I would not say “often” better academically. It’s up to the resources the parents have. Poor families doing homeschooling end up poorly educated, wealthy educated families are more able to educate. Humans already did this up until the advent of modern public education systems. In a public school, the idea is that both the rich family and the poor family are offered the same education, and this is better for society as a whole. I will agree that public education isn’t perfect and could be improved in almost every way, but opting for private education is leaving your child’s future up to random chance as dictated by your social status. At some point you will try to socialize your homeschooled kid. If you live in a rough community where drugs, gangs, and teen pregnancies are relatively common, you won’t be able to avoid the same influences you’re trying to avoid in public schools. Except now it will be all they know. IMO exposure a larger population of people in a public school gives kids more reference for all the kinds of people in society, and control over who they want to interact with. Then it’s the parent’s job to make them feel empowered (not pressured) to make the best choice they have available.