PROS:

• Individualized education for each child according to his needs, interests, abilities and goals
• Parents can infuse their worldview and values into child's education
• More learning in less time
• Ability to study relevant topics to child's interest
• Study at each child's pace in each subject, so child can be working above 'grade' level or be catching up without condemnation
• Focus is on understanding the subject matter, not on learning for the test
• Less peer pressure – no bullying
• More adult interaction and socialization which leads to maturity instead of child-to-child interaction which sustains immaturity
• Relationships and friendships and grow without the artificial structure of being forced into the same class or grade level, or kept apart by same
• Curriculum is chosen by those who know and love the child the best, and who have the most interest and desire for child to be successful in life
• Time for each child to pursue interests and hobbies, sports, etc because child does not have hours of homework each evening.
• Child is able to get enough sleep each night and work with the family's natural rhythm.
• More opportunities for field trips (not limited by school budget, rules or calendar)
• Grade level of student is less important than who they are and how they are progressing in knowledge and understanding.
• Families are not bound by school calendar and can vacation when convenient
• Less contact and interaction with drugs, alcohol, foul language, promiscuity, and other social problems at ages when child is not able to understand or deal with them appropriately
• Less social engineering, less revisionist history, less bureaucracy.
• It will maximize family interaction and involvement – more family time!
• You decide what to expose your children to and when. Your children will NOT slip through the cracks in an overburdened and unprepared system. Your child's education will not depend on “which school” he gets into. You can teach religion and family values – or not! You can travel without asking permission of the school or checking the calendar. You will get to know WHO YOUR CHILD IS, and you get to help guide him in who he will be. You will have fun with your kids. Your child and you can learn about what you WANT to learn about and when. Your child will discover his innate love of learning. You are in charge. You have the power. You have a support network of a hundred+ families who are doing it too.

CONS:

• It will cost some money – your taxes will still go to the schools and you will have to find curriculum somewhere (the good news is, there is a TON of stuff out there at used books sales/stores etc.)
• Organizational skills and time management skills are needed or must be learned
• Parents sometimes need to get creative to develop opportunities for children to participate in (like teaching a co-op class, plan a field trip, start a club, etc). They can't rely on someone else to solve the problem.
• Sacrifices will have to be made in some area; money, free time, etc. The benefits usually far outweigh this negative, but it is a fact.
• Parents must invest the time to research, plan and guide children in their learning. Taking the time to figure it out takes time but is valuable.
• Parents will realize that many behavior and/or learning issues are really parenting issues that require a step-up in your parenting skills-not relying on the school to tell your kids how to think and act.
• Parents are responsible for actively teaching character traits that are desired – homeschooling is not for lazy parents
• Parents may need to find a tutor or other solution for subject(s) the parent doesn't want to or is unable to teach. This will require effort on the parent's part, but this is not a failure of the parent.
• Parents may have to deal with condescending, critical, insulting and/or inappropriate comments and questions from people who are prejudiced about homeschooling, and from those who are ignorant about it but think they have a right to determine what is best for your child. The more you have confidence that homeschooling is right for your family, the easier these comments are to deal with.
• It is sometimes more difficult to find a group of friends (it's very possible, just takes a bit of work). A single parent family might have to be resourceful and rely on friends to help with transportation to events and scheduling. A formerly two-income family may become a one-income family (many of us do this – it is possible!) Your house will not be as clean because you will be living in it all day every day – but you will have lots of opportunities for home-economics lessons! You may get on each other’s nerves because you are around each other 24/7 but this is a learning opportunity for your family – a chance to get to know who each other really is. You may be overwhelmed by the number of choices in curriculum (ask other homeschoolers...). And you almost certainly will make mistakes your first year. And your second. And your third. And your fourth...