Table 206.15.

Percentage and percentage distribution of homeschooled students ages 5 through 17 with a grade equivalent of kindergarten through grade 12, by reasons their parents gave for homeschooling, the one reason their parents identified as most important, and race/ethnicity of child: 2015-16

[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Reason for homeschooling	Percent of homeschooled students whose parents selected each reason as one of their reasons for homeschooling1																		Percentage distribution of homeschooled students, by the one reason identified by their parents as most important2
	Total			White			Black			Hispanic			Asian/Pacific Islander			Other3			Total			White			Black			Hispanic			Asian/ Pacific Islander		Other3
1	2			4			6			8			10			12			3			5			7			9			11		13
A concern about school environment, such as safety, drugs, or negative peer pressure	80.4		(2.39)	85.3		(2.43)	54.3		(11.30)	78.9		(4.98)	52.7	!	(16.03)	88.7		(7.87)	33.8		(3.15)	28.0		(2.94)	32.4	!	(11.73)	47.9		(8.20)	‡	(†)	33.7		(8.23)
A dissatisfaction with the academic instruction at other schools	60.5		(3.02)	69.0		(3.52)	47.4		(11.57)	43.6		(6.61)	45.8	!	(15.69)	82.4		(7.72)	17.0		(2.16)	18.7		(2.62)	15.0	!	(6.11)	10.5	!	(3.90)	‡	(†)	35.8		(10.70)
A desire to provide religious instruction	51.3		(3.04)	64.7		(3.31)	32.9	!	(11.31)	28.1		(6.00)	46.3	!	(15.92)	46.1		(12.75)	15.9		(2.68)	20.8		(3.83)	‡		(†)	6.5	!	(2.71)	‡	(†)	‡		(†)
A desire to provide moral instruction	66.9		(2.93)	79.0		(2.59)	53.2		(11.57)	46.7		(6.84)	38.8	!	(15.30)	68.3		(10.37)	4.7		(1.27)	5.6	!	(1.87)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡	(†)	‡		(†)
Child has a physical or mental health problem	14.1		(1.49)	14.4		(1.92)	‡		(†)	14.0		(3.82)	‡		(†)	23.4	!	(8.43)	5.5		(1.19)	4.7		(1.37)	‡		(†)	9.0	!	(3.11)	‡	(†)	‡		(†)
Child has a temporary illness4	3.7		(0.83)	3.4		(0.92)	‡		(†)	4.3	!	(2.00)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡	(†)	‡		(†)
Child has other special needs	19.8		(1.91)	20.7		(2.71)	18.3	!	(6.52)	17.4		(4.16)	‡		(†)	32.2	!	(9.75)	5.8		(1.26)	4.4		(1.20)	11.9	!	(5.82)	6.6	!	(2.89)	‡	(†)	‡		(†)
A desire to provide a nontraditional approach to child’s education	39.0		(2.67)	47.4		(3.85)	29.9	!	(11.53)	24.2		(5.11)	‡		(†)	42.6		(8.32)	5.6		(1.18)	8.2		(1.97)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡	(†)	‡		(†)
Other reasons5	21.8		(2.74)	17.6		(2.72)	30.8	!	(10.14)	27.9		(7.54)	‡		(†)	24.7	!	(9.67)	11.4		(1.85)	9.1		(2.30)	24.5	!	(9.52)	14.1	!	(5.06)	‡	(†)	‡		(†)

†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 Parents could give more than more than one reason. They answered "yes" or "no" to each of the listed reasons.

2 Parents could identify only one reason as the most important.

3 Includes American Indian/Alaska Native, Two or more races, and race/ethnicity not reported.

4 Students are excluded from this table if a temporary illness was the only reason that their parents gave for homeschooling.

5 In addition to selecting listed reasons, parents could also write in "another reason." Other reasons that parents gave for homeschooling include family time, finances, travel, and a more flexible schedule.

NOTE: Excludes students who were enrolled in school for more than 25 hours a week. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding and suppression of data that do not meet reporting standards.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2016). (This table was prepared November 2018.)