This applied dissertation was designed to provide a formal evaluation of the academic achievement of homeschooled students compared to traditionally schooled students attending a relatively young, Catholic university located in South Florida. As approximately 30% of the university’s current student population has been homeschooled through high school, having more than just anecdotal evidence in regards to these students’ academic achievement can be useful as the university grows and develops in targeting more students. Such data could prove vital for the future decision making of university administration and stakeholders and of use for all those interested in the homeschooling movement.

Homeschooling has shown tremendous growth in the United States over the past 30 years to 2 to 3 million. As the public educational system continues to face challenges, parents increasingly are becoming dissatisfied and choosing homeschooling as a viable option. As homeschooled students near high school graduation and consider attending college as the next step in their educational career, a couple of questions come to mind: Are homeschooled students prepared for the academic rigors of college? Once accepted into college, how do homeschooled students compare academically to traditionally schooled students in college?

Using archival data, the writer evaluated 408 students based on their 4-year secondary school type: 137 public-schooled students, 142 Catholic schooled, and 129 homeschooled. Equally weighted criteria were overall SAT or ACT scores, overall college grade-point average (GPA), GPA by major, and core GPA. A statistically significant difference was found between homeschooled students and traditionally schooled students in ACT and SAT scores and overall GPA, showing value to the institution.