Homeschool enrollment in the United States grew 51% over six school years in the 18 states with comparable records, more than seven times the 7% growth of private school enrollment over the same period (Washington Post, state-records analysis, 2023). The federal survey baseline tells the same story at lower altitude: 3.4% of K-12 students were homeschooled in 2022-23, up from 2.8% before the pandemic (NCES, National Household Education Survey 2023). The growth has not stalled since: homeschooling expanded another 4.9% on average in 2024-25, nearly triple the pre-pandemic pace, and 10 states posted their highest homeschool enrollment ever recorded (Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub, 2025). The trend is international, with England’s home-educated population up 13% in a single year (UK Department for Education, 2025). This analysis consolidates data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub, and 14 other primary sources to map where homeschooling stands in 2026.
TL;DR
- 3.4% of U.S. K-12 students were homeschooled in 2022-23, up from 2.8% in 2018-19 (NCES, NHES 2023).
- Counting state records, NHERI estimates 3.4 million homeschool students, about 6.3% of school-age children, in 2024-25 (NHERI, 2025).
- Homeschool numbers rose 51% over six school years in 18 states with comparable data, versus 7% for private schools (Washington Post, 2023).
- Homeschooling grew an average of 4.9% in 2024-25, nearly 3x the pre-pandemic rate of ~2% (Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub, 2025).
- 10 states, 36% of those reporting, hit record-high homeschool enrollment in 2024-25 (Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub, 2025).
- U.S. households homeschooling doubled from 5.4% to 11.1% during 2020 (U.S. Census Bureau, Household Pulse Survey).
- 83% of homeschool parents cite concern about the environment of other schools, the top reason (NCES, NHES 2023).
- 12% of school parents would prefer homeschooling, and it holds a 70% favorability rating (EdChoice, Schooling in America 2025).
- Microschools serve roughly 750,000 students, about 2% of the U.S. student population (National Microschooling Center, 2025).
- 18 states operate 21 education savings account programs; Texas’s new program starts at 1 billion dollars (NCSL; Texas Comptroller).
- England recorded 126,000 home-educated children in autumn 2025, up 13% year over year (UK Department for Education).
1. How Many Students Are Homeschooled
Start with the measurement problem, because it shapes every other number. The federal National Household Education Survey counts homeschoolers by asking households directly, and its 2023 round put the rate at 3.4% of K-12 students, roughly 1.8 million children out of the 53 million it represents. Add full-time virtual schooling and 5.2% of American K-12 students now receive their academic instruction at home, up from 3.7% in 2018-19 (NCES). State-registration approaches produce bigger totals: NHERI, an advocacy-affiliated research group, combines filings from 23 states with Census data to estimate 3.4 million homeschoolers in 2024-25. The honest answer is a range, not a point.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. K-12 students homeschooled (2022-23) | 3.4% | NCES, NHES 2023 |
| Homeschool rate before the pandemic (2018-19) | 2.8% | NCES, NHES 2019 |
| Homeschool rate in 1999 | 1.7% | NCES, Fast Facts |
| Students receiving academic instruction at home (2022-23) | 5.2% (vs 3.7% in 2018-19) | NCES / IES, PFI-NHES:2023 |
| Students in full-time virtual education (2022-23) | 2.5% (1.8% virtual schools + 0.7% virtual homeschool) | NCES / IES, PFI-NHES:2023 |
| NHERI estimate, K-12 homeschool students (2024-25) | 3.408 million (range 3.067-3.749M) | NHERI, 2025 |
| NHERI estimate as share of school-age population | ~6.3% | NHERI, 2025 |
| Washington Post state-records estimate (2022-23) | 1.9-2.7 million | Washington Post, 2023 |
Context: EdChoice frames the sector at about 6% of K-12 students, which would place homeschooling just behind charter schools (7%) and private schools (9%) in national share (EdChoice, 2026). Full-time virtual schooling, the other at-home category, depends on reliable home connectivity, a constraint quantified in our digital divide statistics.
2. Growth Since the Pandemic
The pandemic spike did not fully recede; it reset the baseline. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey caught the shock in real time, with homeschooling households doubling from 5.4% in spring 2020 to 11.1% that fall. The Washington Post’s district-level project, built from 6,738 school districts in states covering 61% of the school-age population, showed the surge persisting through 2022-23. In 2024-25, 80% of reporting states saw homeschooling increase again, and South Carolina led the nation at 21.5% growth in a single year (Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub; EdChoice).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average homeschool growth rate, 2024-25 | +4.9% (vs ~2% pre-pandemic) | Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub, 2025 |
| States at record-high homeschool enrollment, 2024-25 | 10 (36% of reporting states) | Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub, 2025 |
| Fastest-growing states, 2024-25 | SC +21.5%, VT +17%, OH +15%, NH +14.5% | Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub, via EdChoice, 2026 |
| States declining, 2024-25 | 6 (DE, DC, FL, HI, NM, TN) | Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub, 2025 |
| U.S. households homeschooling, spring to fall 2020 | 5.4% to 11.1% | U.S. Census Bureau, Household Pulse Survey |
| Homeschool growth over six school years, 18 comparable states | +51% (vs +7% private school) | Washington Post, 2023 |
| North Carolina registered home schools, 2024-25 | 96,529 (+5.5%), ~165,243 students | NC DNPE, via EdNC |
| Florida homeschool students, 2024-25 | ~153,000 | Florida DOE, via Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub |
Outlier note: Florida’s 1.7% decline is partly an accounting artifact. Homeschoolers who accept the state’s universal education savings account are reclassified and no longer counted as homeschooled (Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub, 2025).
3. Who Homeschools: Demographics and Politics
The stereotype lags the data. White students are still homeschooled at the highest rate, 5.1% versus 1.7% of Black and 1.8% of Hispanic students in 2022-23 (NCES, NHES 2023), but the composition of the homeschool population has diversified: EdChoice polling finds roughly 15% of homeschoolers are Hispanic, 10% Black, and 5% Asian (EdChoice, 2026). During fall 2020, the share of Black households homeschooling quintupled, from 3.3% to 16.1%, the largest jump of any group (U.S. Census Bureau, Household Pulse Survey). Politically the population is mixed rather than monolithic: 44% of homeschool parents identify as Republican and 29% as Democrat, and while 44% attend religious services weekly, 31% never do.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Homeschool rate by race/ethnicity (2022-23) | 5.1% White, 1.8% Hispanic, 1.7% Black | NCES, NHES 2023 |
| Black student homeschool rate, 2019 vs 2022-23 | 1.2% to 1.7% | NCES, NHES 2019 and 2023 |
| Black households homeschooling, spring to fall 2020 | 3.3% to 16.1% | U.S. Census Bureau, Household Pulse Survey |
| Homeschool population composition | ~15% Hispanic, ~10% Black, ~5% Asian | EdChoice, 2026 |
| Homeschool parents by party | 44% Republican, 29% Democrat | EdChoice, 2026 |
| Religious service attendance among homeschool parents | 44% weekly, 31% never | EdChoice, 2026 |
| Highest-rate family structure (2019) | 6.6% in two-parent, one-earner households (vs 1.6% dual-earner) | NCES, Fast Facts |
Note: the family-structure breakdown is from the 2019 NHES round, the most recent available for that variable; the 2023 round did not republish it.
4. Why Parents Choose It
The motivations data undercuts the assumption that homeschooling is primarily religious. In the NCES 2023 survey, religion ranks fifth among reasons cited, well behind safety and academics. 83% of homeschool parents cite concern about the environment of other schools, including safety, drugs, and negative peer pressure, and 28% call it their single most important reason (NCES, NHES 2023). Meanwhile the demand overhang is large: 12% of parents say they would prefer to homeschool, more than double the share who actually do, and homeschooling carries a 70% favorability rating among school parents (EdChoice, Schooling in America 2025).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Concern about environment of other schools | 83% cite; 28% rank most important | NCES, NHES 2023 |
| Desire to provide moral instruction | 75% | NCES, NHES 2023 |
| Dissatisfaction with academic instruction | 72% cite; 17% rank most important | NCES, NHES 2023 |
| Desire to emphasize family life | 72% | NCES, NHES 2023 |
| Desire to provide religious instruction | 53% | NCES, NHES 2023 |
| Preference for nontraditional approach | 50% | NCES, NHES 2023 |
| Child has special needs school cannot meet | 21% | NCES, NHES 2023 |
| Parents who would prefer homeschool / favorability | 12% / 70% | EdChoice, Schooling in America 2025 |
Context: another 15% of parents cite a child’s physical or mental health condition lasting six months or more (NCES, via Pew Research Center). Learning differences are a recurring driver; the scale of that population is covered in our dyslexia statistics.
5. Academic Outcomes: What the Research Shows
Treat outcome claims with more caution than enrollment counts, because almost no homeschool achievement study uses random samples. A peer-reviewed systematic review updated for 2017-2026 found most studies favor homeschoolers, but its lead author is affiliated with NHERI, an advocacy organization, and critics note that self-selection and family background explain much of the raw gap. 63% of peer-reviewed achievement studies find homeschooled students perform statistically significantly better than institutional-school peers (Ray, Peabody Journal of Education systematic review, 2025). The best-controlled findings are narrower and older: structured homeschooling beats conventional schooling on tests while unstructured homeschooling trails it, and homeschool alumni post modestly higher college GPAs.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Peer-reviewed achievement studies favoring homeschoolers | 63% | Ray, systematic review, Peabody Journal of Education (2025) |
| Typical standardized-test advantage claimed | 15-25 percentile points (contested; non-random samples) | NHERI fact sheet, advocacy estimate |
| Structured vs unstructured homeschooling | Structured scored above conventional peers; unstructured below | Martin-Chang et al., Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science (2011) |
| College GPA, homeschool alumni vs peers | Higher first-year and fourth-year GPAs, controls applied | Cogan, Journal of College Admission (2010) |
Note: the Martin-Chang and Cogan studies are the most recent available with meaningful controls, which itself signals how thin the rigorous evidence base remains.
6. Costs and Public Funding
Homeschooling is cheap next to private school but no longer purely self-funded. Out-of-pocket spending clusters between 700 and 1,800 dollars per child per year (Tutors.com, 2026 cost guide), while the policy environment shifted fast: five states enacted new education savings account programs in 2025 alone (NCSL). Texas’s new Education Freedom Accounts program launches in 2026-27 with 1 billion dollars for its first two-year budget cycle, paying up to 10,900 dollars per private-school student and up to 2,000 dollars per homeschooled student (Texas Comptroller, 2025). Public money flowing to home educators is the single biggest structural change in the sector since 2020.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Typical annual homeschool spend per child | $700-$1,800 | Tutors.com, 2026 cost guide |
| Curriculum cost per student per year | $200-$700 | Tutors.com, 2026 cost guide |
| Online homeschool program cost per year | $400-$6,000 | Tutors.com, 2026 cost guide |
| States with ESA programs (2025) | 18 states, 21 programs | NCSL, Education Choice State Policy Scan |
| New ESA states enacted in 2025 | 5 (AL, GA, LA, TX, WY) | NCSL |
| Texas ESA program, initial funding | $1 billion (2026-27 biennium) | Texas Comptroller, 2025 |
| Texas ESA, homeschool vs disability cap | $2,000 vs up to $30,000 per year | Texas Comptroller, 2025 |
Context: much of the discretionary budget goes to outside instruction, a market sized in our private tutoring market statistics.
7. Microschools, Hybrids, and the Global Picture
The boundary between homeschooling and schooling is blurring. The National Microschooling Center’s 2025 sector analysis, covering 800 operating and prelaunch microschools across all 50 states, estimates these small, often homeschool-adjacent programs now serve about 2% of U.S. students. Roughly 750,000 American students attend microschools, with a median enrollment of just 22 students per nonpublic program (National Microschooling Center, 2025). Abroad, the same post-2020 momentum shows up in official registers: England’s home-educated count rose 13% in the year to autumn 2025, and Australian registrations are up 25% since 2019.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. students in microschools | ~750,000 (~2% of students) | National Microschooling Center, 2025 |
| Median microschool enrollment | 22 (nonpublic); 36 (public/charter) | National Microschooling Center, 2025 |
| Microschool founders with education backgrounds | 86%, up from 71% in 2024 | National Microschooling Center, 2025 |
| Age ranges served by microschools | 84% ages 5-11; 76% ages 12-14; 52% ages 15-18 | National Microschooling Center, 2025 |
| England, home-educated children (autumn 2025 census day) | 126,000 (+13% year over year) | UK Department for Education |
| England, home educated at any point in 2024/25 | 175,900 (+15% vs 153,300 in 2023/24) | UK Department for Education |
| Australia, registered homeschool students (2024) | 45,000+ (+25% since 2019) | State registration data, via The Conversation |
| New South Wales registrations, 2019-2024 | 5,907 to 12,762 (more than doubled) | NSW Education Standards Authority, via The Conversation |
Context: microschools and hybrid homeschool programs lean heavily on online curriculum and learning platforms, a supply side tracked in our edtech funding statistics.
Summary: Homeschooling by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. K-12 homeschool rate (2022-23) | 3.4% | NCES, NHES 2023 |
| Pre-pandemic homeschool rate (2018-19) | 2.8% | NCES, NHES 2019 |
| Students receiving academic instruction at home | 5.2% | NCES / IES, PFI-NHES:2023 |
| NHERI homeschool estimate (2024-25) | 3.408 million (~6.3%) | NHERI, 2025 |
| Washington Post state-records estimate | 1.9-2.7 million | Washington Post, 2023 |
| Homeschool growth, six school years, 18 states | +51% (vs +7% private) | Washington Post, 2023 |
| Average homeschool growth, 2024-25 | +4.9% | Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub, 2025 |
| States at record homeschool enrollment, 2024-25 | 10 | Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub, 2025 |
| Fastest-growing state, 2024-25 | South Carolina, +21.5% | Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub, via EdChoice |
| Households homeschooling, 2020 spring to fall | 5.4% to 11.1% | U.S. Census Bureau, Household Pulse Survey |
| Black households homeschooling, fall 2020 | 16.1% (from 3.3%) | U.S. Census Bureau, Household Pulse Survey |
| Top reason to homeschool | School environment, 83% | NCES, NHES 2023 |
| Parents preferring homeschool / favorability | 12% / 70% | EdChoice, Schooling in America 2025 |
| Achievement studies favoring homeschoolers | 63% | Ray, Peabody Journal of Education (2025) |
| Typical annual cost per child | $700-$1,800 | Tutors.com, 2026 |
| States with ESA programs | 18 (21 programs) | NCSL, 2025 |
| Texas ESA initial funding | $1 billion | Texas Comptroller, 2025 |
| U.S. microschool students | ~750,000 | National Microschooling Center, 2025 |
| England home-educated children (autumn 2025) | 126,000 (+13%) | UK Department for Education |
| Australia registered homeschoolers (2024) | 45,000+ (+25% since 2019) | State data, via The Conversation |
Methodology and Sources
Data was gathered by aggregating figures directly from government surveys, state administrative records, and named research releases published in 2023-2026, cross-referencing overlapping metrics across two or more sources, flagging advocacy-affiliated estimates, and noting any figure older than 2024.
- NCES, National Household Education Surveys Program: Homeschooling (PFI-NHES:2023, fielded Jan-Aug 2023, n=19,562)
- IES/NCES press release, A Higher Percentage of K-12 Students Are Receiving Academic Instruction at Home (2024)
- NCES, Fast Facts: Homeschooling (2019 round detail)
- Pew Research Center, A look at homeschooling in the U.S. (Feb 2025)
- U.S. Census Bureau, Household Pulse Survey: Homeschooling on the Rise (2021, covering 2020 waves)
- Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, Homeschool Hub: Homeschool Growth 2024-2025 (Nov 2025)
- Washington Post, Home schooling’s rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education (2023; 6,738 districts, states covering 61% of school-age population)
- NHERI, How Many Homeschool Students Are There in the United States? (2025; advocacy-affiliated, based on 23 states’ registration data plus Census Pulse)
- EdChoice, 2025 Schooling in America survey (2025)
- EdChoice, How Homeschooling Became the Fastest Growing Education Model (2026)
- National Microschooling Center, American Microschools: A Sector Analysis (May 2025; 800 microschools surveyed)
- UK Department for Education, Elective home education: autumn term 2025 (2025; local-authority census, mandatory since autumn 2024)
- NCSL, Education Choice State Policy Scan: Education Savings Accounts (2025)
- Texas Comptroller, Education Freedom Accounts final rules and key dates (Nov 2025)
- NC Division of Non-Public Education, 2024-25 statistics, via EdNC (Jul 2025)
- Ray, A Systematic Review of the Empirical Research on Selected Aspects of Homeschooling: Updated 2017-2026, Peabody Journal of Education (2025)
- The Conversation / University of Newcastle, Australian homeschooling growth (2026, citing state registration data)
- Additional figures: Martin-Chang, Gould and Meuse, Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science (2011); Cogan, Journal of College Admission (2010); Tutors.com homeschooling cost guide (2026).
Data watch: the NCES fields its next National Household Education Survey on the usual four-year cycle, with new homeschool figures expected around 2027; the Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub publishes its next annual growth report in late 2026; the UK Department for Education releases elective home education estimates each term, with the spring 2026 figures due next; the National Microschooling Center’s 2026 sector analysis is expected mid-2026; and NHERI and EdChoice refresh their estimates annually.
Last updated: July 18, 2026. We review and update this page quarterly as new data is published.