Why Parents Are Turning to Homeschooling: Explanation

School is the single most influential factor in school-aged children's growth and socialdynamics, according to Guterman and Neuman (2017a). An increasing number of K-12 parentsin the U.S. adopt Maslow's hierarchical needs theory when considering K-12 education for theirchildren. According to this theory, safety is the first motivational need for any human being, andonly when this need is met can higher-order needs like the desire to learn be met (McLeod,2023). Due to the safety risks in public schools, parents are now increasingly choosingprivate/homeschooling. Academic and curricular quality remains a top priority by parents whenselecting a private school or homeschooling environment for their children, followed by a smallclass size, low student-teacher ratio, strong test scores, high teacher quality, and the inclusion ofmoral values (Schneider et al., 2000; Stewart & Wolf, 2014; Teske & Schneider, 2001). Erickson(2017) stated that attributes of private schools (e.g., safety, religious instruction, school location,extracurricular activities) have become increasingly appealing to parents because of limitationsin these attributes within public schools