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Homeschooling

Question:
How many children are homeschooled in the United States?

Response:

In the National Household Education Survey (NHES), students are considered to be homeschooled if all of the following conditions are met: their parents reported them being schooled at home instead of at a public or private school, their enrollment in public or private schools did not exceed 24 hours a week1, and they were not being homeschooled only due to a temporary illness. Homeschooled students include those ages 5 to 17 with a grade equivalent of kindergarten through grade 12. More students were homeschooled in 2019 than in 1999. Within these two decades2, the percentage of students who were homeschooled first increased from 1.7 percent in 1999 to 3.4 percent in 20123. However, the percentage of students who were homeschooled was lower in 2019 than in 2012.


Percentage of homeschooled students ages 5 through 17 with a grade equivalent of kindergarten through grade 12, by student’s race/ethnicity and parent/guardian participation in the labor force: 2019

The data in this figure is described in the surrounding text.

‡ Reporting standards not met (too few cases for a reliable estimate).
1 Also includes children whose race/ethnicity was not reported.

NOTE: Excludes students who were enrolled in school for more than 24 hours a week and students who were homeschooled only due to a temporary illness. Responding parents reported on their own activities and the activities of their spouse/other adults in the household. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, figures are based on unrounded data.


In 2019, the homeschooling rate among students ages 5 to 17 with a grade equivalent of kindergarten through 12th grade varied by race/ethnicity. A higher percentage of White students were homeschooled (4.0 percent) than Hispanic students (1.9 percent) and Black students (1.2 percent). The percentage of students who were homeschooled was also higher for those of Two or more races4 (2.7 percent) than for those who were Black5 .

Considering family structure and parent labor force participation6, the percentage of students who were homeschooled in 2019 was highest for those with two parents, one of whom was in the labor force (6.6 percent). In comparison, 3.1 percent of students with no parent participation in the labor force; 1.6 percent of students with two parents, both of whom were in the labor force; and 1.2 percent of students from one-parent households with the parent in the labor force were homeschooled.


Percentage of homeschooled students ages 5 through 17 with a grade equivalent of kindergarten through grade 12 whose parents selected each reason as one of their reasons for homeschooling:2019

The data in this figure is described in the surrounding text.

1 In addition to selecting listed reasons, parents could also write in “another reason.” Other reasons that parents gave for homeschooling include child being bullied, finances, travel, and a more flexible schedule. This category also includes children whose parents responded “no” to all response options provided in the questionnaire, including “another reason.”

2Refers to the percentage of homeschooled students whose parents gave more than one reason for homeschooling, one of which was “Child has a temporary illness.” Students are excluded from this entire figure if a temporary illness was the only reason that their parents gave for homeschooling.

NOTE: Parents could give more than one reason. They answered “yes” or “no” to each of the listed reasons. Excludes students who were enrolled in school for more than 24 hours a week.


Parents of homeschooled students ages 5 through 17 with a grade equivalent of kindergarten through 12th grade were asked to identify all reasons that applied to their decision to homeschool their child in 2019. More than two-thirds of homeschooled students had parents who selected one or more of the following as a reason for homeschooling: a concern about school environment, such as safety, drugs, or negative peer pressure (80 percent); a desire to provide moral instruction (75 percent); emphasis on family life together (75 percent); and a dissatisfaction with the academic instruction at other schools (73 percent).

In addition, parents of homeschooled students were asked to identify the single most important reason to homeschool their child in 2019. The most common was a concern about school environment, such as safety, drugs, or negative peer pressure (25 percent). Fifteen percent of homeschooled students had parents who reported that the most important reason was a dissatisfaction with the academic instruction at other schools. Thirteen percent had parents who reported that the most important reason was a desire to provide religious instruction.

More recent data on homeschooling are available from the Household Pulse Survey (for example, see here).7 However, readers should note that estimates based on the HPS data cannot be directly compared with those from the NHES, above.


1 Data in 2019 exclude students who were enrolled in school for more than 24 hours a week, while data prior to 2019 exclude students who were enrolled in school for more than 25 hours a week. Caution should be used when comparing the 2019 homeschooling estimates with those of earlier years. 2 Data are only available for 1999, 2003, 2007, 2012, 2016, and 2019. 3 NCES uses a statistical adjustment for estimates of homeschoolers in 2012. For more information about this adjustment, see Homeschooling in the United States: 2012 (NCES 2016-096REV), available at https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2016096rev. 4 Also includes children whose race/ethnicity was not reported. 5 Asian, Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native students are excluded from this comparison because their data did not meet reporting standards in 2019. 6 Also includes labor force participation of the students’ guardians. 7 The Household Pulse Survey (HPS) is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau with 16 other federal agencies and offices, including the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). It has provided weekly or biweekly national and state estimates on topics such as employment, food security, housing, access to health care, and household educational activities since April 23, 2020, when data collection began.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Homeschooled Children and Reasons for Homeschooling. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved March 8, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/tgk.

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