Do all wizards go to school?

[joanne0012]

No: HPFGUIDX 37407

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "saintbacchus" <saintbacchus at y...> wrote:
> Zoe Hooch wonders:
> 
> > I have wondered about the witches and wizards who don't go to 
> > Hogwarts, such as Stan Shunpike or Ernie Prang on the Wizard bus. 
> > There have to be a number of them who've never set foot in a wizard 
> > school. I wonder how they get their training? Is there a parallel 
> > track for non-academic wizards?
> 
> I think they must go to school. It strikes me that the wizard 
> population isn't very large (the size of Hogwarts, Ron's comment that 
> they would have "died out" if they hadn't started marrying Muggles), 
> so it would be easier to get all young witches and wizards into 
> school than it is for the general population.
> 
> It's also more important that they make the extra effort, since 
> wizards have powers - whether or not they've been trained to control 
> them.

But we have evidence that not all wizards go to Hogwarts -- the fact that 
Hogwarts send out acceptance notification letters, for one, rather than all 
wizarding children assuming they're going there (as muggle kids would assume 
they're going to the local public high school).  

Surely Stan wouldn't have the wits to pass most of the coursework we've seen 
the kids doing!

In HPSS Neville explains, "I bounced -- all the way down the
garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was
crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when
I got in here -- they thought I might not be magic enough to come".  This  implies 
that there are degrees of wizarding talent and those with less don't get in (quite 
apart from no-talent squibbs).  

And surely Hagrid isn't the only student ever to be expelled.

If (as has been debated endlessly here) Hogwarts charges tuition, there might 
even be families that can't or won't pay for their children's tuition or expenses.  
Seems inconceivable, especially with Hogwarts' prestige, but I've seen it happen 
in Muggle families, and wizards seem prone to just as many quirks and irrational 
behaviors as Muggles.

I therefore assume that there are wizards out there whose education is entirely 
homeschooling, as this is how the Hogwarts children from wizarding families 
seem to get their earlier education.