According to the latest data from the Texas census, homeschooling has been on the rise even after the emergence of COVID-19.
The U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey reveals that homeschooling has seen a growth between 2023 and 2024. In the current year, homeschooling was pursued by 4.3 million children in the U.S., a significant increase compared to 3.7 million two decades ago.
Not all states experienced the same growth rate in homeschooling. Texas accounted for 6% of all homeschooling enrollments in 2024, up from 3.7% in 2023, representing a notable 69% year-over-year increase.
Contrastingly, Florida witnessed a decline in homeschooling, while California, another prominent state, saw a decrease from 2.3% to 3% between 2023 and 2024.
Over the years, homeschooling has garnered popularity as an educational option for parents.
Some parents have expressed frustration with traditional educational systems and opted for homeschooling to have more control over their children’s education. Concerns about bullying and safety have also prompted some parents to choose homeschooling.
Additionally, parents feel that children with learning disabilities may thrive better in a home learning environment rather than in a typical school setting.
Prior to the pandemic, homeschooling had already been gaining traction. The Texas Home School Coalition (THSC) reported that withdrawals from the public school system to homeschooling had surged by 228% from 1997 to 2019.
The rise in homeschooling is also associated with numerous highly-publicized school shootings, especially in states with more relaxed gun laws like Texas.
A tragic incident at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where gunman Salvador Ramos fatally shot 19 students and two teachers, marked one of the deadliest school shootings since the Sandy Hook massacre in Connecticut in 2012.
Recent surveys indicate a shift in the homeschooling landscape.
According to a Washington Post survey, the percentage of fathers embracing homeschooling has escalated from 5% to 40% in just four years, citing dissatisfaction with how public and private schools handled the pandemic as a major factor.
The survey also revealed that 31% of parents felt that local public school policies were not strict enough, while 27% believed the opposite.
Before the pandemic, only 3% of children were homeschooled. By the end of the 2020-21 academic year, this figure had more than doubled, driven by concerns surrounding remote learning and social isolation.