More and more districts are ready to support home-schooling families.

Our home-schooling family (10 years of experience, five kids, three of whom are now in college) has incorporated elements of both a conventional school and an independent education.

Scholars who study home-schooling trends, business owners who serve home-schooling families and abundant anecdotal evidence also suggest that private teaching arrangements are on the rise.

Some studies have shown that home-schooling families have slightly higher-than-average incomes even though, typically, only one parent can hold a job outside the home.

Many home-schooling families pull their children from public schools that are unwilling to provide needed services.

Good fortune to the Loving Education at Home movement, which most home-schooling families belong to.

Also, every month or so they meet with other home-schooling families.

Just as important, Mr. Farris said, the 81,500 home-schooling families who belong to his organization and who each pay at least $85 a year in dues were against it.

While three home-schooling families refused Mr. Ronan's offer, the program, which became known as School Without Walls, was an immediate hit with the others.

Social life and academic enrichment are readily provided by community resources and a large, supportive network of home-schooling families.