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Homeschooling in the United States: 1999


Highlights

Background

Estimated Number of Homeschooled Students in the United States

Characteristics of Homeschooled Students and Their Families

Parents' Reasons for Homeschooling

Public School Support for Homeschooled Students

Future Research Plans



List of Figures

Full Report (PDF)
line Estimated Number of Homeschooled Students in the United States

Approximately 850,000 students were being homeschooled during the spring of 1999, according to data from the Parent Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program, 1999 (Parent-NHES:1999) (see table 1). Homeschoolers accounted for 1.7 percent of students nationwide, ages 5 to 17, with a grade equivalent of kindergarten through grade 12. The estimate includes students who were homeschooled while also enrolled in school for 25 hours or less per week, and excludes students who were homeschooled due to a temporary illness.

As with all sample surveys, the numbers and percentages in this report are estimates of the numbers and percentages in the population. Although 850,000 is the best population estimate available from this sample survey, another similar sample survey might produce a different estimate. A 95 percent confidence interval defines a range of values such that 95 percent of the estimates from other similar surveys will fall within the range of values. The 95 percent confidence interval for the number of homeschoolers is 709,000 to 992,000. The estimate provided here-850,000-is the mid-point of the range. Figure 1 illustrates the confidence interval.

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