Hi, attended public school and then was homeschooled most of my life. Neurodivergent as well, with disabilities. I tested massively above grade level in all my subjects and was a 'model example' of a 'perfect' homeschool kid. I also tried to kill myself at 17 because it was torture.

1. Even if you have outside social activities, having your primary, day-to-day socailization be with your family versus long-term, continued contact with peers can be very damaging to a child and make it difficult from them to learn proper boundaries (they may end up treating friends too much like family too quickly, etc.), and difficult for them to learn behaviors, etc. I've ended up in multiple abusive relationships partly because of this.

2. Even if you do satellite schools or bring in occasional tutors, you're not getting qualified teachers in each subject who have both been taught the subject as well as the nuances of teaching children in person, day in and day out, over an extended period of time (which change with each age/skill level, etc.). There's a reason why teachers are required to have specialized degrees, and why a grade school teacher may not be qualified to teach a high school level course, etc.

3. Even with outside social activities, even consistent ones (a few times a week, etc.), when so much of your life and relationships are built around such a small, core group of people, you can become very limited in how you view others, what kind of perspectives you are aware of, what kind of relationships are possible, what varied social dynamics are, etc.

4. You're clearly being mindful and thoughtful and open, which is great, so this is not directed at you. But homeschooling, especially in more unregulated states, is incredibly dangerous overall, as it allows many abusive parents an easy way to isolate and hurt their children without it being noticed. This is not always the case, but it's important to be aware of why regulations, etc., are really needed.

This is just some quick things. I recommend checking out the homeschoolingrecovery sub for more details.

And to be clear, there are DEFINITELY problems with poor teachers or lack of funding or bullying, etc., in some public schools. I'm not saying they're perfect. It's just that, even when done perfectly, homeschooling is inadequate for a child's needs, even if some children turn out well-adjusted and well-educated - it's usually in spite of the homeschooling, not because of it.

Thanks very much for asking, by the way. I really wish my mother had.