Recent findings from the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy’s homeschool research lab reveal a significant surge in homeschooling across the United States for the 2023–2024 school year, with 90 percent of states reporting an increase in homeschooling participation. This data was analyzed from 21 of the 30 states that provide information on homeschool enrollment, while the remaining nine states are anticipated to release their figures in the near future. States that experienced notable growth in homeschooling include 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. In contrast, Vermont and New Hampshire were the only states to report a decrease in homeschooling numbers.
The report outlines two main trends within the data: sustained growth and rebounding growth. Louisiana, South Carolina, and South Dakota demonstrated sustained growth, indicating that these states did not experience a dip in homeschooling following the COVID-19 pandemic. The remaining 16 states, however, showed a rebound effect, having initially faced a decline in homeschooling during the pandemic but witnessing a resurgence in the 2023–2024 academic year. Despite expectations that families would return to traditional schooling post-pandemic, the report suggests few states have reverted to pre-pandemic norms.
Noteworthy increases in homeschooling participation include a remarkable 24 percent rise in North Dakota, which reached its highest enrollment ever, and an impressive 67 percent increase in Rhode Island. Wyoming also marked an 8 percent rise to achieve an all-time high in homeschooling numbers. According to Angela Watson, the report’s author, the current growth in homeschooling is a recent phenomenon rather than a continuation of pandemic-driven trends, prompting further exploration into the factors contributing to this shift.
The challenge in obtaining accurate data on homeschooling stems from disparate state laws and reporting requirements, as several states may classify homeschoolers as private school students, among other designations. Watson emphasized that many states reporting their highest-ever numbers indicates a significant trend, particularly as overall school enrollment continues to decline. The state of Texas, which does not report homeschooling statistics, has also shown signs of increased homeschooling participation, with data from the Texas Homeschool Coalition suggesting that the percentage of homeschoolers nearly tripled between spring and fall of 2020, growing from 4.5 percent to 12.3 percent.
Moreover, the coalition provided evidence that over 50,000 students transitioned from public schools to homeschooling in Texas during 2022 and 2023. Notably, unlike the rapid expansion of homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic, the current rise in participation is not attributed to circumstances encountered during that time. Instead, an unidentified set of factors appears to be driving this new growth in homeschooling.
The majority of states are experiencing an upward trajectory in homeschooling participation, a shift that signals an evolving educational landscape. As these trends develop, understanding the motivations behind this growth will be essential. The ongoing variations in legislation and policy surrounding homeschooling will also play a critical role in shaping its future direction, as families seek alternatives to traditional education systems for their children. As the academic environment continues to transform, the implications of increasing homeschooling rates will likely influence education policy discussions and potential reforms in the years to come.
