Public School or Bust? Jill Duggar, Derick Dillard on Homeschooling: Quotes About Their Kids’ Education

Another Duggar rule broken? It’s no secret that Jill Dillard (née Duggar) has taken a step back from her family’s ultra-conservative way of life, which was once documented on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On. She’s already broken several family rules about appearances by wearing jeans, dying her hair, and getting a nose piercing. But where does Jill stand on the Duggar family tradition of putting her kids through homeschool? Keep scrolling to find out how Jill’s children are getting their education.

How Many Kids Does Jill Duggar Have?

Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, welcomed their first child, a boy named Israel, in 2015, not long after they got married. Jill then gave birth to their second son, Samuel, in 2017.

After suffering a miscarriage in 2021, Jill and Derick announced in February 2022 that they were expecting a rainbow baby.

“We’ve been keeping a little secret!” Jil wrote in her pregnancy announcement on the family blog. “We are excited to announce that God has answered our prayers and we are expecting our rainbow baby due July 2022!”

Jill and Derick then became parents of three boys when their third son, Frederick “Freddy” Michael, arrived on July 7.

“Frederick means ‘Peaceful Ruler’ and Michael means ‘Gift from God,’” the couple revealed.

Does Jill Duggar Homeschool Her Kids?

Jill’s opinions on homeschooling her kids seem to have changed over the years. In 2018, she revealed that she had been looking into homeschool curriculum for Israel, who was 3 years old at the time.

"My momma taught me the importance of instilling scripture into the hearts and minds of your young children," Jill wrote in a Mother’s Day blog post. "I recently started teaching Israel some Bible verses and I was amazed at how quickly he picked up on them! Even when I was looking at homeschooling curriculum (yes, Israel just turned 3 but I’m just excited!)."

A few months later, however, Jill began to consider sending her kids to public school — at least when they reach college age.

“Maybe,” she wrote to a fan who asked on Instagram if she’d ever let her kids enroll in public school. “Probably will at some point for college.”

By 2020, Jill and Derick enrolled Israel in kindergarten at a public school, as they revealed on the family blog.

“We have already been homeschooling him some, but decided it would be fun to let him go to kindergarten this year. It’s extra special because it’s the same school district Derick enrolled in over 25 years ago,” the post read.

Is Israel Still Attending Public School?

Israel’s had a blast in public school, as Jill and Derick revealed in a September 2020 YouTube video.

“So far Israel is loving school, at least based on what he tells us when he comes home from school,” Derick said. “We get all the updates. He was even ‘king’ for a day recently. Loves it, loves it, loves it. Making lots of good friends.”

However, some fans of the Dillard family have wondered if Jill and Derick are once again homeschooling their kids. In February 2022, Jill posted a photo on Instagram of herself reading books with Samuel, who was 5 years old at the time.

“Samuel and I enjoy our mornings together working through his little school workbooks, making crafts, cooking and reading together!” she captioned the post, later mentioning that Israel sometimes brings books home from school.

That implied that Israel, at least, was still in public school. And yet, fans were still curious about his education when Jill posted a photo with him in January 2023.

“We like to try and make learning fun when we can!” she captioned an image of Israel writing on a window. “We write on the windows with dry erase markers sometimes to reinforce concepts!”

Fans questioned if Israel was being homeschooled again, but Jill did not respond.

Were the Duggar Kids Homeschooled?

Jill, along with her 18 siblings, were homeschooled by their mother Michelle Duggar, as seen on the family’s TLC shows. However, the curriculum was controversial, as it was rooted in teachings from the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP).

Jill and Derick appeared in Amazon Prime Video’s June 2023 docuseries, Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, which explored the Duggars’ involvement with the IBLP. Homeschooling was among the topics discussed. However, according to director Olivia Crist, the series isn’t “an anti-homeschooling piece by any means.”

“There is a right way to homeschool, and there’s a wrong way to homeschool,” Crist told TV Insider. “The wrong way, as we’ve seen from the show and a lot of other pieces that are popping up now, involves a lot of abuse.”