New report: homeschooling is growing and becoming more diverse

A new report highlights both the expansion of homeschooling since the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing diversity of families participating in it.

“Homeschool participation has grown dramatically in recent years and appears to be on a new upward trend,” write authors Angela Watson and Matthew Lee, who studied a national sample of 3,200 homeschool families. “This growth will likely lead to the continued population diversification and new innovations in how ‘homeschooling’ is defined and delivered.”

Watson and Lee, who work for Johns Hopkins University and Kennesaw State University, respectively, presented their findings at Harvard University’s Kennedy School in May.

Their work helps dispel various stereotypes about homeschoolers and shows the value of educational freedom, which is gaining momentum in states around the country.

During the pandemic, homeschooling nearly tripled from 3% to 11% of the nation’s K-12 population. It has since stabilized at 6%, which means it is nearly as large as the charter school sector (7%) and approaching the size of private school enrollment (9%), making it a significant educational option for many families.

Growing more diverse

As homeschooling has grown, it has also become more diverse. The report notes a slight majority of homeschoolers are white, Republican and religious, though 29% of families are Democrats and 31% report they never attend religious services.

The reasons families choose to homeschool remain consistent, with educational outcomes – such as test scores and college admissions – at the top. There remains a slight preference for stronger civic and religious engagement, something homeschooling has been shown to produce.

The authors also document how homeschooling can take multiple formats. Just 71% of homeschoolers receive all of their education at home. The rest are involved in co-ops (18%), hybrid schools (8%) and other arrangements (3%). Some families homeschool one child and send another to public school, depending on each child’s needs.

School choice has helped homeschooling expand, with programs such as education savings accounts allowing parents to craft the kind of educational experience their child needs. As school choice expands to more states – and now nationally through Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget bill – educational options will become available to more families. 

The authors say homeschooling “is likely to increasingly become diverse and diffuse over time.” They advocate for politicians and policy experts to discard past stereotypes when considering the homeschool sector.

“We find that, in general, homeschooling parents look like their non-homeschooling peers and value the same things as other parents,” the report concludes.

The report also emphasizes choice as a central theme, with empowered parents at the center – choosing what is best for each of their children, even on an annual basis.

“As more choices become available, parents are likely to increasingly choose from year to year and child to child the sector that best meets the needs of their families.”

To learn more about homeschooling, visit hfschoolbox.com.