There are tons of articles like this one out there: https://www.time4learning.com/blog/homeschool/socialization-the-biggest-non-issue-in-homeschooling/ This has been addressed by almost every homeschooler. And I don’t mean that in an patronizing or snarky way…it really is the biggest question people have once they are ready to make the jump to freedom! I had consistent friends through church, common interests, volunteer work (adults can be friends too!), and a homeschool co-op group. In these big 30-kid recesses you mention, the kids play in smaller friend groups, which you can provide at home/out-of-home easily. There is not much benefit in having huge groups of kids in a school setting since they pair off anyway, are having to abide by many rules to keep them “safe” (usually overprotective rules like no running), and are in a controlled environment without much freedom to be creative and explore (aka, they’re stuck in a fence). Compared to my childhood and friendships, I view school-quality “socializing” quite lacking. It seems wonderful and necessary until you’re out of it. With a little upfront creativity and work, you’ll find your kids even better social situations. By not being in school, I became much more comfortable in a group setting. School controls so many interactions and does so by age/ability, that “getting along in a group setting” is very artificial. In the real world, I learned to get along in multi-age groups. My school friends were only comfortable with their peers. If anyone was gambling, it was the parents of the public school kids. I also, of course, had peers as friends, but I was pretty mature for my age and preferred to talk with older kids or adults or play with the little ones. Kids my age tended to be catty and immature. If I was in school, I would have been stuck with those kids. Thankfully I had the freedom through homeschool to pick my own friends easier.