Almost 700 Bay County students stay home each day to learn. Shonda Bush, a home school parent, said, "I want my children to be life-long learners. I want them to love to learn and to be able to tackle anything they want to do."

Bush has been home schooling her children for six years. She said there are many benefits to teaching your kids at the kitchen table. Bush believes she can create a welcoming environment in her home that will help her three kids fulfill their potential. Logan Bush, a home school student, said he studies "logic, spelling, and math," among other subjects.

Shonda Bush makes sure her children develop social interaction skills through sports and church. But, there is some debate as to whether home-schooled children are making the grade. Joan Harris, student services director at Bay District Schools, said, "There are some students who are not getting the education they need."

Bay District officials say only a fraction of students excel in home school programs, and that hinges on the involvement of the parent. Harris said, "If they've been home schooled for a while, for the most part, the trend is that their scores go down."

But, proponents of home schooling don't believe standardized tests, like the FCAT, should be the benchmark for measuring quality of education. Bush said, "If they can delve into a subject and find more about it, research it and everything, I don't necessarily think the standardized tests judge that."

Bush says home-schooling give parents the freedom to choose their own curriculum, and children can learn at their own pace: "If a child is strong in math, they can go in math as far as they can, but if they're weaker in reading, they won't get left behind."

But, every child kept at home means a loss of state funding for public schools. Another drawback of home schooling older children is that they are not eligible for a high school diploma. If you would like to learn more about home schooling, see below.