Home schooling has "branched out far and wide

Although single parents who home-school are relatively rare, they represent a "small but noticeable trend" as home schooling becomes mainstream and options such as online classes have made the endeavor easier, said Brian Ray, president of the Home School Education Research Institute.

From 1999 to 2003, the number of single-parent households that home-school increased by 7 percent, according to the national statistics. Single-parent households represent about 18 percent of all home-school families.

Because those figures are five years old and home-school support services have grown since then, some believe the numbers are even higher today.

"Single parents are getting more and more common," said Carl Lucas, the vice chairman of the Nevada Homeschool Network. "They find ways to do it."

Plaisted, a self-described pagan who blogs about home schooling and mystic experiences on the Internet, said the stereotype that home-school parents are Christian fundamentalists is "very dated." Home schooling has "branched out far and wide," she said.