Central Maine – Noel K. Gallagher 
The Verrills are part of a homeschool population that has more than doubled nationwide in recent years. Last year, about 5,500 children, or 3 percent of Maine students, were home-schooled, slightly lower than the 3.4 percent national average. In Maine, that’s a 36 percent increase over a decade earlier, while public school enrollment dropped 8 percent over the same period, according to state education data. In recent years, Maine started adding public charter schools, which enrolled 1,540 students last fall. Nationally, homeschooling increased 55 percent between 2003 and 2013, according to the most recent federal data.(more)