Homeschooling numbers rise in Virginia after record spike, then brief decline following COVID-19 pandemic 

The Virginia Department of Education has noted a 4.3% increase in the number of homeschooled students last school year, bringing the total over 56,000 students. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic created an almost 56% spike in the number of students who were homeschooled during the 2020-2021 school year,” reported the Virginia Mercury on Oct. 23, adding the number dropped during the next two academic years. 

However, both 2023-24 and 2024-25 years marked an increase in homeschooling, according to the news outlet. 

“When looked at over a 20-year period that starts with the 2004-05 school year, the number of homeschooled students grew by 221% in Virginia.” 

Journalists explored reasons why more families are homeschooling, noting concerns over school safety, academic quality and specialized educational needs. 

“I can provide something for my child that the public school [system] isn’t able to offer them,” said Amy Buchmeyer, attorney at the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). 

Buchmeyer cited recent research by a Cardus Educational Survey finding long-term homeschoolers enjoy higher levels of mental health, civic engagement and family cohesion compared to the general population. 

‘Long-standing tradition and legacy of religious liberty’ 

As the number of homeschool families increases, more lawmakers have been calling for increased regulations and oversight. 

One example includes a bill proposed this year by Sen. Stella Pekarsky, D-Fairfax, which would have required parents opting out of public schools for religious reasons to abide by the same regulations as homeschooled parents. 

The bill failed to pass out of the Senate. 

“Virginia has a long-standing tradition and legacy of religious liberty,” said Callie Chaplow, director of government affairs at Home Educators Association of Virginia (HEAV), regarding homeschool opposition to the bill. 

Chaplow argued home education in the Old Dominion State is already regulated enough. 

Currently, the state’s education department requires homeschool parents “to submit a notice to their local school district at the beginning of the school year and a follow-up report at the end,” the Virginia Mercury explained. 

HSLDA also placed the state in its “moderate regulation” category – with its website ranking oversight from a green “no notice, low regulation” to red “high regulation” status. 

“If anything, I think there is too much regulation currently placed on home schooling,” Buchmeyer said of Virginia’s policies. 

For parents such as Virginia mom Meaghan Montana, homeschooling provides a successful alternative to addressing special needs. 

After a local public school held Montana’s son back from progressing because of a diagnosed disability, she taught him at home and noted substantial learning progress. 

“He did very well this year – perfect attendance, very good with math,” she said. “His reading scores came up. He basically caught up with the other kids, where he was lacking when he was in the school environment.”