Abstract

This article reports the results of a series of interviews with “hybrid homeschool” parents and administrators. “Hybrid homeschools” are entities which generally operate as formal schools two to three days per week, with teachers, enrolled students, and brick and mortar buildings. The balance of the week, students learn as homeschoolers. Previous research into hybrid homeschools has consisted mainly of electronic surveys asking families why they choose this schooling model, what they value in education for their children, and demographic questions. The purpose of this study is to build on these surveys by conducting longer-form qualitative interviews with hybrid homeschool parents, teachers, and administrators. This study reports the results of a series of semi-structured interviews conducted with seven participants from four schools in two states over the course of the 2017–2018 school year. The results of these interviews support some of the broad suggestions made in previous electronic survey results, while also adding to what parents value in these schools, and why they choose them.