717) Division of Data Services publications are available on the PDE Home Page ( If you have any questions about this publication, contact: John Creason ra-espdata@state.pa.us Pennsylvania Department of Education Voice Telephone: (717) Division of Data Services Fax: (717) Market Street Text Telephone TTY: (717) Harrisburg, PA

4 CONTENTS Page Overview... 1 Statistical Highlights,... 2 Figure 1. Home Education Students, through... 3 Figure 2. Home Education Students by County,... 4 Table 1. Home Education Students by Age, through... 5 Figure 3. Home Education Students by Age,... 6 Figure 4. Home Education Students by Selected Counties by Selected Years... 7 Figure 5. Home Education Students as a Percentage of Total Enrollments by Selected Years... 8 Table 2. Home Education Additional Statistics, Appendix A. Home Education Students by School District and Age Group,... A-1 Appendix B. Glossary... B-1 Appendix C. Sources... C-1

5 OVERVIEW The total for home education students in Pennsylvania was 24,076. The total was comprised of 12,285 males and 11,791 females. This was a decrease of 339 students, or 1.4%, from the total of 24,415. This was the second year (along with ) that home education enrollments decreased since the passage of Act 169 of 1988, which authorized parents, guardians and legal custodians to teach their children at home. Data was collected from all of Pennsylvania s 501 school districts for home education students aged five through 21. Austin Area and Clairton City were the only two school districts that reported no home education students in. The number of home education students decreased in 38 of Pennsylvania s 67 counties. Once again, Lancaster County led the state with 2,653 students, followed by York County with 1,569 (see figure 2, page 4). Students educated at home comprised an additional 1.1% of the state s public, private and nonpublic enrollments in (see figure 5, page 8). There were 237 school districts (47.3%), down from 241, that allowed home education students to participate in curricular programs, while 270 (53.9%), up from 265, allowed them to participate in extracurricular activities (see table 2, page 9). Some districts that allowed participation had restrictions.

6 STATISTICAL HIGHLIGHTS HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS TOTAL % TOTAL , Ages 5 through , Ages 12 through , COUNTIES WITH THE MOST STUDENTS Lancaster , York , Berks , Allegheny , Chester , COUNTIES WITH THE FEWEST STUDENTS Forest Cameron Elk Sullivan Fulton SCHOOL DISTRICTS TOTAL % SCHOOL DISTRICTS ALLOWING OUTSIDE ACTIVITY PARTICIPATION Curricular Activities Extracurricular Activities

7 FIGURE 1 HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS THROUGH 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5, The total number of home education students increased every year since the passage of Act 169 of 1988 except for and. In , there were 13,385 children who were educated at home. The total of 24,076 was a one-year decrease of 339 from the all-time high total of 24,415. 3

8 FIGURE 2 HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY COUNTY Erie Crawford Warren McKean Potter Tioga Bradford Susquehanna Wayne Forest Wyoming Cameron Sullivan Lacka- Venango Elk wanna Lycoming Pike Mercer Clinton Clarion Luzerne Jefferson Columbia Monroe Lawrence Clearfield Montour Union Butler Centre Carbon Armstrong North- Northampton Snyder umberland Beaver Indiana Mifflin Schuylkill Lehigh Allegheny Juniata Cambria Blair Perry Dauphin Lebanon Berks Bucks Washington Westmoreland Huntingdon Montgomery Cumberland Lancaster Somerset Bedford Chester Philadelphia Greene Fayette Fulton Franklin Adams York Delaware The distribution of home education students throughout the state corresponded closely to the population density centers. The highest concentration appeared in the south central and southeastern regions of Pennsylvania. Lancaster County led the state with a total of 2,653 students. There were 40 counties with 250 or fewer students. Counties with between 251 and 500 students numbered 13. There were seven counties with between 501 and 750 students, and seven with more than 751 students. 4

9 TABLE 1 HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY AGE THROUGH TOTAL 13,385 15,457 17,861 19,717 21,459 23,313 24,019 23,903 24,415 24,076 AGE ,086 1,135 1,072 1,159 1, ,649 1,768 1,981 2,114 2,332 2,417 2,475 2,423 2,308 2, ,560 1,852 2,015 2,159 2,311 2,645 2,551 2,536 2,567 2, ,520 1,676 1,981 2,186 2,297 2,386 2,651 2,530 2,563 2, ,443 1,616 1,799 2,078 2,196 2,419 2,398 2,622 2,573 2, ,372 1,594 1,740 1,980 2,131 2,380 2,492 2,368 2,707 2, ,218 1,444 1,703 1,813 2,022 2,162 2,314 2,381 2,397 2, ,080 1,271 1,603 1,686 1,899 2,072 2,193 2,107 2,229 2, ,188 1,425 1,708 1,826 2,007 2,064 2,062 2,128 2, ,230 1,427 1,673 1,734 1,839 1,820 1,982 1, ,110 1,202 1,208 1,236 1, The number of home education students decreased in nine of the 14 age categories from to. The younger age categories reflected declines in enrollments while some of the older categories showed increased enrollments. When home education statistics were first collected for the school year, nearly 70% of the students were age 11 and under. Collectively, the percentage of students in the older age groups (12 and over) has consistently grown and now make up 54.6 % of the home education enrollment. 5

10 FIGURE 3 HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY AGE 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1, The distribution of home education students showed that ages eight through 13 had the largest numbers, with age 13 having the most students. These ages accounted for 61.5% of the home education students. The Pennsylvania Public School Code of 1949, as amended, does not require a child to be registered for school until age eight. This accounted for the relatively low number of students registered in ages five, six and seven. 6

11 FIGURE 4 HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY SELECTED COUNTIES BY SELECTED YEARS 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 Lancaster York Berks Lancaster, York and Berks counties contained the largest concentration of home education students in. These three counties represented 22.8% of the 24,076 home education students. Trends for these three counties closely paralleled the overall rise in the number of home education students for the entire state. Lancaster County has had the largest number every year since the passage of Act 169 of More than 11% of Pennsylvania s home educated students reside in Lancaster County. 7

12 FIGURE 5 HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL ENROLLMENTS BY SELECTED YEARS 1.2% 1.0% 0.8% 0.6% 0.4% 0.2% 0.0% There were 2,101,039 children enrolled in grades K-12 in Pennsylvania in In that year, home education enrollments numbered 13,385, or 0.6% of the total enrollment. By, the number of home education students had risen to 24,076, which equaled 1.1% of the public, private and nonpublic enrollment of 2,123,868. The percentage of home education students had been increasing by nearly 0.1 percentage point each year, but has leveled off the last three years.. 8

13 TABLE 2 HOME EDUCATION ADDITIONAL STATISTICS Affidavits Returned by Superintendent 22 Programs Deemed Inappropriate by Evaluator 88 Programs Deemed Inappropriate by Superintendent 247 Hearings Held Regarding Inappropriate Programs 17 Supervisors Requesting Curricular Materials 3,357 Special Education Students 596 Students Receiving Services for Special Education 117 School Districts Allowing Home Education Students to Participate in Curricular Programs 237 School Districts Allowing Home Education Students to Participate in Extracurricular Activities 270 Note: Pennsylvania has 501 school districts. 9

14 APPENDIX A HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AGE GROUP TOTAL AGES 5-11 AGES TOTAL 24,076 10,919 13,157 Adams County Bermudian Springs SD Conewago Valley SD Fairfield Area SD Gettysburg Area SD Littlestown Area SD Upper Adams SD Allegheny County 1, Allegheny Valley SD Avonworth SD Baldwin-Whitehall SD Bethel Park SD Brentwood Borough SD Carlynton SD Chartiers Valley SD Clairton City SD Cornell SD Deer Lakes SD Duquesne City SD East Allegheny SD Elizabeth Forward SD Fox Chapel Area SD Gateway SD Hampton Township SD Highlands SD Keystone Oaks SD McKeesport Area SD Montour SD Moon Area SD Mt Lebanon SD North Allegheny SD North Hills SD Northgate SD Penn Hills SD Pine-Richland SD Pittsburgh SD Plum Borough SD Quaker Valley SD Riverview SD Shaler Area SD South Allegheny SD South Fayette Twp SD South Park SD Steel Valley SD Sto-Rox SD Upper Saint Clair SD West Allegheny SD West Jefferson Hills SD West Mifflin Area SD Wilkinsburg Borough SD Woodland Hills SD A-1

15 APPENDIX A HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AGE GROUP TOTAL AGES 5-11 AGES Armstrong County Apollo Ridge SD Armstrong SD Freeport Area SD Leechburg Area SD Beaver County Aliquippa SD Ambridge Area SD Beaver Area SD Big Beaver Falls Area SD Blackhawk SD Center Area SD Freedom Area SD Hopewell Area SD Midland Borough SD Monaca SD New Brighton Area SD Riverside Beaver County SD Rochester Area SD South Side Area SD Western Beaver County SD Bedford County Bedford Area SD Chestnut Ridge SD Everett Area SD Northern Bedford County SD Tussey Mountain SD Berks County 1, Antietam SD Boyertown Area SD Brandywine Heights Area SD Conrad Weiser Area SD Daniel Boone Area SD Exeter Township SD Fleetwood Area SD Governor Mifflin SD Hamburg Area SD Kutztown Area SD Muhlenberg SD Oley Valley SD Reading SD Schuylkill Valley SD Tulpehocken Area SD Twin Valley SD Wilson SD Wyomissing Area SD A-2

16 APPENDIX A HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AGE GROUP TOTAL AGES 5-11 AGES Blair County Altoona Area SD Bellwood-Antis SD Claysburg-Kimmel SD Hollidaysburg SD Spring Cove SD Tyrone Area SD Williamsburg Community SD Bradford County Athens Area SD Canton Area SD Northeast Bradford SD Sayre Area SD Towanda Area SD Troy Area SD Wyalusing Area SD Bucks County Bensalem Township SD Bristol Borough SD Bristol Township SD Centennial SD Central Bucks SD Council Rock SD Morrisville Borough SD Neshaminy SD New Hope-Solebury SD Palisades SD Pennridge SD Pennsbury SD Quakertown Community SD Butler County Butler Area SD Karns City Area SD Mars Area SD Moniteau SD Seneca Valley SD Slippery Rock Area SD South Butler County SD Cambria County Blacklick Valley SD Cambria Heights SD Central Cambria SD Conemaugh Valley SD Ferndale Area SD Forest Hills SD Greater Johnstown SD Northern Cambria SD A-3

17 APPENDIX A HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AGE GROUP TOTAL AGES 5-11 AGES Penn Cambria SD Portage Area SD Richland SD Westmont Hilltop SD Cameron County Cameron County SD Carbon County Jim Thorpe Area SD Lehighton Area SD Palmerton Area SD Panther Valley SD Weatherly Area SD Centre County Bald Eagle Area SD Bellefonte Area SD Penns Valley Area SD State College Area SD Chester County 1, Avon Grove SD Coatesville Area SD Downingtown Area SD Great Valley SD Kennett Consolidated SD Octorara Area SD Owen J Roberts SD Oxford Area SD Phoenixville Area SD Tredyffrin-Easttown SD Unionville Chadds-Ford SD West Chester Area SD Clarion County Allegheny-Clarion Valley SD Clarion Area SD Clarion-Limestone Area SD Keystone SD North Clarion County SD Redbank Valley SD Union SD Clearfield County Clearfield Area SD Curwensville Area SD DuBois Area SD Glendale SD Harmony Area SD Moshannon Valley SD Philipsburg-Osceola Area SD West Branch Area SD A-4

18 APPENDIX A HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AGE GROUP TOTAL AGES 5-11 AGES Clinton County Keystone Central SD Columbia County Benton Area SD Berwick Area SD Bloomsburg Area SD Central Columbia SD Millville Area SD Southern Columbia Area SD Crawford County Conneaut SD Crawford Central SD Penncrest SD Cumberland County Big Spring SD Camp Hill SD Carlisle Area SD Cumberland Valley SD East Pennsboro SD Mechanicsburg Area SD Shippensburg Area SD South Middleton SD Dauphin County Central Dauphin SD Derry Township SD Halifax Area SD Harrisburg City SD Lower Dauphin SD Middletown Area SD Millersburg Area SD Steelton-Highspire SD Susquehanna Township SD Upper Dauphin SD Delaware County Chester-Upland SD Chichester SD Garnet Valley SD Haverford Township SD Interboro SD Marple Newtown SD Penn-Delco SD Radnor Township SD Ridley SD Rose Tree Media SD Southeast Delco SD A-5

19 APPENDIX A HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AGE GROUP TOTAL AGES 5-11 AGES Springfield SD Upper Darby SD Wallingford-Swarthmore SD William Penn SD Elk County Johnsonburg Area SD Ridgway Area SD Saint Marys Area SD Erie County Corry Area SD Erie City SD Fairview SD Fort LeBoeuf SD General McLane SD Girard SD Harbor Creek SD Irouois SD Millcreek Township SD North East SD Northwestern SD Union City Area SD Wattsburg Area SD Fayette County Albert Gallatin Area SD Brownsville Area SD Connellsville Area SD Frazier SD Laurel Highlands SD Uniontown Area SD Forest County Forest Area SD Franklin County Chambersburg Area SD Fannett-Metal SD Greencastle-Antrim SD Tuscarora SD Waynesboro Area SD Fulton County Central Fulton SD Forbes Road SD Southern Fulton SD A-6

20 APPENDIX A HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AGE GROUP TOTAL AGES 5-11 AGES Greene County Carmichaels Area SD Central Greene SD Jefferson-Morgan SD Southeastern Greene SD West Greene SD Huntingdon County Huntingdon Area SD Juniata Valley SD Mount Union Area SD Southern Huntingdon Co SD Indiana County Blairsville-Saltsburg SD Homer-Center SD Indiana Area SD Marion Center Area SD Penns Manor Area SD Purchase Line SD United SD Jefferson County Brockway Area SD Brookville Area SD Punxsutawney Area SD Juniata County Juniata County SD Lackawanna County Abington Heights SD Carbondale Area SD Dunmore SD Lakeland SD Mid Valley SD North Pocono SD Old Forge SD Riverside SD Scranton City SD Valley View SD Lancaster County 2,653 1,306 1,347 Cocalico SD Columbia Borough SD Conestoga Valley SD Donegal SD Eastern Lancaster Co SD Elizabethtown Area SD Ephrata Area SD Hempfield SD Lampeter-Strasburg SD A-7

21 APPENDIX A HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AGE GROUP TOTAL AGES 5-11 AGES Lancaster SD Manheim Central SD Manheim Township SD Penn Manor SD Pequea Valley SD Solanco SD Warwick SD Lawrence County Ellwood City Area SD Laurel Area SD Mohawk Area SD Neshannock Township SD New Castle Area SD Shenango Area SD Union Area SD Wilmington Area SD Lebanon County Annville-Cleona SD Cornwall-Lebanon SD Eastern Lebanon County SD Lebanon SD Northern Lebanon SD Palmyra Area SD Lehigh County Allentown City SD Catasauqua Area SD East Penn SD Northern Lehigh SD Northwestern Lehigh SD Parkland SD Salisbury Township SD Southern Lehigh SD Whitehall-Coplay SD Luzerne County Crestwood SD Dallas SD Greater Nanticoke Area SD Hanover Area SD Hazleton Area SD Lake Lehman SD Northwest Area SD Pittston Area SD Wilkes-Barre Area SD Wyoming Area SD Wyoming Valley West SD Lycoming County East Lycoming SD Jersey Shore Area SD Loyalsock Township SD A-8

22 APPENDIX A HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AGE GROUP TOTAL AGES 5-11 AGES Montgomery Area SD Montoursville Area SD Muncy SD South Williamsport SD Williamsport Area SD McKean County Bradford Area SD Kane Area SD Otto-Eldred SD Port Allegany SD Smethport Area SD Mercer County Commodore Perry SD Farrell Area SD Greenville Area SD Grove City Area SD Hermitage SD Jamestown Area SD Lakeview SD Mercer Area SD Reynolds SD Sharon City SD Sharpsville Area SD West Middlesex Area SD Mifflin County Mifflin County SD Monroe County East Stroudsburg Area SD Pleasant Valley SD Pocono Mountain SD Stroudsburg Area SD Montgomery County 1, Abington SD Bryn Athyn SD Cheltenham Township SD Colonial SD Hatboro-Horsham SD Jenkintown SD Lower Merion SD Lower Moreland Twp SD Methacton SD Norristown Area SD North Penn SD Perkiomen Valley SD Pottsgrove SD Pottstown SD Souderton Area SD Spring-Ford Area SD Springfield Township SD A-9

23 APPENDIX A HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AGE GROUP TOTAL AGES 5-11 AGES Upper Dublin SD Upper Merion Area SD Upper Moreland Twp SD Upper Perkiomen SD Wissahickon SD Montour County Danville Area SD Northampton County Bangor Area SD Bethlehem Area SD Easton Area SD Nazareth Area SD Northampton Area SD Pen Argyl Area SD Saucon Valley SD Wilson Area SD Northumberland County Line Mountain SD Milton Area SD Mount Carmel Area SD Shamokin Area SD Shikellamy SD Warrior Run SD Perry County Greenwood SD Newport SD Susquenita SD West Perry SD Philadelphia County Philadelphia City SD Pike County Delaware Valley SD Potter County Austin Area SD Coudersport Area SD Galeton Area SD Northern Potter SD Oswayo Valley SD Schuylkill County Blue Mountain SD Mahanoy Area SD Minersville Area SD North Schuylkill SD A-10

24 APPENDIX A HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AGE GROUP TOTAL AGES 5-11 AGES Pine Grove SD Pottsville Area SD Saint Clair Area SD Schuylkill Haven Area SD Shenandoah Valley SD Tamaqua Area SD Tri-Valley SD Williams Valley SD Snyder County Midd-West SD Selinsgrove Area SD Somerset County Berlin Brothersvalley SD Conemaugh Township Area SD Meyersdale Area SD North Star SD Rockwood Area SD Salisbury-Elk Lick SD Shade-Central City SD Shanksville-Stony Creek SD Somerset Area SD Turkeyfoot Valley Area SD Windber Area SD Sullivan County Sullivan County SD Susquehanna County Blue Ridge SD Elk Lake SD Forest City Regional SD Montrose Area SD Mountain View SD Susquehanna Community SD Tioga County Northern Tioga SD Southern Tioga SD Wellsboro Area SD Union County Lewisburg Area SD Mifflinburg Area SD Venango County Cranberry Area SD Franklin Area SD Oil City Area SD Titusville Area SD Valley Grove SD A-11

25 APPENDIX A HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AGE GROUP TOTAL AGES 5-11 AGES Warren County Warren County SD Washington County Avella Area SD Bentworth SD Bethlehem-Center SD Burgettstown Area SD California Area SD Canon-McMillan SD Charleroi SD Chartiers-Houston SD Fort Cherry SD McGuffey SD Peters Township SD Ringgold SD Trinity Area SD Washington SD Wayne County Wallenpaupack Area SD Wayne Highlands SD Western Wayne SD Westmoreland County Belle Vernon Area SD Burrell SD Derry Area SD Franklin Regional SD Greater Latrobe SD Greensburg Salem SD Hempfield Area SD Jeanette City SD Kiski Area SD Ligonier Valley SD Monessen City SD Mount Pleasant Area SD New Kensington-Arnold SD Norwin SD Penn-Trafford SD Southmoreland SD Yough SD Wyoming County Lackawanna Trail SD Tunkhannock Area SD A-12

26 APPENDIX A HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS BY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AGE GROUP TOTAL AGES 5-11 AGES York County 1, Central York SD Dallastown Area SD Dover Area SD Eastern York SD Hanover Public SD Northeastern York SD Northern York County SD Red Lion Area SD South Eastern SD South Western SD Southern York County SD Spring Grove Area SD West Shore SD West York Area SD York City SD York Suburban SD A-13

27 APPENDIX B GLOSSARY ACT 169 OF Created a home education category designed to permit parents, guardians and legal custodians to conduct a home education program for their children. CURRICULAR MATERIALS - Copies of the planned courses, textbooks and other materials appropriate to the student s age and grade level that are available to be borrowed from the school district. CURRICULAR PROGRAMS - A series of planned instruction that is coordinated and articulated and implemented in a manner designed to result in the achievement by all students of specific knowledge and skills and the application of this knowledge. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES - Officially approved organized student activities connected with the school and usually carrying no academic credit. HOME EDUCATION AFFIDAVIT - A notarized document filed by a child s parent, guardian or legal custodian. It contains the name of the home education supervisor, each child by name and age, as well as the address and phone number of the program site. The affidavit must contain an outline of proposed educational objectives, by subject area, for the subjects required by law. These subjects are to be offered in the English language. It will show evidence of the child s immunization and that the child has received health services. The supervisor must provide assurance that the education program meets the requirements of Act 169 of 1988, as well as certify that all adults living in the home and other custodial adults have not been convicted of a criminal offense listed in Section III(E) of Act 34 of 1985 within the last five years preceding the date of submission. HOME EDUCATION SUPERVISOR - The parent, guardian or legal custodian who has broad responsibility for the education of the child. This person must hold a high school diploma or its equivalent. HOME EDUCATION EVALUATOR - A teacher or administrator who has at least two years of experience in grading subjects. This includes evaluating classwork, homework, quizzes, classwork-based tests and prepared tests related to classwork subject matter. B-1

28 APPENDIX C SOURCES 1. Home Education Report (PDE-4097) 2. Public, Private and Nonpublic Schools: Enrollments,, Pennsylvania Department of Education, Division of Data Services, C-1