Homeschooling_and_distance_education_in_Australia
Homeschooling and distance education in Australia
Overview of the situation of homeschooling and distance education in Australia
In Australia, homeschooling is becoming increasingly popular.[1][2][3] It is legal in all Australian states and territories,[2][4] with each having its own regulations around the practice.[4] Distance education (commonly known as external studies in Australia[5]) is also prevalent for Australians who live in remote, rural areas.[6][7] There are more than a dozen universities in Australia that support distance education for tertiary studies.[8] Some Australians switch between distance education and classroom teaching.[7] The number of homeschooled children and students who take distance education in Australia is approximately 30,000.[4] The number of registered homeschoolers alone was 21,437 in 2019; this corresponds to 0.5 per cent of the total school population of Australia.[3] In the 2010s, the average growth rate of the practice amounted to 9.4 per cent per year.[3] The largest Christian school of distance education in Australia is the Australian Christian College, which has over 1,700 families with 4,000 students enrolled.[4] Homeschooling generally enjoys a very good reputation in the Australian media and is widely seen as a flexible alternative form of education with good socialization opportunities in the community.[2]