EtherStar

May I work for you?

I'd like to corroborate that. I was homeschooled until I was 8, then went to an alternative school that was, essentially, homeschooling with other families. That is, it was far less structured than traditional U.S. public school but provided that social element many homeschooled kids miss.

I've since graduated from The University of Massachusetts magna cum lade. I have various groups of friend and am plenty able to navigate social situations. My sister was the same, but she switched into high school at fourteen. She had some difficulty, just as any transfer student has, but ultimately ended up fairly high in the school's social structure. Other students from my school run the gambit from dead beats to a graduate student with a full ride at Princeton for chemistry and physics. On average, people from my school are much better at holding "adult" conversations. Visitors to the school are regularly impressed that the four year olds will look you in the eyes as they talk WITH you.

On the other hand, families in my town who have homeschooled (often for religious reasons) and didn't have extensive daily interactions with other children are socialy awkward and reclusive. Interacting with various people of different ages is very important for a child's development, and that can be difficult when all the other kids are elsewhere most of the day.

Having experienced various institutions as a student, observer, and sometimes instructor, the best method is, I believe, something more like college than either homeschooling or traditional public. Public schools are factories; they shape the students into one final product doing their best to eliminate individuality and thought. Homeschooling, on the other hand, shields the child from challenges that would sharpen their abilities and help them grow. Something more like college, though, has duties and responsibilities whilst also letting the child make decisions and pursue those things they're most interested in. It fosters the ability to plow through obstacles when needed and the ability to think for yourself; the best of both worlds.

TL;DR public schools are too structured, homeschooling is too isolating. Aim for something in-between.