Where should my friend move to?

[tmcg]

I have a friend who plans to move and I suggested to her that she talk to other HS moms to find out what they think of their state, city, school district as far as being home school friendly, community resources, cost of living, home school groups, climate/weather, activities for children etc. So, I wanted to ask you all for some information about your area or areas you know of. Would you recommend it? Do you know of places you would avoid living becasue of HS restrictions? I am sure this will end up sounding like a chamber of commerce advertisement but any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Becasue she has options on where to go, I thought you ladies, who are so full of insight might have some tid-bits to help her out. I would hate for her to pick a place that she thinks is nice and then finds out that it is not HS friendly, has few activities, no support groups and the weather is horrible too. That would be a bummer!

Thanks in advance!
Tammy

[Lori_in_Austin]

TEXAS !!!

I grew up in La, but I have now lived in TX longer .... Texas is supposed to be one of the most homeschool friendly states. As long as your child has never been in a government school, there is nothing a parent must turn in to any government authority: simply obtain curriculum and get started !" The THSC website states that home schools are considered private schools and private schools in Texas are not regulated by the state. School districts have no authority to approve curricula used by private schools(homeschools) nor do they regulate or monitor the number of days a student must attend their private school. "In order to be a legitimate home school, you must have a curriculum which teaches reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics and a study of good citizenship, and you must pursue that curriculum in a bona fide (not a sham) manner. This curriculum may be obtained from any source and can consist of books, workbooks, other written materials, or materials on an electronic monitor including computer or video screens, or any combination thereof." Hope that helps in understanding Texas as of this date.

I am guessing other states have this, too, but there are so many businesses that cater to hsing families, secular and faith-based, that if you even did a few, you would have no time to educate or be at home. I live in Austin, but I know Houston and the Dallas FortWorth metro areas are mega-places for hsers. Yes, I know they sound like big cities, but these big cities have very small communities embedded throughout and there are also out-lying small towns within an hour's drive or less if you want to get into the country. (okay, can you tell I like Texas ? ).

Even though HSLDA is a must and has a great website for info, Texas is pretty large and has its own sort of HSLDA called the "Texas Home School Coalition" at http://www.thsc.org If your friend is interested in Texas, this would be the first place to start. THSC also has two or three videos that are helpful: Taking a Stand , Miracle in TX, and Ready, Set, Now What Do I Do?

So one could also say that Texas is very HOD friendly !!!

Hope this helps. Please let us know where God leads her and her family

[mamas4bugs]

I second Texas! We lived there my whole life up until we moved back in June. Lori, if we were still there, we'd have to get together!

[Mommamo]

I 3rd Texas!!! I have lived here most of my life, so I love it, but it really is a great homeschooling state as has been mentioned. I live in West Texas (you can pm me and I'll give you the town I live in) and even though it's not a big city like Dallas, or Houston, or Austin, it really has so much to do for homeschooled children. Tons of support groups. Homeschool classes at local museums. The list goes on. But really anywhere in Texas is great!

[Mom2Monkeys]

In Arkansas, it's rather homeschool friendly also. NW Ark. has been very friendly to us with no opposition whatsoever from the school district. In fact, they've been very helpful! All I have to do is file a simple form saying we're going to homeschool. Starting in 3rd grade, they do testing. But, the rule is as long as your child is not more than two grade levels behind for his age, there is no issue. There's no requirement for parents' education either. No one has to approve our curriculum.

There are plenty of churches with homeschool families, plenty of towns with support groups, and NW Ark. in particular has very family friendly activities, lots of 'extracurriculur' stuff, groups to join, LOTS of beautiful parks that are of course nearly empty during school hours, and incredible trails and mountain views for lots of nature exposure!

The climate here is not extreme in any season so its reasonable to expect to be able to get out and about year round. It gets cold, and it gets hot, but its not restrictive. I like it (compared to Florida where I grew up) because we get a taste of all 4 seasons-- its just beautiful up here in the fall right now!

The cost of living in the bigger towns in NW Ark is quite high, so if you get a little out of the city into the smaller towns, its much more reasonable. And still accessible to all the 'big city' stuff b/c of the interstate that connects everything.

In one town in extreme NW Ark, there is the Jones Center For Families which has pools, ice skating, exercise rooms, computer labs, sports teams, etc. all for FREE! Another town near that one has a mall with an indoor playground for rainy days. There's lots of walmart supercenters, plenty of doctors to choose from, plenty of nice homes to choose from, many many churches, .....

In North Central Arkansas, there's not as much, but it's still very nice. Its cheaper and has a smaller town feeling but still has support groups, parks, etc. there too. I'd like to give more info, but my dc are in need of some direction right now. LOL


You can PM me for the town I live in/near or have lived in.

[Allison TX]

I 4th Texas! I have lived in Texas for years and love it. We are currently living in the Houston area and there is so much for homeschoolers..... Classes,
co-ops, support groups, activities, and field trips. And the laws are very homeschool friendly.

Allison

[wdworkman]

Illinois
First the good points: We don't have to report anything in Illinois. Sounds about like Texas - we're considered a private school and the school district has no authority over us. My first contact with the public school was when my daughter took driver's ed this year. I live in a small town, suburb of St. Louis, MO (on the other side of the Mississippi of course). I like it because it's a small town type atmosphere, but has the advantages of St. Louis just 30 minutes away.

Now the not so good points: We usually have at least a couple of weeks of 90+ weather in the summer; a couple of good snows in the winter. Also, not a lot of job options right now.

Good Luck!

[Blessedx3]

Indiana is extremely homeschool friendly. We are required to keep attendance records and to schedule 180 days of school a year. We consider ourselves to always be in school, but I do keep an attendance record. The school districts have no say in what you teach. I took a deep breath when I contacted the local high school to register my son for the PSAT test a couple of years ago, but they were very relaxed and friendly.

I think I would suggest that once your friend narrows down her choices that she contact HSLDA. It seems to me that when I read their magazine, most every state - even the most homeschool friendly - has a school district or two that consistently try to overreach. Most of the time I think it is just forms or information they aren't supposed to ask for, but many times it's the same districts.

[tmcg]

You are all so awesome! Thanks for the scoop. If anyone else has opinions on this, please let me know and I will pass it on!

Tammy

[mamaof3peas]

Well, IL does have very few hs laws, and that is a plus. I would say the downside to living in IL is that it is extremely controlled by the democrats politically. Now, im not trying to start a diff topic and i also realize there are democrats that are hs friendly but the majority are not, and im very fearful that our hs laws may change very soon. We've considered moving out of IL simply for that reason, but our family is all here and it is very unlikely that we would ever move. But if we ever moved, it would prob be to texas. My husband has worked for Pactiv for 9 years now and is very pleased with the stability of it, and there is a Pactiv in temple TX, so that is prob where we would move.

[Rebecca]

No one has mentioned North Carolina.
North Carolina has a wonderful home school law. The downside of this is that some people do not take their school seriously. This can lead to lack of support if you are looking for it in some places- I have found.

I can't speak for support groups, activities,etc. It depends on where in the state you live.

However, the weather is beautiful- the climate- great...
We live in the mountains- which is a nature adventure in and of itself.
HTH,
Rebecca

[Kathleen]

Rebecca - The mountains sound beautiful!! Kansas, where I live, doesn't have mountains. In the NE part of the state where I'm from, there are actually hills and it's pretty and a wonderful rural environment. (Not sure there are lots of jobs here as it's not a big city area unless you went to KC.) We see families frequently that leave the coast for a slower pace of life to raise their families in a rural area and focus on what's really important. I know that you can have that focus anywhere, but the ones I know who have moved here say that it's helped them to get away from the rat-race, materialism that they were surrounded with. (Don't ask me how they chose our little county! )

Kansas must have hs laws similar to Texas. A homeschool is considered a non-accredited private school that you register once and never report anything! In our little county we're blessed to have 11 regular families that get together weekly to play and chat and do field trips. I know that wouldn't be the case in any county, but I love the friendships my kids and I are blessed with!!

Kathleen

[tmcg]

Wow! In an effort to help my friend, I am actually learning a lot about the rest of our country. I live in upstate NY and it is beautiful to have all the seasons (though I am not particularly fond of snow....one month of snow might be nice, but I don't get to put my order in...LOL). Taxes are too high and whenever we vote....all the electoral votes go the democrats (no offense to those who are democrats and pro-HS). Our school systems have a better reputation than some southern states, but that doesn't much matter with HS. The HS-friendliness of the school district is dependant on the district itself. We have to write a letter of intent to HS, an IHIP (individualized home instruction plan) and submit quarterly reports throughout the year. Some districts are more accepting of what is submitted while others are nit-picky. Our health care is better than some other states (as a friend of mine said when she moved back to NY from Delaware.) We have the LEAH support group (state-wide Christian support group....Loving Edcuation at Home) and they have an annual convention which is awesome. There are several chapters locally to choose from. Our district is HS-friendly from what I hear and experienced. We are near Roberts Wesleyan College and they offer their labs for high school science etc. So that would be helpful. Some businesses cater to HS families.....like the local Jazzercise offers Jr. Jazzercise for kids during the day. We have family here so we aren't looking to move, but sure like the idea of being qualified as a private school. Sounds good to me. I can't complain about the HS environment where I am so far and there seems to be adequate support groups and activities (if you choose to be involved). I love hearing everyone's input! Thanks!

Tammy

[Mommamo]

I forgot if it was mentioned or not, but Texas has no state income tax. And while it does get pretty warm here in the summers, some parts of the state (especially in the pan handle) aren't all that bad. Much of the state has all 4 seasons which is nice.

It has been really neat to learn about how the other states do things, hasn't it?

[mom2fiveboysnc]

I second NC! Our laws are not that rigorous, you can use whatever curriculum you choose. You have mountains on 1 side of the state and beach on the other What can be better than that You have historical sites all over the state, Kitty Hawk, Revolutionary War sites, many--many things to do in the mountains! The Cherokee village, gem mining, the Cradle of Forestry, Linsville Caverns, Bat Cave, skiing, we have a new Whitewater Rapids park near Charlotte, I could go on and on and on!!! I believe the state has many active homeschool co-op groups you can join which offer many extracurricular activities and sports for the kids. I don't know what job field your friend's hubby is in but if manufacturing, those jobs are dwindling. Of course, near Charlotte, the banking industry is very strong. Also if her kids are hs age they can do dual-enrollment and take college courses at the local community colleges. Driver's education is free if the child is registered with the state as a homeschooler. I haven't found alot of free resources in my area (Gaston County) but the ones available are at a reduced cost.