Central Arkansas Home Schoolers Continue Tradition of Excellence

Education, Home School

In October, Family Council’s home school division, the Education Alliance, received a home school honor society application from two students in central Arkansas whose ACT scores were among the best in the nation.

Eleventh grader Jesse Muller from Little Rock scored a 36 on the ACT earlier this year. Jesse’s brother, Tobias, scored a 35. Both students have 3.9 GPAs calculated on a four-point scale.

For perspective, the 2024 ACT Profile Report indicates the average ACT score for the past five years has hovered between 19 and 20 out of 36. Scoring a 35 puts Tobias in the 99th percentile of all students who took the ACT. And only about one in every 450 students scores a 36 like Jesse.

We have written repeatedly about how home schooling makes it possible for students and families to thrive.

Last year, a home school robotics team from Russellville competed in the world robotics championship in Texas.

Home schoolers from Arkansas are routinely named National Merit Scholar Semifinalists.

For years, the State of Arkansas tested home schoolers. In 2009, Arkansas’ home schoolers performed better on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills than 60% – 80% of the students who took that test nationwide. In fact, home schoolers in Arkansas performed so well on standardized tests year after year that the Arkansas Legislature finally ended state-mandated testing in 2015.

The ACT may be one way to measure students, but it’s not the only way. Beyond academics, home schooling is great for families. It lets parents and students tailor an education that’s right for them. It gives moms and dads the opportunity to teach their values and convictions to their children.

Family Council and the Education Alliance would like to recognize Jesse and Tobias–and their family–for their academic achievement and for continuing Arkansas’ longstanding tradition of home school excellence.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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New Law Lets Home Schoolers Go the Distance on Extracurriculars

Home School, ,

Earlier this month, Gov. Sanders signed a good law that will expand opportunities for home schoolers.

S.B. 547 by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R — Jonesboro) and Rep. Stephen Meeks (R — Greenbrier) eliminates an old provision in state law that says home schoolers must live within 25 miles of a private school in order to participate in extracurricular activities at that school.

The bill did not receive a lot of attention, but it’s still a good law that is going to help home school families.

With the governor’s signature, S.B. 547 is now Act 728 of 2025.

We appreciate Sen. Sullivan, Rep. Meeks, and our friends in the legislature working with us on this good measure, and we appreciate Gov. Sanders signing it into law.

Act 728 will help further expand extracurricular and interscholastic opportunities for Arkansas’ home schooled students. That’s good for everyone.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Resolution Filed Recognizing Home Schooling in Arkansas

Home School, Legislation,
Above: Rep. Cooper presents legislation in this file photo from 2021.

On Monday Rep. Cameron Cooper (R — Romance) filed H.R. 1046 recognizing February 26 as Homeschool Day at the Arkansas State Capitol.

The resolution highlights many of the good things about home schooling and celebrates home schooling’s legacy in Arkansas, saying,

WHEREAS, over thirty thousand (30,000) students were homeschooled in Arkansas during the 2023-2024 school year; and

WHEREAS, homeschooling offers flexibility, efficiency, and effectiveness in teaching students in Arkansas, and this benefit allows homeschooling families to offer increased opportunities for community involvement and service to others for their children; and

WHEREAS, homeschooling is not a one-size-fits-all plan, and the education can be customized to the student’s learning styles and preferences and can be beneficial to students with special needs; and

WHEREAS, homeschooling provides benefits in academics, mental health, physical health, and social development; and

WHEREAS, homeschooling encourages autonomy and independence and allows children to harness their own unique qualities and interests; and

WHEREAS, homeschooling offers opportunities for students to learn entrepreneurship and often to begin working on their own small businesses; and

WHEREAS, homeschooling emphasizes family as a foundation for social development and development of faith; and

WHEREAS, homeschooling is accommodating to special situations and works well for military families, families who travel, and families contending with illness and challenging work schedules; and

WHEREAS, homeschooling parents are able to value an individual student’s potential and focus on this individual potential instead of minimum standards and standardized testing, and these parents are allowed to shape homeschooling so that learning for the students can be reactive to new methods and new concepts regarding positive child development; and

WHEREAS, homeschooling provides for a focus on life skills that students can use as they progress into adulthood as homeschooling allows students to dedicate time to learning anything from cooking to budgeting,

NOW THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:

THAT the House of Representatives recognize February 26, 2025, as Homeschool Day at the State Capitol.

Home schooling in Arkansas has surged since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019 there were a little less than 22,000 homeschoolers in Arkansas. In early 2020, those numbers climbed to 22,249. By 2023, homeschooling had risen to 30,000 students. And last year homeschooling surged again, to 32,767 students.

Family Council has always believed families deserve options when it comes to education. That’s one reason we support home schooling.

Research shows parental involvement generally is tied to better educational outcomes for children. That’s true no matter how families choose to educate their children — but home schooling is particularly good for many families, because it lets them choose the education that’s best for them. That’s good for everyone.

Family Council’s home school division, the Education Alliance, is hosting Home School Day at the Capitol on February 26. You can learn more about this free event here.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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