It’s a tough time to be a boy in America. According to the American Institute for Boys and Men, boys on average start school academically behind girls and remain that way throughout their schooling. They graduate high school at lower rates than girls and, if they do graduate, are more likely to have grades in the bottom of the class than the top. If they go to college, which fewer of them now do, boys are less likely than girls to attain a degree. For many boys of color, these negative trends are even more pronounced. Additionally, the CDC reports that boys are nearly twice as likely as girls to be diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and are more often medicated for it.
These unsettling outcomes for boys are prompting parents and educators to create innovative schooling solutions that enable all children, and especially boys, to thrive.
“Honestly, it feels like a rescue mission,” said Kenisha Skaggs. In 2011, she founded Soar Academy, a first-through-twelfth grade non-traditional private school in Augusta, Georgia that today serves over 150 students—with another 200 on the waitlist. The majority of Soar’s learners are students of color, and boys make up 65 percent of the total enrollment. More than 90 percent of Soar students have at least one diagnosed neurodiversity, such as autism, dyslexia and ADHD. Soar is an approved provider for the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program, enabling some students to attend the school nearly tuition-free.
“Most of them are on an IEP [individualized education plan] when they come to Soar, and the first thing you see that stands out is ADHD,” said Skaggs, adding that “it doesn’t really exist here in an unconventional classroom because movement is encouraged.” Skaggs says that nearly 100 percent of her students who arrive at SOAR medicated for ADHD are able to stop their medications entirely. The only change is their learning environment. “I think we’re stifling students when we’re asking them to sit at a desk, if that’s not who they are, as they’re growing and developing. And we’re improperly labeling them as ADHD,” Skaggs told me during a recent interview.
At Soar, students are able to move around and be supported as individuals, rather than being forced to comply with conventional classroom standards that can be developmentally unreasonable. Soar students use ADHD traits to their advantage, viewing them as strengths not limitations. “We’re encouraging that ADHD,” said Skaggs. “When we’re stamping them with a label, we are missing and even stifling the creativity that they will use to contribute to our communities. I love when I see my ADHD and my autistic boys coming to Soar because I know they’re going to do something to change the world.”
Soar is one of the many creative schooling options that has emerged or expanded over the past several years, offering a less coercive, more personalized educational environment. Some of these programs are state-recognized private schools like Soar, which also offers part-time enrollment options for homeschoolers. But a growing number of these emerging schooling models are designed specifically for homeschoolers, with both full-time and part-time enrollment options that make homeschooling more accessible to more families. The growth of these programs may at least partly explain why homeschooling numbers remain above pre-pandemic levels across the U.S., and are actually climbing in many states. Professor Angela Watson, creator of the Johns Hopkins University Homeschool Hub, finds that of the 21 states that have reported homeschooling data, 19 of them had more homeschoolers in 2023 than 2022.
One state that does not report its homeschooling numbers is Missouri, but a new report suggests that homeschooling is growing there as well. The Policy Research in Missouri Education (PRIME) Center at Saint Louis University School of Education reveals that over 60,000 students, or approximately 6 percent of the student population in Missouri, are homeschooled.
Some of those homeschoolers attend a new microschool in the St. Louis suburb of Barnhart that now serves nearly 200 students, ages 4 to 17. Launched in the fall of 2022, Off The Page Co-Learning provides flexible, hands-on learning opportunities for homeschooled students. Founder Kate Brockmeyer says the majority of students attend the microschool four days a week, including her three boys who provided the initial motivation for her endeavor.
“I started this microschool because I realized as my boys aged that the industrial education model was not designed for their needs. When I pulled them from their school their self-confidence was very low, their passions were non-existent and they were just wandering around,” said Brockmeyer. “Industrial education suffocates the interests and passions of boys because of its demands for stillness, regurgitation and testing,” she added.
At Off The Page, students spend a great deal of time outside in active play, as well as working on collaborative projects tied to their interests. What began as a small summer camp two years ago has evolved into a sought-after schooling solution for many families in Brockmeyer’s community. She’s attentive to the needs and wants of the families she serves, and is planning to add a skill-based program in January for 8 to 12 year olds, as well as a career and technical education (CTE) program for teens 13 and up.
Boys and girls attend Brockmeyer’s microschool but she finds that it’s particularly beneficial for boys. “Boys are in desperate need of learning environments that are encouraging of their strengths and not emphasizing their weaknesses,” she said.
At a moment when many boys are lagging further behind girls in school and beyond, microschools and similar learning models may provide a low-cost, innovative solution to halt this trend.
Soar’s Kenisha Skaggs urges parents to consider new and different education options for their children—and especially their sons. “Be open to trying some of the unconventional school programs and microschools. Be open to homeschool, to nature schools,” she said. “I’m so glad that parents aren’t waiting any longer. We can’t wait. We’re losing kids every day. We have to innovate right now.”