havesomeseichel, thank you for your post. As I noted, laws regulating homeschooling vary from state to state. Most states do require parents to file a curriculum. However, many states do not require homeschooled students to file homework or take any type of test, and in many states parents do not need any certification or training to homeschool. Many states also don’t require homeschoolers to work with a public school or any other institution. Some states specifically exempt parents from teaching material which goes against their religious beliefs, which might indeed be construed to allow parents to use only “artscroll biographies and works of fiction”.
I am not trying to denigrate the education of your homeschooled acquaintances. But you should be aware that not all states regulate homeschooling so rigorously, and their experience is not universal. You can google “homeschooling laws” for more information.
I do agree that homeschooling does not seem to be popular in the general frum population.