Here's How Far The Duggars Got In School
Everyone who has seen the TLC reality series 19 Kids and Counting knows that each child within the hyper-conservative Duggar family has been homeschooled. Those who aren't devoted fans of the show, however, might be curious to know how far the Duggars got in school. Do they each have GED-equivalent degrees from their homeschooling years? Did any of them go to college? We have the answers!
From participating in homeschool lessons taught by Michelle Duggar, to taking online college courses, the Duggar children have kept busy with their educations over the years. Here's what the family has said about their homeschooling methods, as well as what some of the Duggar children have pursued after getting their GEDs. (After all, we bet you didn't know Jill Duggar Dillard is a certified midwife, did you?) From music to nursing, the Duggar clan has embraced a variety of different interests, but it doesn't look like any of them have earned college degrees just yet.
The Duggars' homeschool curriculum pulls from the Christian faith
Unsurprisingly, the Duggar children were taught religious-based lessons during their homeschool program. In 2010, family matriarch Michelle Duggar spoke to TLC about her teaching approach. "Our goal has been to do a Christian-based curriculum — one in which there's a lot of character emphasis, character-building like responsibility, honesty, self-control," Michelle told the network. "All those kind[s] of things are woven into the stuff that we use."
Michelle also mentioned the A.C.E. — Accelerated Christian Education — curriculum during her conversation with TLC. The family reportedly follows lesson plans from the Advanced Training Institute (ATI), another faith-based homeschooling program. But it sounds like the family accounts for the fact that every day will be different in the homeschooling program. "When I first homeschooled, I tried to set up a conventional classroom but soon realized that wasn't going to work," Michelle told Alpha Omega Publications in 2012. "Not everything is going to go as planned, and you're going to keep learning a better way to do things as time goes on."
Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar weren't homeschooled and neither went to college
Michelle Duggar's homeschooling routine is entirely self-taught. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were high school sweethearts who went to Shiloh Christian School in Springdale, Ark. According to the school's website, its aim is to provide students with "outstanding academics taught by a caring and licensed faculty in a distinctive Christian environment." The school offers traditional high school courses, including AP Biology and Survey of Calculus, as well as "Christian Studies" courses. Michelle, whose then-surname was Ruark, was even a cheerleader in her high school days!
After high school, Jim Bob went on to get his real estate license and his real estate portfolio is now worth an impressive $4.4 million, according to The Sun. It just goes to show that you don't need a degree to be financially successful! Jim Bob has also served as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives and he ran for U.S. Senate in 2002 but didn't win.
The Duggar children take standardized tests and celebrate their GEDs
If you've been wondering whether the Duggar children take the GED, they do! All school-aged Duggar children take standardized tests each year, and the high school kids take the GED, Michelle Duggar explained in a TLC blog post.
"Each year we give standardized tests in May to all the kids that are in third grade through ninth grade. For us, it's really fun because we go over to the testing facility, the kids take their tests and then we'll celebrate with ice cream after they finish," Michelle explained in the blog post. "Later when they're finished with their high school education, I'll have them take the GED test. It's not required in our state, but I like them to do it because it's good for them to have that certificate. That's their equivalent of finishing their high school education."
Still, the Duggars haven't explicitly shared which kids have their GEDs, so it's possible that not all of the older children have achieved that milestone yet. However, some of the Duggars have gone on to take college courses, so it's likely they passed the GED exam.
Joseph Duggar took college classes in Tennessee, while others have taken college courses online
While he didn't graduate with a degree, Joseph Duggar attended Crown Bible College in Tennessee for a year. After that, he moved back to the Duggar family's home state of Arkansas to work at the family's construction business, according to InTouch. As of 2017, Joseph had planned to earn his real estate license, like his dad Jim Bob Duggar, along with his commercial driver's license, but it's not clear whether or not he's done so yet.
In addition to Joseph's in-person educational pursuits, some of the other Duggar children have taken online college courses through a program called CollegePlus! John-David and Jana Duggar both took CollegePlus! classes, while Jana expressed interest in pursuing her nursing degree in 2011. The same year, Jessa Duggar took CollegePlus! classes in business and Jinger Duggar was pursuing a music degree, per the Duggar Family Blog. Jill Duggar is also a certified midwife, but she doesn't appear to have a nursing degree.
Plus, a number of the Duggar childrens' spouses have degrees. Jessa's husband, Ben Seewald, went to community college. Jill's husband, Derick Dillard, is in law school. And Jinger's husband, Jeremy Vuolo, became a Major League Soccer player after graduating from Hartwick College. It's clear that education is important to the Duggars, and it sounds like many of them have their GEDs, as well as some college credits under their belt.