California Independent Study Charter Schools: Summary of Home-Based Pedagogies, Enrollment Trends, and Student Demographics

Figures & data

Figure 1. Map illustrating the counties of enrolled students served by Ocean Grove Charter School, Sky Mountain Charter School, and South Sutter Charter School.

Table 1. Summary and description of educational philosophies followed by the parents of students enrolled in California independent study charter schools.

Educational Philosophy	Distinguishing Characteristics	Instructional Approaches	Examples of Curriculum
Charlotte Mason	Charlotte Mason’s approach to home education during the late nineteenth century is summarized in three words: atmosphere, discipline, and life. Atmosphere describes the environment of experiences children have as they learn through a diversity of direct experiences. Discipline describes the emphasis placed on intrinsic motivation for learning by children, which is unique for each child. Life describes how students learn history through historical based novels rather than textbook summaries. Children build on understanding through the engagement of reading high quality literature, the retelling of stories with imagination, and encouraging the curiosity of the natural world around them through first-hand experiences by forming hypotheses and making connections.^a	Charlotte Mason believes that students are intrinsically motivated and learning is assimilated through observing and interacting with their environment. The role of the adult educator is to provide encouragement and appropriate stimuli for the child through scaffolding that encourages the child to develop questions and reason about the world around them, in an effort to bridge relationships and connections with prior knowledge. Outdoor learning is promoted through local nature walks and museum visits. Children are encouraged to demonstrate learning through role-playing, retelling or narration, and through creative expressions in art.^b	Brave Writer Math-U-See Right Start Math Simply Charlotte Mason Sassafras Science
Classical	Classical homeschooling is built on three stages of learning (Grammar Stage, Logic Stage, and Rhetoric Stage) based on the cognitive developmental phases of a child. In each stage, students continue to learn grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Children are often taught to write in cursive and Latin is typically learned as a foundational language. Classic literature is used to teach history, ancient through modern history, sequentially and repeated through the grade levels. Primary historical documents are used instead of textbook summaries. Logic and debate skills are emphasized. Grammar, logic and rhetoric are viewed as essential learning tools for the learning of all subjects.^c	In the Grammar Stage (grades K-6), children learn grammar, syntax and vocabulary through songs and chants. Emphasis is placed on direct instruction, reading and discussion. In the Logic Stage (grades 7–9), instructional activities emphasize argument, discussion and debate. Writing activities include compare/contrast and argumentative through the process of research. In the Logic Stage, children will learn the process of research. Instructions are given on how to identify false logic through the practice of formal debates. In the Rhetoric Stage (grades 10–12), children are encouraged to form their own opinions through the synthesis and analysis of information and then persuasively communicate those opinions or academic positions. It is expected that the development of arguments is to be based on reason, both in the written and oral forms.^c	The Critical Thinking Company Easy Grammar/Daily Grams Elemental Science Great Books Foundation Institute for Excellence in Writing Saxon Math Story of the World The Well-Trained Mind
Delayed Academic Approach	The Delayed Academic Approach is likely the most loosely defined educational philosophy in homeschooling. Very little is written on the topic, though the concept is occasionally discussed by parents. Homeschooling parents who follow this instructional approach say that children are ready to learn academic concepts at different times in their development, and children should not be forced to learn particular concepts or skills based on their age level. Parents who follow this educational philosophy often pair it with another educational philosophy listed on this table. Although the word ‘delayed’ implies that a child will be introduced to academic concepts later than his/her peers, the Delayed Academic Approach may also result in a child learning concepts and skills at an age younger than his/her peers, such as learning to read.	While most of the educational philosophies start formal education at the kindergarten grade level, a homeschooling family following a Delayed Academic Approach may not start a formalized academic program for their children until grade 3, or later. Play is strongly encouraged for children in grades K-3 in an effort to encourage creativity, communication, and problem solving. Subject area content may take a Project/Unit-based approach to homeschooling at the younger grades, with the goal of assessing a child’s readiness for more formalized instruction. Occasionally, this educational philosophy is used with older children (grades 8–12), particularly in the subject of mathematics.	Key to Series Usborne Books Zaner-Bloser
Montessori	Developed by Maria Montessori in the early 20th century, this is a child-centered educational approach based on scientific observations of children from birth to adulthood. Montessori is an individualized educational approach to learning that is driven by a child’s interest to learn on his/her own, rather than directed from an adult authority. Current Montessori curriculum is organized with five learning domains – practical life, sensorial, language, mathematics, and culture. As students progress, they transition from reading and writing to develop rational problem solving in the middle school years. By high school, “children reconstruct themselves as social beings and are humanistic explorers, real-world problem solvers, and rational seekers of justice.” ^d	Learning occurs in multi-age student groupings with child-sized materials and manipulatives where students are encouraged to work at their own pace. Parents observe and guide learning, more so than instructing and directing. Student motivation occurs from the child’s inherent curiosity and desire to learn. Students are involved in the self-correcting of their work. Self-discipline of the child is promoted by the learning environment.^e, f	Montessori Services Nienhuis Montessori Shiller Learning
Online-based	The curriculum is delivered to the student through a service subscription contract with an internet-based online curriculum vendor. Students typically access the digital content through laptop computers, though some students will use tablets or desktop computers. Some online curriculum providers will offer adaptive learning assessments to place children in appropriate ELA and mathematics lessons. Students are encouraged to use the internet to research concepts and engage in the content through their own curiosity. Most current online curriculum providers deliver instruction in an asynchronous learning format.	Instructional activities may include watching video lessons, reading online content, reading print or digital books, or engaging in threaded discussions with other students and teachers through an online Learning Management System (LMS). Learning activities are typically calendared for the students based on the semester guidelines of the school. Levels of instructional support offered to the student varies widely by the online curriculum provider used and the parent/teacher oversight practices of the school. Most current online curriculum providers assess student learning through a combination of online auto-graded assignments and teacher-graded assignments.	Apex Learning Bright Thinker i-Ready K12 Silicon Valley High
Project/Unit-based	Project/Unit-based education identifies a singular theme for the student to study over the duration of a few weeks to a few months. These themes typically originate from the core subject areas of history, science, literature, or the arts. The purpose of Project/Unit-based learning is to allow students to immerse themselves into topics to gain a greater appreciation of the subject content, build relationships from prior learning, and to develop an awareness and appreciation of the interdisciplinary nature of the world around them. Project/Unit-based homeschooling families choose this learning style because of their concerns about how they perceive classroom-based schools as teaching the core subjects in silos.	Students in a family can be grouped across several grade levels while allowing for individualized assignments. Once the theme of the unit is identified, several academic subjects are blended with the common thematic thread. Topics are revisited and reinforced throughout the unit duration and connections are built from prior unit themes. The instructional approach is multidisciplinary and student interest directed. The learning environment is fostered through in-person student experiences gained from visiting historical locations, national parks, or live theater and music events.	Exploration Education Five in a Row In the Hands of a Child Moving Beyond the Page Real World Math
Traditional	The use of the word ‘Traditional’ is not to describe a traditional approach to homeschooling but is instead used to describe the use of curriculum commonly found in traditional classroom-based schools. A Traditional approach to homeschooling is accomplished through the use of well-established, research proven, standards-based, state adopted curriculum for a particular grade level. This homeschooling approach generally requires less planning time by the parent and provides assurance to the parent that students are addressing all of the state standards in their course of study within a singular curriculum. Homeschool students who use a traditional textbook-based curriculum are sometimes said to “practice school at home.”	Curriculum is published by the major K-12 publishers used for classroom instruction. The textbooks and workbooks are designed to follow a standardized scope and sequence. The material presented in the textbooks is expected to be completed and mastered at a particular grade level within a school’s academic semester. Traditional K-12 textbooks are likely to have corresponding teacher’s manuals, answer keys, tests, workbooks, review materials, and suggestions for supplementary materials and enrichment activities.	Explode the Code Glencoe Houghton Mifflin Harcourt McGraw Hill Pearson Prentice Hall Singapore
Unschooling	Unschooling is also referred to as de-schooling or self-directed learning by the child. This homeschooling approach is characterized by the freedom given to the child to decide what to study and how the child would like to learn.^g Unschooling should not be confused with non-schooling, which would be the lack of any educational resources, instructional support, or direction given to the child. Unschooling cannot be characterized by any specific type of curriculum. Although, since the child directs the learning approach, it is possible that any type of curriculum could be used by an unschooled child. The word ‘curriculum’ is an unnatural word to use in the context of describing this educational philosophy as the word may imply formalized structure. However, formal K-12 curriculum, such as mainstream standards-based textbooks and workbooks are often used by Unschooled children, as those children have selected to use textbooks to learn.	Unschooling is driven by the personal interest of the child and the instructional approach that is best suited for the child, as determined by the child. Unschooling is rooted in the belief that children are naturally curious about the world around them, and that they want to learn. The instructional approach is not compartmentalized within subject areas. Learning is often eclectic in nature, with the parents finding locally available materials, books, and environmental resources to direct learning. Although the term Unschooling may imply to some people a hands-off approach to education. On the contrary, Unschooling parents who closely follow this educational philosophy are actively involved in the education of their child. Much experimentation is done in regard to learning opportunities and academic materials, as the parent seeks to understand the interests of the child and how that child can best learn.	By definition, no formalized curriculum is universally used.
Waldorf	Founded by Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), this educational philosophy in homeschooling is characterized by the parent’s goal of meeting the holistic needs of a child – physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and spiritual.^h At an early age, children learn through free play, arts and crafts, rhythm and movement, games, and nature studies. Older children are taught through creative, artistic, imaginative activities putting an emphasis on the development of their intellectual and conceptualization abilities. This educational philosophy can be characterized by the notable absence of materials commonly used by other homeschooling families, such as the lack of traditional textbooks, computers, television, or any other technology products or resources.	Children are typically taught a long lesson at the start of the day with other smaller instructional periods later in the day. Lessons are organized in units that progress for several weeks. In the early childhood stage (grades K-2), the child explores the environment through physical, creative, and sensory activities. During the middle childhood stage (grades 3–8), the child is encouraged to learn through his/her imaginative and artistic faculties. Academics are taught through creative, artistic, imaginative activities. Adolescent stage (grades 9–12), instructional activities emphasize a sense of responsibility for the world and sensitivity to self and others. Primary sources of reading are commonly used when studying history and literature.	Mercurius Oak Meadow Paper, Scissors, Stone

^aShafer (2007). ^bCooper (2012). ^cPerrin (2004). ^dEdwards (2002, p. 6). ^eCorry (2006). ^fHainstock (1997). ^gMorrison (2007). ^hNordland (2013).

Figure 2. Linear regression correlation of the estimated percentage of school-aged children educated at home in the United States.

Table 2. Predicted estimates of the percentage of school-aged children who will be homeschooled in the US in 2020, 2023 and 2025, based on the US department of education parent survey results from 1999 through 2016.

Estimated Percentage of Students Homeschooled in the US
Measurement	Year	% HomeSchooled Value	% HomeSchooled Trendline Value	95% Confidence Interval of Trendline
Actual	1999	1.7	1.8	1.5–2.2
Actual	2003	2.2	2.3	2.0–2.5
Actual	2007	2.9	2.7	2.5–2.9
Actual	2012	3.4	3.2	3.0–3.4
Actual	2016	3.3	3.6	3.5–3.8
Predicted	2020	4.1	4.1	3.8–4.2
Predicted	2023	4.4	4.4	4.2–4.6
Predicted	2025	4.6	4.6	4.3–4.8

Figure 3. Linear regression correlations for K-12 student enrollment in various types of public and private schools in California.

Table 3. Public and private K-12 student enrollment in California (2010–2017).

Enrollment Summary		Total Student Enrollment in California by School Year								Predicted Enrollment			Model Parameters
School Year		2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2020	2023	2025	Slope	Intercept	R^2
	PSA: Homeschool	22,581	22,837	23,089	24,330	26,639	28,864	29,188	28,928	33,221	36,644	38,925	1,141	-2,270,973	0.911
	PSA: Classroom	521,529	505,754	488,116	507,607	502,533	495,213	492,492	482,697	474,582	463,085	455,421	-3,832	8,215,920	0.572
	PSA: All Schools	544,110	528,591	511,205	531,937	529,192	524,077	521,680	511,625	507,808	499,734	494,351	-2,691	5,944,470	0.369
	Charter: IS	66,877	73,005	80,017	90,466	96,505	104,745	113,272	125,724	147,489	172,256	188,768	8,256	-16,529,222	0.993
	Charter: Classroom	256,982	296,240	358,457	381,035	417,770	440,235	459,480	477,113	590,137	684,393	747,231	31,419	-62,876,003	0.961
	Charter: All Schools	323,859	369,245	438,474	471,501	514,275	544,980	572,752	602,837	737,626	856,650	935,999	39,675	-79,405,225	0.979
	IS + Homeschool PSA	89,458	95,842	103,106	114,796	123,144	133,609	142,460	154,652	180,711	208,900	227,693	9,396	-18,800,195	0.995
	Public: All Schools	6,192,121	6,217,002	6,220,993	6,226,989	6,236,672	6,235,520	6,226,737	6,228,235	6,250,484	6,263,153	6,271,599	4,223	-2,280,097	0.537
	Ocean Grove	1,156	1,455	1,708	1,842	1,867	1,895	1,977	2,287	2,633	3,030	3,295	132	-264,608	0.896
	Sky Mountain	1,373	1,640	1,749	1,881	2,032	2,219	1,646	1,910	2,220	2,411	2,539	64	-126,435	0.353
School	South Sutter	1,431	1,872	2,090	2,145	2,114	2,112	2,099	2,250	2,548	2,795	2,959	82	-163,452	0.609

Student enrollment in California from 2010 to 2017. Data was analyzed using linear regression models to provide student enrollment projections for 2020, 2023 and 2025.

Table 4. Student demographics of California K-12 students and homeschooled students in the United States.

2015–2016 Student Demographic Characteristics Collected from the U.S. Department of Education and California Department of Education
	Data: CA Department of Education	Data: U.S. Department of Education	Data: California Department of Education
Characteristic	All CA Public School Students	U.S. Homeschool	CA Independent Study Charter School	Ocean Grove Charter School	Sky Mountain Charter School	South Sutter Charter School
Total Students	6,226,737	1,689,726	113,272	1,977	1,646	2,099
Gender:
Male	3,199,590 (51.4%)	811,068 (48%)	54,627 (48.2%)	990 (50.1%)	807 (49%)	1,015 (48.4%)
Female	3,027,147 (48.6%)	878,658 (52%)	59,195 (52.3%)	987 (49.9%)	839 (51%)	1,084 (51.6%)
Low Socioeconomic Status	3,768,815 (60.5%)	354,842 (21%)	62,255 (55%)	362 (18.3%)	425 (25.8%)	785 (37.4%)
English Language Learner	1,373,724 (22.1%)	270,356 (16%)	7,537 (6.7%)	55 (2.8%)	27 (1.6%)	57 (2.7%)
Students with Disabilities	661,798 (10.6%)	354,843 (21%)	10,788 (9.5%)	175 (8.9%)	94 (5.7%)	179 (8.5%)
Race/Ethnicity
Asian/Pacific Islander	551,229 (8.9%)	50,692 (3%)	3,473 (3.1%)	154 (7.8%)	98 (6%)	64 (3%)
Black, Non-Hispanic	361,752 (5.8%)	135,178 (8%)	8,070 (7.1%)	26 (1.3%)	51 (3.1%)	54 (2.6%)
Hispanic/Latino	3,360,562 (54%)	439,329 (26%)	41,902 (37%)	433 (21.9%)	414 (25.2%)	315 (15%)
White, Non-Hispanic	1,500,932 (24.1%)	996,938 (59%)	47,597 (42%)	1,067 (54%)	862 (52.4%)	1,374 (65.5%)
Other Race/Ethnicity	413,452 (6.6%)	67,589 (4%)	8,746 (7.7%)	194 (9.8%)	131 (8%)	163 (7.8%)
Not Reported	38,810 (0.6%)	N/A	1,284 (1.1%)	102 (5.2%)	90 (5.5%)	129 (6.1%)

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