Homeschooling Gaining Popularity — and Diversity
Movement expands well beyond its traditional image — 41% students are non-white.
H BY HANNAH SWANSON
omeschooling was long associated with conservative values, often with religious families seeking greater con-
trol over their children’s education. But that stereotype increasingly
fails to capture the full range of fami- lies choosing to educate their children at home. Parents from a wider variety of
political, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds are turning to home- schooling for reasons ranging from concerns about school safety and aca- demics to a desire for greater flexibility and individualized instruction. Recent data suggest the home- schooling population is not only grow- ing but becoming increasingly diverse. According to the National Home Education Research Institute, an esti- mated 3.4 million K-12 students were homeschooled in the United States during the 2024-2025 school year, rep- resenting about 6.3% of the school-age population. That compares with an estimated
2.5 million homeschooled students in spring 2019. An analysis by the Johns Hop-
kins Institute for Education Policy found homeschooling increased by an average of 4.9% during the 2024- 2025 school year among states with available data, more than double the roughly 2% annual growth rate record- ed before the pandemic. South Carolina recorded the larg-
est year-over-year increase at 21.5%, followed by Vermont at 17%, Ohio at
3.4 million
K-12 students were homeschooled in the United States during the 2024-2025 school year.
15%, and New Hampshire at 14.5%, according to Johns Hopkins. NHERI also reported that about
41% of U.S. homeschool students are non-white. Homeschool families span religious and political identities, includ- ing Christians and atheists as well as conservatives, liberals and libertarians, and come from a range of income levels. The numbers do not suggest home- schooling has shed its religious or con- servative roots. Rather, they point to a movement that has expanded beyond its traditional image. Parents choose homeschooling for
a variety of reasons, often with several factors influencing the decision. Safety is among the most common-
ly cited reasons for homeschooling, while researchers have found addi- tional motivations can differ among racial and ethnic groups. Some Hispanic families, for exam-
ple, have cited preserving language, family ties, and cultural heritage, while research on Black homeschool families has identified greater paren- tal control over children’s education as one motivation. Eric Franzen, owner and director of
Ideal School, an online K-12 school, said he has seen that diversity firsthand. He said the families he encounters vary widely in income, occupation, and
political beliefs. “Primarily because of the perceived unsafe environment in public schools, families in the USA are looking for alternative means of edu- cating their children,” Franzen said. NHERI similarly lists concerns
about violence, drugs and alcohol, psychological abuse, and other prob- lems associated with institutional schools among the reasons parents may consider home education. For other families, academics are
the driving concern. Homeschooling allows parents to tailor curriculum and pacing to an individual student’s needs rather than follow the standardized structure of a traditional classroom. That flexibility can appeal to par-
ents who believe their children would thrive under a different educational approach. The familiar image of a parent sit-
ting at the kitchen table teaching every subject no longer describes many home- school households. Online schools, vir- tual classes, tutors, homeschool co-ops, and other resources have expanded the ways families can educate children out- side conventional schools. Parents can combine professional
instruction with parent-led learning, providing students with structure with- out requiring a parent to personally teach every lesson.
OCTOBER 2026 | NEWSMAX 27
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