I don't think an authoritarian regime with one adult and 30 other children of the exact same age cohort provides as much socialization benefit as people think it does. Kids rarely get much time to even talk to each other in grade school.
All the research I've seen in this area indicates it would be far better for kids to be in mixed age classrooms that are democratic with several adults, but that costs more and no one wants taxes to go up.
I know many homeschoolers, they had a smidge of difficulty adjusting in college, and then they learned to socialize in that environment which is much more effective for learning how to socialize.
> Kids rarely get much time to even talk to each other in grade school.
This is not true, at least in our school. They interacted quite a lot. It is not like they would had 7 hours straight of learning and nothing else, there was quite a lot of literally dedicated playtime where teachers done only general supervision.
That's true that little kids get playtime, but that tapers off pretty quickly before adolescence. You don't see 12th graders with significant time to talk and play unless they are in after school sports.
Which is kind of my point, one could homeschool for academics and then supplement with after school sports for socialization.
All the research I've seen in this area indicates it would be far better for kids to be in mixed age classrooms that are democratic with several adults, but that costs more and no one wants taxes to go up.
I know many homeschoolers, they had a smidge of difficulty adjusting in college, and then they learned to socialize in that environment which is much more effective for learning how to socialize.