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Digest of Education Statistics
2017 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 206.10. Number and percentage of homeschooled students ages 5 through 17 with a grade equivalent of kindergarten through 12th grade, by selected child, parent, and household characteristics: Selected years, 1999 through 2016
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Selected child, parent, or household characteristic 1999 2003 2007 2012 2016
Number home-schooled1 (in thousands) Percent home-schooled1 Number home-schooled1 (in thousands) Percent home-schooled1 Number home-schooled1 (in thousands) Percent home-schooled1 Number home-schooled1,2 (in thousands) Percent home-schooled1,2 Number home-schooled1 (in thousands) Percent home-schooled1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Total 850   (71.1) 1.7   (0.14) 1,096   (92.3) 2.2   (0.18) 1,520   (118.0) 3.0   (0.23) 1,773   (115.7) 3.4   (0.23) 1,690   (118.4) 3.3   (0.23)
                                                             
Sex of child                                                            
Male 417   (43.9) 1.6   (0.17) 569   (61.9) 2.2   (0.24) 639   (75.1) 2.4   (0.28) 875   (73.7) 3.3   (0.28) 807   (79.2) 3.0   (0.30)
Female 434   (46.1) 1.8   (0.19) 527   (58.2) 2.1   (0.23) 881   (97.4) 3.5   (0.39) 898   (80.3) 3.6   (0.32) 882   (74.8) 3.5   (0.29)
                                                             
Race/ethnicity of child                                                            
White 640   (62.3) 2.0   (0.19) 843   (77.5) 2.7   (0.25) 1,171   (102.2) 3.9   (0.34) 1,205   (95.7) 4.5   (0.35) 998   (92.6) 3.8   (0.35)
Black 84   (24.8) 1.0   (0.31) 103 ! (33.9) 1.3 ! (0.42) 61 ! (21.2) 0.8 ! (0.28) 140   (37.1) 2.0   (0.52) 132   (27.6) 1.9   (0.39)
Hispanic 77   (17.7) 1.1   (0.25) 59 ! (21.1) 0.7   (0.26) 147   (27.5) 1.5   (0.29) 265   (41.1) 2.3   (0.35) 444   (62.2) 3.5   (0.50)
Asian/Pacific Islander   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 73 ! (21.9) 2.8 ! (0.9) 44   (12.6) 1.4   (0.40)
Asian   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 42   (12.0) 1.4   (0.40)
Pacific Islander   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
American Indian/Alaska Native   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
Other3 16 ! (6.4) 1.6 ! (0.62) 59 ! (26.9) 4.9 ! (2.13) 111   (29.5) 4.8   (1.30) 82   (16.3) 3.2   (0.61) 69   (15.2) 2.7   (0.62)
                                                             
Grade equivalent4                                                            
Kindergarten through grade 5 428   (48.1) 1.8   (0.20) 472   (55.3) 1.9   (0.23) 717   (83.8) 3.0   (0.36) 833   (84.8) 3.2   (0.33) 767   (74.4) 3.0   (0.29)
Kindergarten 92   (19.7) 2.4   (0.52)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 212   (47.3) 4.0   (0.9) 181   (40.7) 3.5   (0.80)
Grades 1 through 3 199   (36.7) 1.6   (0.29) 214   (33.3) 1.8   (0.28) 406   (64.5) 3.4   (0.54) 353   (50.9) 2.9   (0.42) 300   (34.1) 2.4   (0.28)
Grades 4 and 5 136   (22.5) 1.7   (0.28) 160   (30.1) 1.9   (0.35) 197   (41.4) 2.5   (0.52) 268   (44.2) 3.2   (0.52) 287   (51.8) 3.4   (0.62)
Grades 6 through 8 186   (28.0) 1.6   (0.24) 302   (44.9) 2.4   (0.36) 371   (65.3) 3.0   (0.53) 424   (49.0) 3.5   (0.41) 398   (49.1) 3.3   (0.41)
Grades 9 through 12 235   (33.3) 1.7   (0.24) 315   (47.0) 2.3   (0.33) 422   (58.2) 2.8   (0.38) 516   (53.6) 3.8   (0.39) 525   (55.9) 3.8   (0.40)
                                                             
Number of children in the household                                                            
One child 132   (18.0) 1.3   (0.17) 110   (22.3) 1.4   (0.27) 197   (32.5) 2.3   (0.38) 418   (29.6) 3.4   (0.23) 338   (35.5) 2.7   (0.27)
Two children 248   (28.4) 1.3   (0.15) 306   (45.1) 1.5   (0.22) 414   (67.2) 2.0   (0.32) 493   (51.5) 2.5   (0.26) 475   (55.3) 2.3   (0.27)
Three or more children 470   (63.9) 2.3   (0.31) 679   (80.2) 3.1   (0.36) 909   (102.4) 4.1   (0.46) 862   (88.4) 4.5   (0.47) 877   (84.8) 4.7   (0.45)
                                                             
Number of parents in the household                                                            
Two parents 683   (68.3) 2.1   (0.21) 886   (82.7) 2.5   (0.23) 1,357   (111.5) 3.6   (0.30) 1,354   (104.2) 3.8   (0.29) 1358   (103.7) 3.7   (0.28)
One parent 142   (25.0) 0.9   (0.16) 196   (42.6) 1.5   (0.32) 118   (28.4) 1.0   (0.24) 342   (51.6) 2.5   (0.37) 293   (38.4) 2.3   (0.30)
Nonparental guardians 25 ! (14.4)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 77 ! (31.9) 4.0 ! (1.6) 38   (9.9) 2.0   (0.54)
                                                             
Parent participation in the labor force                                                            
Two parents--both in labor force 237   (39.8) 1.0   (0.17) 274   (44.1) 1.1   (0.18) 518   (76.2) 2.0   (0.29) 588   (63.5) 2.5   (0.27) 427   (56.5) 1.7   (0.23)
Two parents--one in labor force 444   (53.9) 4.6   (0.55) 594   (73.7) 5.6   (0.67) 808   (94.3) 7.5   (0.82) 719   (76.3) 6.2   (0.65) 935   (87.8) 7.2   (0.68)
One parent--in labor force 98   (21.8) 0.7   (0.16) 174   (39.8) 1.4   (0.33) 127   (29.5) 1.3   (0.30) 247   (40.9) 2.2   (0.36) 189   (29.6) 1.8   (0.29)
No parent participation in labor force 71   (18.8) 1.9   (0.48)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 130   (31.9) 4.8   (1.15) 139   (23.9) 4.0   (0.72)
                                                             
Highest education level of parents                                                            
High school diploma or less 160   (26.5) 0.9   (0.15) 269   (51.6) 1.7   (0.32) 208   (35.5) 1.5   (0.24) 560   (81.7) 3.4   (0.50) 510   (66.1) 3.3   (0.43)
Vocational/technical, associate's
degree, or some college
287   (37.3) 1.9   (0.24) 338   (57.7) 2.1   (0.36) 559   (77.5) 3.8   (0.52) 525   (45.6) 3.4   (0.29) 418   (49.2) 3.1   (0.36)
Bachelor's degree/some graduate school 213   (36.2) 2.6   (0.42) 309   (48.5) 2.8   (0.45) 444   (64.7) 3.9   (0.57) 434   (51.4) 3.7   (0.43) 501   (64.0) 3.6   (0.45)
Graduate/professional degree 190   (39.8) 2.3   (0.46) 180   (41.6) 2.3   (0.55) 309   (50.0) 2.9   (0.46) 255   (27.3) 3.3   (0.36) 260   (30.7) 3.0   (0.35)
                                                             
Household income5                                                            
$20,000 or less 184   (35.2) 1.5   (0.28) 164   (38.9) 1.8   (0.43) 186   (42.1) 2.2   (0.50) 219   (41.8) 2.9   (0.56) 184   (29.0) 2.9   (0.46)
$20,001 to $50,000 356   (42.9) 1.8   (0.22) 430   (60.3) 2.6   (0.36) 420   (59.8) 3.1   (0.42) 528   (65.5) 3.8   (0.47) 483   (59.4) 3.7   (0.46)
$50,001 to $75,000 162   (25.5) 1.9   (0.30) 264   (51.1) 2.4   (0.46) 414   (58.8) 4.0   (0.57) 370   (48.9) 3.9   (0.53) 435   (58.6) 4.8   (0.65)
$75,001 to $100,000 148   (26.5) 1.5   (0.28) 169   (42.9) 2.6   (0.66) 264   (57.2) 3.8   (0.83) 288   (47.3) 4.2   (0.69) 268   (38.4) 3.8   (0.55)
Over $100,000   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 236   (57.5) 2.0   (0.49) 367   (42.8) 2.7   (0.31) 319   (39.0) 1.9   (0.24)
                                                             
Locale                                                            
City   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 327   (40.4) 2.0   (0.26) 493   (59.5) 3.3   (0.40) 493   (56.0) 3.0   (0.33)
Suburban   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 503   (78.8) 2.6   (0.41) 601   (66.8) 3.1   (0.34) 651   (76.2) 2.9   (0.33)
Town   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 168   (37.1) 3.0   (0.65) 127   (30.8) 2.6   (0.63) 177   (30.0) 4.3   (0.70)
Rural   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 523   (75.9) 4.9   (0.71) 552   (68.2) 4.5   (0.55) 368   (45.1) 4.4   (0.54)
—Not available.
† Not applicable.
! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
‡ Reporting standards not met (too few cases for a reliable estimate).
1 Excludes students who were enrolled in school for more than 25 hours a week. Also excludes students who were homeschooled only due to a temporary illness in 1999 and 2003 as well as students who were homeschooled primarily due to a temporary illness in 2007, 2012, and 2016.
2 The National Center for Education Statistics uses a statistical adjustment for estimates of homeschoolers in 2012. For more information about this adjustment, please see Homeschooling in the United States: 2012 (NCES 2016-096REV).
3 Includes Two or more races and race/ethnicity not reported.
4 Students whose grade equivalent was "ungraded" were excluded from the grade analysis. The percentage of students with an "ungraded" grade equivalent was 0.02 percent in 2003 and 2007. There were no students with an "ungraded" grade equivalent in 2012.
5 For 1999, estimates combine the "$75,001 to $100,000" and "Over $100,000" categories.
NOTE: While National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES) administrations prior to 2012 were administered via telephone with an interviewer, NHES:2012 and NHES:2016 used self-administered paper-and-pencil questionnaires that were mailed to respondents. Measurable differences between estimates for years prior to 2012 and estimates for later years could reflect actual changes in the population, or the changes could be due to the mode change from telephone to mail. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent Survey and Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (Parent-NHES:1999 and PFI-NHES:2003, 2007, 2012, and 2016). (This table was prepared February 2018.)

2017 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest