Valley home-school enrollment swells

Ask 7-year-old Kris Rottmiller of Gilbert what he likes best about his school and the reply is prompt: “Being with mommy all day.”

VIDEO: The number of students home-schooled is up 10 percent

An increasing number of Valley families have joined the Rottmillers and are teaching their children at home this year.

Overall, the number of home-schooled students in Maricopa County jumped 10 percent since fall 2006 to 8,788. County officials said the growth rate peaked at 15 percent in 2003-04 and has leveled off at about 10 percent since then.

That growth rate more than triples the national average, which hovers at 2 percent to 3 percent each year, according to the National Institute for Urban School Improvement.

Some Valley parents like the flexibility of teaching their children at their own pace. Others want to protect their children from a perceived unsafe school environment.

And then there are some like Queen Creek resident Tina Hosek, who wants the freedom to incorporate Bible lessons into her children’s education.

“I know my children better than anyone else and I’ve been their teacher since they were born,” Hosek said. “It seems normal to me that I should be the one educating them.”

Arizona also has liberal home-schooling laws that require public schools to accommodate home-schooled students who want to participate in certain classes, sports teams or extracurricular activities such as band or drama.

But Candace Cochran, the home-school and private school liason for the Maricopa County Superintendent’s Office, said the home-schooling trend has not translated to a drop in public school enrollment.

“The population is enough to keep school numbers strong,” Cochran said.

Misty Rotmiller, Kris’ mother, said her son showed clear signs of being a cut above his peers by first grade, when he aced fifth-grade math and 11th-grade reading.

Misty, 29, saw no choice but to take her son out of school and let him learn at his own pace. Between art class and Spanish lessons, soccer and group history projects, she said she has her hands full most days.

“Public school teachers don’t have the time to attend to each child’s particular interests,” she said.

Kris said he likes the routine, but he misses being around other children all day.

“I like studying at home,” he said. “But I don’t make that many friends.”

Misty said her son gets some social opportunities with other home-schooling families and church friends.

“There are days when it’s hard,” she said. “But it feels natural now. It becomes part of your routine.”

Nancy Manos, board member of Arizona Families for Home Education, a nonprofit educational corporation, said Arizona had 32,000 home-schooled students as of June 2004. She scoffs at what she calls a misconception that these children are locked away.

“In reality they’re out in the world meeting people of different age groups more than kids in schools, where they’re segregated by age,” Manos said.