With over 500 registered homeschoolers in Louisa County, homeschooling families constitute 10% of K-12 students. Spotsylvania County is close behind with over 7% of its student body registered as homeschooling this year.

In today’s teleworking society, many are able to work and homeschool simultaneously, an option that was much more difficult even just 5 years ago. Homeschooling families are as varied as families who choose to attend public schools. Families enjoy homeschooling for the flexibility in teaching practices, as well as scheduling freedom.

With hundreds of homeschoolers in the area, gone are the days of worrying about homeschooling being a lonely experience. Local homeschooling parent Michelle Jackson says, “we love the flexibility of homeschooling. Our local homeschoolers are like a second family. We have found that fellow homeschoolers are always helping each other.” Jackie Knoebel adds, “We’ve homeschooled here for 13 years now. I love being able to customize our kids’ education, and the time spent as a family.”

Some families travel and are able to homeschool on-the-go. The Miller family is raising 3 boys in Louisa County. Their two oldest boys are involved in competitive martial arts at the national level, which comes with a lot of trips across the country each year to compete. In addition to sports travel, the Miller family spends a month or more each year out west skiing and homeschooling from there. Getting to have their boys with them to explore the world together as a family is so important to the Millers. It helps them to instill in their children the values of working hard and playing hard.

There are even families who choose to homeschool one child while enrolling another in a school. Children, like adults, often thrive in different environments. What is best for one kid isn’t always best for another kid, even in the same family. Some students need more one-on-one attention, while others thrive on the structure of a classroom. “There’s the risk of assuming there’s only one educational track that prepares children for the ‘real world.’ The beauty of educational choice is our ability to experience the world in unique ways and take the learning paths best suited for our present and future aspirations,” says local parent Lauren Cunningham who homeschools 3 of her 4 children, while sending one child to a more conventional school. She says of her oldest, “he simultaneously loves his school and is proud of his homeschooling background.”

Hundreds of families are represented on the Louisa VA Homeschoolers and the Lake Anna Homeschooler Facebook pages. Members share events, and curriculum ideas, and ask questions in these groups. Homeschoolers meet in groups in our community throughout the week, including in cooperative learning groups, an award-winning chess club, and several less formal homeschool groups and meet-ups. Many homeschoolers are also involved in activities and teams in our community that aren’t a part of the school system, including recreational and travel sports teams, competitive robotics teams, library groups like the Teen Advisory Board, and art classes. Programs like non-school-sanctioned proms and other dances even give homeschoolers the chance to experience those social events without needing to be enrolled in a school.

Homeschooling regulations, like public school regulations, in our state are determined by the Virginia General Assembly. To homeschool in Virginia, families must meet certain qualifications.
Each parent providing homeschool education must:

1) Hold a high school diploma or higher;
2) Meet the qualifications of a teacher as prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education;
3) Provide the child with a curriculum delivered through distance learning or correspondence, or
4) Provide evidence that they can provide an adequate education for their child.

At the beginning of the school year (or once a family pulls their child from school), the parent must submit a Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction to their local school district. At the end of the year, families must submit evidence of progress.

Testing can be provided through ACT, SAT, or a PSA, an evaluation from a licensed teacher or someone with a master’s degree in an academic discipline, or a transcript or report card from a college or correspondence program.

Homeschool families in our community have made the choice to homeschool for a variety of reasons and their school days certainly don’t all look the same, but they do agree on the right and ability to choose the educational environment that works best for their family.

Jennifer Christian

Jennifer Christian is a Lake Anna watercolor artist and designer. Coming from the Detroit area in early 2019, she fell in love with the natural beauty of the lake and surrounding fields and forests. Much of her artwork looks to capture the essence of the lake and its surroundings. Known for her community-minded entrepreneurial spirit, she is the creative mind behind Lake Anna-opoly, a beloved board game inspired by the local businesses and organizations of Lake Anna. Jennifer’s game has become a local favorite and has brought joy to rainy days for many families and friends in our community. Jennifer’s paintings, prints, greeting cards, and other merchandise can be found in stores around town and on her website at jenniferchristianart.com. She has also worked with several local organizations and businesses on the logo and sign designs you see around town. Outside of her artistic endeavors, Jennifer is a devoted mother to two boys and wife to Jonathan Christian, founder of LASER Robotics and the LASA Soccer Challenge Program. In addition, she founded and oversees the Lake Anna Homeschool group.