Famous Homeschoolers

Tim Tebow

While I reject the notion that we need a famous spokesperson to justify the validity of homeschooling (if it works for your family, that is all the justification you need), it is always gratifying to know there are successful people out there who were educated at home. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy a bit of trivia about famous people?

Obviously, this list is edited toward my own preferences (if you want a more comprehensive list, try famoushomeschooler.net), but I am excluding two categories of people for specific reasons.

There are plenty of famous historical figures who were homeschooled, but they are not particularly notable. Being educated at home was pretty common in previous centuries— families often lived too far from schools, or needed their kids to work at home, so these are not unusual cases. I am making a few exceptions for people who were homeschooled for reasons that still resonate with families today.

And I am not including child celebrities. Being tutored by a private teacher on a movie set, or on a tour bus en route to your next concert is definitely not “regular school”, but it is a category all its own. Dakota Fanning and T-Swift do not count as homeschoolers. (If you want to use them as examples to get your kids excited about the idea, though, that’s your call.)

With those caveats, here are some interesting examples of people whose parents chose to educate their kids at home:

Sandra Day O'Connor

The first woman appointed to the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O‘Connor grew up on a remote ranch in Arizona, and was homeschooled in her early years, before living with her maternal grandmother in town to attend an elite private school.

Another (probably even more interesting) fact about O’Connor: she dated, and then rejected a marriage proposal from William Rehnquist, while they were both students at Yale. Later, they were both appointed to the Supreme Court, where they worked closely together for more than 20 years.

Thomas Edison 

Thomas Edison, widely described as America’s greatest inventor, was a terrible student, possibly as a result of hearing loss. He was in and out of various schools in Michigan and Ohio, and was primarily educated at home by his mother.

If you ever worry about your kids’ escapades, read this article from Time Magazine in 1931 to learn more about Edison’s (pretty harrowing) childhood. I think we are all lucky he managed to live to adulthood.

Agatha Christie

One of America’s most beloved writers, Christie’s education was unusual, in part because most of her early education was from her father. (Even in the modern world, mothers are the more common home educator.)

Ansel Adams 

One of the greatest photographers of the 20th century, Adams was repeatedly kicked out of private schools for poor grades and inattentiveness in class. From the age of twelve, Adams was educated at home by his father, his Aunt Mary, and a private tutor. In 1915, part of Ansel’s education was to study exhibits at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition on a daily basis.

Another fun fact: While Adams did eventually return to a private school and earned a diploma, for much of his life, he chose to display the diploma in his family’s guest bathroom.

Teresa Scanlan

As Miss America 2010, Teresa was homeschooled until her junior of high school, and then completed a double load of classes to graduated a year early.

Andrew Wyeth

One of the most well-known American artists of the 20th century, Wyeth had very frail health as a child and was educated exclusively at home by his father (a well-known illustrator).

Christopher Paolini

The author of the bestselling Inheritance Cycle, Paolini wrote the first draft of Eragorn at age fifteen. It was originally self-published, and later picked up by Knopf Publishing, and quickly became a NYT Bestseller.

Paolini was homeschooled from the very beginning, and he credits homeschooling with giving him the freedom to pursue his interests and build a successful writing career.

Fred Terman

An electrical engineer known as one of the fathers of Silicon valley, Fred Terman was educated at home by his father until age nine.

Tim Tebow

No homeschool list would be complete without a nod to one of the more famous homeschoolers today. Tim Tebow is notable because he played football for two different high schools, despite not being enrolled in either. Florida state law allows homeschooled students to participate in the sports programs at their local public schools, and, as a result, Tebow went on to a career in professional football and baseball.