Homeschooling Rates Rise Post-Pandemic: A Recent Study

A recent report from the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy's homeschool research lab reveals that homeschooling has seen an increase in 90 percent of states reporting data for the 2023–2024 school year.

State Data on Homeschooling

The study analyzed data from 21 of the 30 states that gather or report information on homeschool participation. The remaining nine states are predicted to report their data in the upcoming months.

Among the states that saw an increase in homeschooling were Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. On the other hand, Vermont and New Hampshire were the only states to report a decrease in the total number of homeschooled students compared to the previous school year.

Identified Trends in Homeschooling

The report identified two main trends: sustained growth and rebounding growth. Louisiana, South Carolina, and South Dakota were the three states that experienced sustained growth, meaning they did not see a decline in homeschooling post-COVID-19 pandemic.

The remaining 16 states demonstrated a rebounding trend, indicating a decline in homeschooling post-pandemic, followed by an increase in the 2023–2024 school year.

The report noted, “While homeschooling grew rapidly during the pandemic, most people thought that students would return to more traditional schools when the pandemic disruptions abated. Some states did show a decline, but few have returned to normal, even four years after the onset of the pandemic.”

Record Highs in Homeschooling

In the 2023–2024 school year, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Wyoming reached record highs in the number of homeschooled students. North Dakota saw a 24 percent increase from the previous year, Rhode Island experienced a 67 percent increase, and Wyoming saw an 8 percent increase.

Report author Angela Watson stated, “The big takeaway is that this is new homeschool growth that we see in last year’s state reports. The rebound effect is really interesting and we aren’t sure of the reason—but we know it’s not because of a global pandemic.”

Challenges in Tracking Homeschool Data

Accurate tracking of homeschooling data is difficult due to varying legislation and reporting requirements among states. Some states classify homeschoolers as private school students, while others do not.

Watson added, “The fact that so many states are reporting highest-ever numbers seems like a big finding as well, and that these counts are going up while overall school enrollment and population is declining.”

Homeschooling in Texas

While Texas does not report homeschool statistics, other data sources suggest an increase in homeschooling in the state. The Texas Homeschool Coalition referred to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which indicated that homeschooling in Texas nearly tripled between the spring and fall of 2020, rising from 4.5 percent to 12.3 percent.

The coalition also mentioned data from the Texas Education Agency and statewide school districts, showing that more than 50,000 students switched from public schools to homeschooling in 2022 and 2023.

Reasons for Homeschooling Growth

The Johns Hopkins report concluded, “While there is a clear growth trend in homeschooling, the reason for that growth is unknown. What is clear is that this time, the growth is not driven by a global pandemic or sudden disruptions to traditional schooling. Something else is driving this growth.”

Bottom Line

It's clear that homeschooling is on the rise in many states, but the reasons for this trend are still unknown. It's interesting to note that this growth isn't driven by a global pandemic or sudden disruptions to traditional schooling. What are your thoughts on this increase in homeschooling? Share this article with your friends and let us know your opinions. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is available every day at 6pm.