Predicting College Performance of Homeschooled Versus Traditional Students

Abstract

The prevalence of homeschooling in the United States is increasing. Yet little is known about how commonly used predictors of postsecondary academic performance (SAT, high school grade point average [HSGPA]) perform for homeschooled students. Postsecondary performance at 140 colleges and universities was analyzed comparing a sample of traditional students matched to a sample of 732 homeschooled students on four demographic variables, HSGPA, and SAT scores. The matched sample was drawn from 824,940 traditional students attending the same institutions as the homeschooled students, which permitted a very precise level of matching. This comparison did not show a difference in first‐year college GPA (FGPA) or retention between homeschooled and traditional students. SAT scores predicted FGPA and retention equally well for both groups, but HSGPA was a weaker predictor for the homeschooled group. These results suggest that, among college students, those who were homeschooled perform similarly to traditionally educated students matched on demographics and academic preparedness, but there are practical implications for college admissions in the use of HSGPA versus standardized test scores for homeschooled students.