5. Decatur, Georgia

PHOTO: City of Decatur

HOMESCHOOL REQUIREMENTS: File a declaration of intent to homeschool every year by Sept. 1 (or within 30 days of withdrawing your child from school)

COMMUNITY: LEAD (Learners and Educators in Atlanta and Decatur) has a full roster of classes and weekly park days, plus spelling bees, talent shows, and other activities

BOOKS: The staff at Eagle Eye Book Shop has a knack for cherry-picking the perfect new book based on your previous favorites

RESOURCES: Attend monthly homeschool days at the Atlanta History Center and the High Museum of Art, register for hands-on classes at Zoo Atlanta; visit Fernbank Museum of Natural History and Fernbank Science Center; take a class in chicken-keeping at the Wylde Center in Oakhurst, visit the Michael C. Carlos Museum on the Emory University campus; line up for the costume parade at DragonCon; get your literary fix at the Decatur-AJC Book Festival; see a show at the Center for Puppetry Arts

INSIDER TIP: The Bradley Observatory at Agnes Scott College hosts free astronomy open houses every month.

NUMBER OF MUSEUMS: 38, including the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum; Robert C. Williams Paper Museum, and the David J. Sencer Museum at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

NUMBER OF LIBRARIES: 14, with a calendar of activities including arts and crafts, movies, and clubs

MEDIAN HOME PRICE: $179,500

POPULATION: 20,086

When it comes to nerdy paradises, it’s hard to beat the just-outside-Atlanta city of Decatur.

Not only does Atlanta play host to five — count ‘em, five — science fiction and fantasy conventions every year, it also has the greatest concentration of both live-action role-play (LARP) groups and bookstores in the United States. But for homeschoolers, the big appeal of Decatur isn’t necessarily its proximity to Atlanta attractions, like homeschool days at the High Museum of Art, Zoo Atlanta, and the Atlanta History Center. It’s the thriving homeschool community, where you really can run into fellow homeschooling families every time you hit the library, the park, or the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, that makes Decatur such a great place to be a homeschooler. You might spot a costumed group making digital movies in Glenlake Park, run into a family in search of kale at the Dekalb Farmers Market, or happen on a group of teenagers arguing about the nature of reality in Doctor Who at Palookaville after morning classes at LEAD. Future filmmakers can log time on the sets of television shows like The Walking Dead and Vampire Diaries, both of which film in the Atlanta area. Activities like guided bird walks through Fernbank Forest and the Decatur Book Festival aren’t just for homeschoolers, but they certainly have plenty of homeschool appeal — and the roster of free and cheap lectures and performances at Emory University and Agnes Scott College make an irresistible addition to your high school curriculum. Food lovers will appreciate the fact that Decatur’s made more than one list of best restaurants — and the preponderance of community gardens and urban farms makes local eating easy. And thanks to the efforts of a committed group of homeschool activists, in 2012, Georgia went from having some of the United States’ strictest homeschool requirements to having some of its most relaxed.

Decatur is on the pricey side for Atlanta, especially if you’re aiming to live in a neighborhood like Kirkwood or Oakhurst, but the median home price of $179,500 buys a lot of space for the money compared to other big city boroughs. Groceries, gas, and utilities here fall around the national average. While you’ll probably want a car, Decatur has reasonable public transportation and a walkable downtown area. 

This list was originally published by home/school/life in 2014. Are there great Decatur, GA secular homeschool resources we missed or new resources created since we made this list? Add them in the comments!

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