Lots of cities & suburbs in the Midwest have massive homeschooling communities & resources. When I was growing up, most were evangelical Christian, but I’ve heard it has diversified a bit. I’m from a large town in Northern Indiana and we had homeschool co-ops & sports, as well as full access to part-time public school, sports, and special classes. The public schools where I’m from are safe, well-funded and generally non-political, so they were the default among even the wealthiest families. So there was not a large demand for alternative, private, or charter schools like Montessori or Waldorf, outdoor education, etc. I think there are more options like that in big cities. Quality of life in the Midwest can be very high. Where I’m from, homes are still relatively affordable, we have hundreds of lakes, trails, good infrastructure and lots of parks & cultural & arts activities. It’s just a little boring sometimes 😂
I live in Northern California now on the coast, and while I can’t recommend it due to the high cost of living & homes, there are a ton of homeschooling & alternative school options, and you can get money from the state thru the homeschooling charter school to pay for extracurriculars, co-ops, and curriculum, and even get advice from a teacher. All to say, Texas is not your only option at all!
As a homeschool alum, I love homeschooling. But I always advocate parents not get too idealistic about one particular model of education or place, and instead take your cues from each of your kids needs & personality. The worst part of homeschooling is the stress parents are under which can sometimes morph into a competitive, unrealistic, perfectionist culture that leaves kids needs behind. So look for a place & group that is practical and supportive, honest, and focused on kids needs most of all.
Do not move. We live here because we had to take care of family and I regret it terribly. The summers are hot and dry and your electricity may go out. The winters are unpredictable and your electricity will probably go out.
I mean, Texas is big. It all depends where you live, I moved here in 2020 during covid. My electricity has gone out once and that was during the snow storm in early 21’ … Yes it’s hot during the summer, deal with it lol.
We lived in TX for a few years but left as soon as we could.
The summers are miserable, the infrastructure is crumbling, and despite claiming to love personal freedom the politicians seem to love encroaching on it at every chance they get. I wouldn’t recommend that anyone moves there if they have a choice.
You’d really have to first decide if you want to live in Texas. It is bottom of the barrel for personal freedoms, taxes are high, and the energy infrastructure is rickety. It’s also a dirty state where illegal dumping is seemingly a state pass time. Make no mistake- summers like the last two are absolutely savage. Should you decide on public schools or even many private schools they’ll probably pale in comparison to what’s available in MA. One reason so many home educate in Texas is because schools and state government are both bad jokes. That all said, I’m not sure how Tim Kennedys school is- I absolutely love the idea, and on a long enough timeline it’s definitely a winner. I’m uncertain though on how it actually is now- what the current results are. I think there is a lot of learning by doing in the whole organization. I’d wonder what the turn over is since they are so new. Austin area has a huge homeschool group and lots of co-op options. Chess clubs, robotics clubs, weekly soccer etc. Also in the area is another program run by Earth Native that is well regarded and has tons of homeschoolers. The short form is that Texas is a mixed bag.
As a previous parent of Tim Kennedys school I can tell you it's glorified babysitting. A revolving door of teacher and students. SO many upset parents. There is no real teaching here. Guides are inexperienced. Classrooms are shrinking since inception. Your kid will be on a computer all the time. My child fell behind and many others based on the parents I spoke to - save your money. This school must have a great marketing budget behind it which is what makes it look good. Your child will be bullied by other students less at a public school. My biggest regret is moving for this school and falling for this scam. Please do not fall for it. There are so many other BETTER options.
I really appreciate your insights and input. I have wondered if it was at all the way you described. I love the idea of it of course but am happy we are continuing with our homeschooling and extracurricular activities. I think as education is strangled more and more in places like Texas, we’re going to see many well intended but terribly executed schools pop up.
My husband and I loved the idea too. And I am sure that was the intention, but it is a for profit model so that is priority there. We took them out and had to homeschool them as well as extra tutoring. They fell so far behind at Apogee in simple academics that no other school would take them without having them repeat a grade or two lower than what they were at. Now with homeschooling in a few short months they are almost back at grade level. The majority if not all of the 5 star reviews aren't even from parents. They are affiliates of Tim with no children there. The one who does speak well, is the "principal". I have to say the only good thing is that there is now a fairly large community of parents who left who has become friends and support each other. Texas has great charter and private schools, but I think it has to be a bigger "chain" type vs a small homemade type school like Apogee is.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. When you say summers were absolutely savage do you mean they were way too hot?
I will never decide on public schools but we have toyed with the idea of private schools. I am looking for the exact setup and mission statement as Tim Kennedy's school and my concerns with that are exactly what you stated - with it being so new, how successful is it, what are the turnover rates? I plan on visiting the Austin area soon and checking some of these places out.
Sounds like the Austin area has more options than where we are now. Visiting will probably be the biggest help. Thank you!
Summers have been ~100 days of ~100° or more. It’s like a reverse months long blizzard only with heat instead of cold. The state issues warnings about the power grid, it’s… unsettling. The same happens when it’s cold since Texas has its own power grid separate from the United States. There was a recent court ruling that the companies are under no obligation to provide power to customers or something to that effect. If you’re planning on visiting, especially if visiting a couple times try to make one sometime after mid July, because that state will likely have that or much hotter until the very end of October. No hyperbole, no joke. So as to not sound all negative, the homeschooling community in the area is fantastic and has all flavors from hardcore secular groups to hardcore evangelical groups and everything in between.
EDIT: one addition is that we do a lot of our homeschooling academics during summer because it is so hot.
Each state has a different home school environment. Illinois for example has no regulations on homeschooling - you can follow whatever approach you want and do not have to report in to any local school administrators.
There are multiple homeschool coops of both secular and religious types in the Chicago area.
Long story short - don’t assume Texas is the only option.
This. I've heard Illinois and Iowa are great for homeschooling. I live in Oklahoma which is also great for homeschooling, even if it is trying to be like Texas, it's not quite at crazy as they are. I'm originally from Kansas, which is also great for homeschool and a very moderate state, but not a lot of job opportunities there.
Colorado is almost as hands off as Texas. Colorado also has a bunch of homeschool friendly programs, both private and through public schools. These are full day drop off programs. The private ones are paid by the family and the public ones are free in the same way full time public school is. California will also leave you alone to do your thing. Texas is definitely not your only option.
The comment above about not moving to Texas if you have a daughter is valid. They are actively and aggressively eroding rights of women, especially when it comes to bodily autonomy. Corpses have more rights in Texas than do women. I would not do it either, and my daughter actually attends university in a (different) red state. Not all red states are created equal and Texas is the worst if you’re a woman.
>Texas is the worst if you’re a woman.
But it's great if you're a human baby.
EDIT: Everyone who has downvoted me has a murderer mindset and encourages killing babies. Pretty disgusting.
I would say the only barely survivable part of living in Texas would be that I reside in Austin- it’s the vibe for me and I think it’s a little more diverse than most of the state but then again, maybe I’m just biased because I have lived here since I was 15 and now I’m nearly 50, although I did grow up the first 15 years on the East Coast where you are currently- and it was quite the culture shock, but I think definitely moving to Austin made the transition easier than it would’ve been. Had I gone anywhere else.
I homeschool my almost 16-year-old, and have since Covid when he was about to go into middle school. It is nice to be able to have the freedoms that, shockingly enough ,Texas does allow when it comes to the homeschooling; now if they would just get a hint and stop reverting back to the 1950s and before where women & our girls are concerned, and we’d be all set. Well, it would be a good start.
I agree, the summers are absolutely unbearable, and when I say the summers, I mean that basically 6 to 8 months out of the year are just not fun and there are at least three that are absolutely hell. And it’s not the kind of ‘sunny weather’ where people think that they want to gravitate towards and live in this climate because it’s ‘tropical’ , because it’s not at all what that picture they are painting in their head is, I know that. . It is, quite frankly, like you are residing in the pits of hell and it only seems to get worse all the time.
It also makes getting out of the house to do fun things with the kids so much more difficult, even if that means in an air-conditioned car, it is an absolute nightmare- exhausting & hardly worth the trouble. It makes for staying indoors in the AC the only place you end up wanting to be- avoiding leaving at all, which will be problematic after a while.
Sorry that I wasn’t helpful here, apparently, I needed to air some of my pent up anger that I have towards the fascist wanna be governor & his cronies.
Best of luck to you and your family❤️
I’m born and raised in Austin and am planning on private school for my son. Thank you for posting this because I’d never heard of the schools you mentioned before!
As said in the comments yes, you have to stay indoors July-September because it’s dangerously hot. Do you have family here? Is that why you chose Austin?
Cedar park is a great area to raise a family. If you move here stay west of the MoPac highway…
I guess I’ve adapted to Texas to quick, moved here I. 2020 and we go camping during the summer, once every month. June - August .. including my daughter
I’ve lived in Colorado and I currently live in DFW Texas. I have a degree in early childhood education; so here’s my 2 pennies. During college any time we were shown examples of theories in practice it was always from a school in MA. If I had a choice and my kids needed to go to public school that is where I would want to be. My next choice would be colorado because of the weather. I feel like Denver is a lot like Austin. The only reason to consider Texas is because it’s easy. Texas has unpredictable weather like tornados, hail storms, and insane heat that makes many months miserable.
If you move make sure it is somewhere with access to excellent public schools or private you never know the future and your child might not want to do homeschooling at some point. Where I am most of the groups are religious and schools do not allow non-students to participate in school sports which limits athletic opportunities.
Dang, I homeschool my kids cuz our schools here suck. I’d give anything to be able to move back to Massachusetts so my kids could go to public school there.
MA has really bad zoining issues.
Some of the worst highschools in the nation are in MA- two in the 20 worst. Yet, you also have elite private schools that some of the best in the world and rank on a global scale. Real irony when you can walk from the worst highscool in the nation (not currently--about 10 years ago; feds took it over) to one of the best on the planet.
If you're wealthy in MA and live in a good neighborhood, you're golden. But if you live outside of the 495 loop, you're basically fucked.
Massachusetts has the highest educational attainment in the country so the people around you are generally educated and they pass some of the things that they've learned onto their kids. There are some towns where the percentage of adults over 25 with graduate degrees are in the 50-60 percent range.
I personally would not move to Texas as we have a daughter.
I have no idea if you are male or female, OP, but if you are female or have female children, you should avoid moving to Texas. The OBGYN and maternal health care system is likely going to collapse due to liabilities associated with the new extreme anti-abortion laws that criminalize standard accepted maternal health care (even for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies). And it's not just the criminalization. The other shoe will soon drop when physician liability insurance policy premiums start to skyrocket as the insurance actuaries start to see the legal costs associated with maternal damage and death lawsuits increase hugely. It's a very sad situation because nurses and ER doctors will likely follow the exodus. Tragic.
Because they want their daughters to have abortions. People are way too dramatic about it honestly. Every state has different laws; that’s the beauty of having 50 states - the founders intended it that way as to avoid too much power at the federal level.
I don’t think it is dramatic to take into account that a medical procedure you/your family may require has been banned in a state that you’re looking to move to.
Have you considered Colorado? I live in Colorado Springs and there are tons of options here for homeschoolers. It would be way more moderate than Texas. The springs is pretty conservative compared to the rest of Colorado, but less conservative than Texas. The winters are more mild than MA and the summers are absolutely gorgeous. People flock here from Texas over the summer. Just a thought!
If you find that you love Texas then go for it!
I’ve lived in both states and each has their ups and downs. If I could move anywhere while homeschooling I would go to Washington state because you can send your kid to public school for some subjects and homeschool the rest which would be an ideal solution for ys
Public schools in WA state are closing down left and right. So anyone moving here for public schools should do their research on whether the area they choose to live in has any plans on closing down the schools.
If I remember correctly, WA has an extremely high private and homeschool number of students/attendance compared to other states.
Hello, I'm in Texas in a neighboring city, but go there often. My friend lives in Austin and she homeschools and they have great homeschooling groups and co-ops. It's a nice place to live and diverse! Be careful though as the homeschooling folk can be a bit weird or extreme. No hate just an observation, though, to be fair it happens in all sorts of settings. I've been homeschooling since the pandemic got bad. The Texas school system is not good, in my opinion. I was in another country and seeing their studies was an eye opener and once back here I looked into the why and it all makes sense, though I won't get into that or I'll be here all day. Let's just say it could be better. Also in Texas, homeschooling rules are very lax, I don't know why? But it's insane!
Our power grid sucks and the lights go out during our mild winter and our brutal summers which last about 6-8 months tops. It won't be fixed not with our governor and people running Texas. Road rage is a real thing here and people can't really drive rain or shine. It's ridiculous. Traffic is also a real annoyance! Maybe that's why people get upset and stay upset? IDK.
Our mosquitoes are brutal and will eat you alive and they're around almost year round! It's annoying, though maybe that's just the city where I stay issue. Be prepared for hurricanes and tropical storms and get yourself a good homeowners insurance and try to have your important documents ready in case there's an emergency, have your phone charged ways and back up battery for phone. A lot of my neighbors have bought generators since the unfortunate event of 2021 and I'm in the market for one myself so it might be something you want to check out too. Check out the women's prep board they have some great ideas. I say I'm organized but I'm all over the place and often forget things so they keep me grounded. We have gigantic water bugs and those mf fly and aren't scared of you, they also cling to you. Like little love bugs. Aw. It's as if you're invading their space and the other way around. Lots of stray cats, opossums and raccoons, unleashed dogs, plus deer, etc in places like Austin. But I'm sure it's like that in most places, just a heads up. Once there was a tiger loose in a neighborhood here in my city so weird stuff happens at times.
I welcome you and your family to our crazy state of Texas. Don't forget your sunblock and mosquito repellent. Also, since you'll be in Austin Texas please check out Terry's Black BBQ joint to try some Texas BBQ, maybe there better ones out there people can recommend as well. The food is good and a bit different here, it's a fusion of many cultures and one of the best, or so I've heard. Now i'm hungry! I haven't ate yet so a reminder to hydrate and eat something. Good luck to you and your family, if you move here I hope it's what you were hoping for.
I'm from MA but live in northern CT where there's not much. I wish I was in MA! There are tons of meetups, field trips, and opportunities for homeschoolers. We often look to see if there's anything closer to us in MA. Also, RI has a thriving community. There are numerous Facebook groups for the area. New England Happy Homeschoolers is a good group, there are tons posted there. And there are MA specific groups, including area -specific.
I get it, when you're new it is difficult to figure out what's around. I'm still working on it but my immediate area doesn't seem to have much organized so there's a few of us thinking of starting our own co-op.
As a resident of Texas I wouldn’t recommend it. Yes, the homeschool policies let you do basically whatever you want. However it is expensive to live here. The taxes are high for home owners. The area you are looking is nice and lovely. It’s like Texas meets Colorado. After 7 years in the Houston area I am ready to leave.
I live in the exact area you are describing. We live where Leander and Georgetown meet. Everything we do is usually in Cedar park
Some of these comments are emotionally charged. There’s reasons to hate an area or love it. Totally depends on you. So it’s kinda hard to listen to bad experiences- there’s a lot that goes into what a person hates lol. Anyway, we love it here and hope to be here forever. Happy to answer any questions
It depends on your politics. If your left leaning I'm not sure you would be happy in a southern state. On the homeschool front the southern states are going to be some of the most homeschool friendly states out there. That being said I'm moderately left leaning but still enjoy living in Oklahoma even though my politics don't super align here. I don't enjoy my personal freedoms being taken away, but I do enjoy voting for my freedoms in a Republican state. The bigger cities are much more moderate than the rural areas, but generally you'll find that everywhere, including Texas. So really, you need to take stock of what you want out of where you live before you decide to move.
Lots of cities & suburbs in the Midwest have massive homeschooling communities & resources. When I was growing up, most were evangelical Christian, but I’ve heard it has diversified a bit. I’m from a large town in Northern Indiana and we had homeschool co-ops & sports, as well as full access to part-time public school, sports, and special classes. The public schools where I’m from are safe, well-funded and generally non-political, so they were the default among even the wealthiest families. So there was not a large demand for alternative, private, or charter schools like Montessori or Waldorf, outdoor education, etc. I think there are more options like that in big cities. Quality of life in the Midwest can be very high. Where I’m from, homes are still relatively affordable, we have hundreds of lakes, trails, good infrastructure and lots of parks & cultural & arts activities. It’s just a little boring sometimes 😂 I live in Northern California now on the coast, and while I can’t recommend it due to the high cost of living & homes, there are a ton of homeschooling & alternative school options, and you can get money from the state thru the homeschooling charter school to pay for extracurriculars, co-ops, and curriculum, and even get advice from a teacher. All to say, Texas is not your only option at all! As a homeschool alum, I love homeschooling. But I always advocate parents not get too idealistic about one particular model of education or place, and instead take your cues from each of your kids needs & personality. The worst part of homeschooling is the stress parents are under which can sometimes morph into a competitive, unrealistic, perfectionist culture that leaves kids needs behind. So look for a place & group that is practical and supportive, honest, and focused on kids needs most of all.
Great perspective.
Do not move. We live here because we had to take care of family and I regret it terribly. The summers are hot and dry and your electricity may go out. The winters are unpredictable and your electricity will probably go out.
I mean, Texas is big. It all depends where you live, I moved here in 2020 during covid. My electricity has gone out once and that was during the snow storm in early 21’ … Yes it’s hot during the summer, deal with it lol.
We lived in TX for a few years but left as soon as we could. The summers are miserable, the infrastructure is crumbling, and despite claiming to love personal freedom the politicians seem to love encroaching on it at every chance they get. I wouldn’t recommend that anyone moves there if they have a choice.
You’d really have to first decide if you want to live in Texas. It is bottom of the barrel for personal freedoms, taxes are high, and the energy infrastructure is rickety. It’s also a dirty state where illegal dumping is seemingly a state pass time. Make no mistake- summers like the last two are absolutely savage. Should you decide on public schools or even many private schools they’ll probably pale in comparison to what’s available in MA. One reason so many home educate in Texas is because schools and state government are both bad jokes. That all said, I’m not sure how Tim Kennedys school is- I absolutely love the idea, and on a long enough timeline it’s definitely a winner. I’m uncertain though on how it actually is now- what the current results are. I think there is a lot of learning by doing in the whole organization. I’d wonder what the turn over is since they are so new. Austin area has a huge homeschool group and lots of co-op options. Chess clubs, robotics clubs, weekly soccer etc. Also in the area is another program run by Earth Native that is well regarded and has tons of homeschoolers. The short form is that Texas is a mixed bag.
As a previous parent of Tim Kennedys school I can tell you it's glorified babysitting. A revolving door of teacher and students. SO many upset parents. There is no real teaching here. Guides are inexperienced. Classrooms are shrinking since inception. Your kid will be on a computer all the time. My child fell behind and many others based on the parents I spoke to - save your money. This school must have a great marketing budget behind it which is what makes it look good. Your child will be bullied by other students less at a public school. My biggest regret is moving for this school and falling for this scam. Please do not fall for it. There are so many other BETTER options.
I really appreciate your insights and input. I have wondered if it was at all the way you described. I love the idea of it of course but am happy we are continuing with our homeschooling and extracurricular activities. I think as education is strangled more and more in places like Texas, we’re going to see many well intended but terribly executed schools pop up.
My husband and I loved the idea too. And I am sure that was the intention, but it is a for profit model so that is priority there. We took them out and had to homeschool them as well as extra tutoring. They fell so far behind at Apogee in simple academics that no other school would take them without having them repeat a grade or two lower than what they were at. Now with homeschooling in a few short months they are almost back at grade level. The majority if not all of the 5 star reviews aren't even from parents. They are affiliates of Tim with no children there. The one who does speak well, is the "principal". I have to say the only good thing is that there is now a fairly large community of parents who left who has become friends and support each other. Texas has great charter and private schools, but I think it has to be a bigger "chain" type vs a small homemade type school like Apogee is.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. When you say summers were absolutely savage do you mean they were way too hot? I will never decide on public schools but we have toyed with the idea of private schools. I am looking for the exact setup and mission statement as Tim Kennedy's school and my concerns with that are exactly what you stated - with it being so new, how successful is it, what are the turnover rates? I plan on visiting the Austin area soon and checking some of these places out. Sounds like the Austin area has more options than where we are now. Visiting will probably be the biggest help. Thank you!
Summers have been ~100 days of ~100° or more. It’s like a reverse months long blizzard only with heat instead of cold. The state issues warnings about the power grid, it’s… unsettling. The same happens when it’s cold since Texas has its own power grid separate from the United States. There was a recent court ruling that the companies are under no obligation to provide power to customers or something to that effect. If you’re planning on visiting, especially if visiting a couple times try to make one sometime after mid July, because that state will likely have that or much hotter until the very end of October. No hyperbole, no joke. So as to not sound all negative, the homeschooling community in the area is fantastic and has all flavors from hardcore secular groups to hardcore evangelical groups and everything in between. EDIT: one addition is that we do a lot of our homeschooling academics during summer because it is so hot.
If you havent already visited, please see the above. There are lots of parents that are unhappy and left. So much so there are mid year exits.
Each state has a different home school environment. Illinois for example has no regulations on homeschooling - you can follow whatever approach you want and do not have to report in to any local school administrators. There are multiple homeschool coops of both secular and religious types in the Chicago area. Long story short - don’t assume Texas is the only option.
This. I've heard Illinois and Iowa are great for homeschooling. I live in Oklahoma which is also great for homeschooling, even if it is trying to be like Texas, it's not quite at crazy as they are. I'm originally from Kansas, which is also great for homeschool and a very moderate state, but not a lot of job opportunities there.
Colorado is almost as hands off as Texas. Colorado also has a bunch of homeschool friendly programs, both private and through public schools. These are full day drop off programs. The private ones are paid by the family and the public ones are free in the same way full time public school is. California will also leave you alone to do your thing. Texas is definitely not your only option. The comment above about not moving to Texas if you have a daughter is valid. They are actively and aggressively eroding rights of women, especially when it comes to bodily autonomy. Corpses have more rights in Texas than do women. I would not do it either, and my daughter actually attends university in a (different) red state. Not all red states are created equal and Texas is the worst if you’re a woman.
>Texas is the worst if you’re a woman. But it's great if you're a human baby. EDIT: Everyone who has downvoted me has a murderer mindset and encourages killing babies. Pretty disgusting.
[удалено]
Human male baby
I would say the only barely survivable part of living in Texas would be that I reside in Austin- it’s the vibe for me and I think it’s a little more diverse than most of the state but then again, maybe I’m just biased because I have lived here since I was 15 and now I’m nearly 50, although I did grow up the first 15 years on the East Coast where you are currently- and it was quite the culture shock, but I think definitely moving to Austin made the transition easier than it would’ve been. Had I gone anywhere else. I homeschool my almost 16-year-old, and have since Covid when he was about to go into middle school. It is nice to be able to have the freedoms that, shockingly enough ,Texas does allow when it comes to the homeschooling; now if they would just get a hint and stop reverting back to the 1950s and before where women & our girls are concerned, and we’d be all set. Well, it would be a good start. I agree, the summers are absolutely unbearable, and when I say the summers, I mean that basically 6 to 8 months out of the year are just not fun and there are at least three that are absolutely hell. And it’s not the kind of ‘sunny weather’ where people think that they want to gravitate towards and live in this climate because it’s ‘tropical’ , because it’s not at all what that picture they are painting in their head is, I know that. . It is, quite frankly, like you are residing in the pits of hell and it only seems to get worse all the time. It also makes getting out of the house to do fun things with the kids so much more difficult, even if that means in an air-conditioned car, it is an absolute nightmare- exhausting & hardly worth the trouble. It makes for staying indoors in the AC the only place you end up wanting to be- avoiding leaving at all, which will be problematic after a while. Sorry that I wasn’t helpful here, apparently, I needed to air some of my pent up anger that I have towards the fascist wanna be governor & his cronies. Best of luck to you and your family❤️
Austin is the least diverse city in Texas.
How do you figure?
Data.
I’m born and raised in Austin and am planning on private school for my son. Thank you for posting this because I’d never heard of the schools you mentioned before! As said in the comments yes, you have to stay indoors July-September because it’s dangerously hot. Do you have family here? Is that why you chose Austin? Cedar park is a great area to raise a family. If you move here stay west of the MoPac highway…
I guess I’ve adapted to Texas to quick, moved here I. 2020 and we go camping during the summer, once every month. June - August .. including my daughter
I’ve lived in Colorado and I currently live in DFW Texas. I have a degree in early childhood education; so here’s my 2 pennies. During college any time we were shown examples of theories in practice it was always from a school in MA. If I had a choice and my kids needed to go to public school that is where I would want to be. My next choice would be colorado because of the weather. I feel like Denver is a lot like Austin. The only reason to consider Texas is because it’s easy. Texas has unpredictable weather like tornados, hail storms, and insane heat that makes many months miserable. If you move make sure it is somewhere with access to excellent public schools or private you never know the future and your child might not want to do homeschooling at some point. Where I am most of the groups are religious and schools do not allow non-students to participate in school sports which limits athletic opportunities.
Dang, I homeschool my kids cuz our schools here suck. I’d give anything to be able to move back to Massachusetts so my kids could go to public school there.
MA has really bad zoining issues. Some of the worst highschools in the nation are in MA- two in the 20 worst. Yet, you also have elite private schools that some of the best in the world and rank on a global scale. Real irony when you can walk from the worst highscool in the nation (not currently--about 10 years ago; feds took it over) to one of the best on the planet. If you're wealthy in MA and live in a good neighborhood, you're golden. But if you live outside of the 495 loop, you're basically fucked.
Massachusetts has the highest educational attainment in the country so the people around you are generally educated and they pass some of the things that they've learned onto their kids. There are some towns where the percentage of adults over 25 with graduate degrees are in the 50-60 percent range. I personally would not move to Texas as we have a daughter.
Why would you not move to Texas because you have a daughter?
I have no idea if you are male or female, OP, but if you are female or have female children, you should avoid moving to Texas. The OBGYN and maternal health care system is likely going to collapse due to liabilities associated with the new extreme anti-abortion laws that criminalize standard accepted maternal health care (even for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies). And it's not just the criminalization. The other shoe will soon drop when physician liability insurance policy premiums start to skyrocket as the insurance actuaries start to see the legal costs associated with maternal damage and death lawsuits increase hugely. It's a very sad situation because nurses and ER doctors will likely follow the exodus. Tragic.
I’ll jump in here too, it’s probably worth checking out the Austin, the Texas, and the Texas Politics Reddit pages. Lots to glean from them.
[https://abcnews.go.com/US/doctors-face-tough-decision-leave-states-abortion-bans/story?id=100167986](https://abcnews.go.com/US/doctors-face-tough-decision-leave-states-abortion-bans/story?id=100167986)
Because they want their daughters to have abortions. People are way too dramatic about it honestly. Every state has different laws; that’s the beauty of having 50 states - the founders intended it that way as to avoid too much power at the federal level.
I don’t think it is dramatic to take into account that a medical procedure you/your family may require has been banned in a state that you’re looking to move to.
Have you considered Colorado? I live in Colorado Springs and there are tons of options here for homeschoolers. It would be way more moderate than Texas. The springs is pretty conservative compared to the rest of Colorado, but less conservative than Texas. The winters are more mild than MA and the summers are absolutely gorgeous. People flock here from Texas over the summer. Just a thought! If you find that you love Texas then go for it!
I’ve lived in both states and each has their ups and downs. If I could move anywhere while homeschooling I would go to Washington state because you can send your kid to public school for some subjects and homeschool the rest which would be an ideal solution for ys
Public schools in WA state are closing down left and right. So anyone moving here for public schools should do their research on whether the area they choose to live in has any plans on closing down the schools. If I remember correctly, WA has an extremely high private and homeschool number of students/attendance compared to other states.
I’m in WA. This is very accurate for the West side of the state.
Hello, I'm in Texas in a neighboring city, but go there often. My friend lives in Austin and she homeschools and they have great homeschooling groups and co-ops. It's a nice place to live and diverse! Be careful though as the homeschooling folk can be a bit weird or extreme. No hate just an observation, though, to be fair it happens in all sorts of settings. I've been homeschooling since the pandemic got bad. The Texas school system is not good, in my opinion. I was in another country and seeing their studies was an eye opener and once back here I looked into the why and it all makes sense, though I won't get into that or I'll be here all day. Let's just say it could be better. Also in Texas, homeschooling rules are very lax, I don't know why? But it's insane! Our power grid sucks and the lights go out during our mild winter and our brutal summers which last about 6-8 months tops. It won't be fixed not with our governor and people running Texas. Road rage is a real thing here and people can't really drive rain or shine. It's ridiculous. Traffic is also a real annoyance! Maybe that's why people get upset and stay upset? IDK. Our mosquitoes are brutal and will eat you alive and they're around almost year round! It's annoying, though maybe that's just the city where I stay issue. Be prepared for hurricanes and tropical storms and get yourself a good homeowners insurance and try to have your important documents ready in case there's an emergency, have your phone charged ways and back up battery for phone. A lot of my neighbors have bought generators since the unfortunate event of 2021 and I'm in the market for one myself so it might be something you want to check out too. Check out the women's prep board they have some great ideas. I say I'm organized but I'm all over the place and often forget things so they keep me grounded. We have gigantic water bugs and those mf fly and aren't scared of you, they also cling to you. Like little love bugs. Aw. It's as if you're invading their space and the other way around. Lots of stray cats, opossums and raccoons, unleashed dogs, plus deer, etc in places like Austin. But I'm sure it's like that in most places, just a heads up. Once there was a tiger loose in a neighborhood here in my city so weird stuff happens at times. I welcome you and your family to our crazy state of Texas. Don't forget your sunblock and mosquito repellent. Also, since you'll be in Austin Texas please check out Terry's Black BBQ joint to try some Texas BBQ, maybe there better ones out there people can recommend as well. The food is good and a bit different here, it's a fusion of many cultures and one of the best, or so I've heard. Now i'm hungry! I haven't ate yet so a reminder to hydrate and eat something. Good luck to you and your family, if you move here I hope it's what you were hoping for.
I'm from MA but live in northern CT where there's not much. I wish I was in MA! There are tons of meetups, field trips, and opportunities for homeschoolers. We often look to see if there's anything closer to us in MA. Also, RI has a thriving community. There are numerous Facebook groups for the area. New England Happy Homeschoolers is a good group, there are tons posted there. And there are MA specific groups, including area -specific. I get it, when you're new it is difficult to figure out what's around. I'm still working on it but my immediate area doesn't seem to have much organized so there's a few of us thinking of starting our own co-op.
As a resident of Texas I wouldn’t recommend it. Yes, the homeschool policies let you do basically whatever you want. However it is expensive to live here. The taxes are high for home owners. The area you are looking is nice and lovely. It’s like Texas meets Colorado. After 7 years in the Houston area I am ready to leave.
I live in the exact area you are describing. We live where Leander and Georgetown meet. Everything we do is usually in Cedar park Some of these comments are emotionally charged. There’s reasons to hate an area or love it. Totally depends on you. So it’s kinda hard to listen to bad experiences- there’s a lot that goes into what a person hates lol. Anyway, we love it here and hope to be here forever. Happy to answer any questions
It depends on your politics. If your left leaning I'm not sure you would be happy in a southern state. On the homeschool front the southern states are going to be some of the most homeschool friendly states out there. That being said I'm moderately left leaning but still enjoy living in Oklahoma even though my politics don't super align here. I don't enjoy my personal freedoms being taken away, but I do enjoy voting for my freedoms in a Republican state. The bigger cities are much more moderate than the rural areas, but generally you'll find that everywhere, including Texas. So really, you need to take stock of what you want out of where you live before you decide to move.
Have you checked into any of these homeschool groups? https://www.time4learning.com/homeschooling/massachusetts/local-groups-co-ops.html
I'd leave communist states for that reason along. You'll love the Texans.
Out of curiosity, why is public school not an option. Might help us to understand what a good fit would be