Military families homeschooled at double the nationwide rate even before COVID-19, survey finds

While the COVID-19 pandemic caused an explosion in homeschool growth, a significant population group had already discovered the benefits of this alternative educational approach years earlier: the military.

“Active-duty military families homeschool their children at double the rate of their civilian peers,” notes Angela Watson from the Johns Hopkins School of Education, citing data from the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey. “In 2023-2024, around 6% of U.S. families homeschooled a child compared to 12% of active-duty military families.”

Records show this trend had begun even before 2020 as 12% of the military had homeschooled in 2018, 11% in 2019, and 13% in 2020 and 2021, Watson explained.

“Compare that to around 2-3% of civilian families homeschooling before the pandemic, and 6% doing so post-pandemic.”

Analysts are still exploring why these families choose to homeschool – especially as “U.S. Department of Defense schools on military bases are generally thought to be higher quality than most public schools,” according to Watson. 

Education a ‘top concern’ for military families

“While the increased rate of homeschool participation is evident in military families, the reasons are less well-known and the literature is limited,” Watson writes. 

Parents in the military often list education as a “top concern” in the Blue Star Family Military Family Lifestyle Surveys (MFLS). 

As a result, homeschooling as an option makes sense for families serving active duty – which can involve multiple moves nationwide or worldwide. 

“Interestingly, other types of military families, like those in the reserves or the U.S. National Guard, also homeschool at rates higher than those found in the general population,” Watson notes. 

“These families are less likely to move frequently or undergo lengthy family separations. Therefore, the reason for the increased homeschool participation rates is less apparent.” 

Eleven percent of reserve and National Guard members homeschooled in 2023 – nearly double the general population’s 6% rate, according to data estimates. 

“The researchers identified military families as one of the special groups whose motivations to homeschool might help explain why households in the wider population do it,” writes Amanda Miller for a Military.com article exploring Watson’s research. 

“Natalie Mack, founder of the Military Homeschoolers Association, said stability and time together exemplify what she considers the traditional reasons military families homeschool. 

She also named what she considers new reasons, including the ability to meet special needs such as neurodivergence and to avoid bullying and the prospect of school violence.”