Zero Hedge
New data from the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy’s homeschool research lab show that 90 percent of states reporting data saw an increase in homeschooling in the 2023–2024 school year.
The report examined data from 21 out of 30 states that collect or report homeschool participation information. The other nine states are expected to report data in the coming months.
The 19 states that experienced growth were Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Only Vermont and New Hampshire showed a decline from the previous school year in the total number of homeschooled students.
The report identified two primary trends: sustained growth and rebounding growth. The three states with sustained growth, meaning they experienced no post-COVID-19 pandemic decline, were Louisiana, South Carolina, and South Dakota.
The other 16 states exhibited a rebounding trend, meaning they saw a post-COVID-19 pandemic decline, followed by an increase in 2023–2024.
“While homeschooling grew rapidly during the pandemic, most people thought that students would return to more traditional schools when the pandemic disruptions abated,” the report states.
“Some states did show a decline, but few have returned to normal, even four years after the onset of the pandemic.”
During the 2023–2024 school year, the number of homeschoolers in North Dakota reached an all-time high, reflecting a 24 percent increase from the previous year. Similarly, Rhode Island saw a 67 percent increase in the number of homeschoolers from the previous year. Wyoming also hit an all-time high with an 8 percent increase over the previous year.
“The big takeaway is that this is new homeschool growth that we see in last year’s state reports,” report author Angela Watson said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times.
“The rebound effect is really interesting and we aren’t sure of the reason—but we know it’s not because of a global pandemic.”
Tracking accurate data on homeschoolers is challenging due to varying legislation and reporting requirements. States have different policies regarding homeschoolers; some classify them as private school students, while others do not.
“The fact that so many states are reporting highest-ever numbers seems like a big finding as well,” Watson said,
“and that these counts are going up while overall school enrollment and population is declining.”
Some states, such as Texas, do not report homeschool statistics. However, other data indicate an increase in homeschool participation in the Lone Star state.
The Texas Homeschool Coalition examined data from the U.S. Census Bureau that showed that homeschooling in Texas nearly tripled between the spring and fall of 2020, rising from 4.5 percent to 12.3 percent.
The coalition also cited information gathered from the Texas Education Agency and statewide school districts indicating that more than 50,000 students migrated from public schools to homeschooling in 2022 and 2023.
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The Most Revolutionary Act 
That’s illegal here. Wonder why …
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In my experience, Sasjal, some of the most important brainwashing occurs in elementary school.
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In elementary school, students are highly suggestive. They are negotiating a significant life stage, according to Erik Erickson or Freud, one of socialization, which is important to learning. Not saying the government should try to control what is taught, or how, but I remember having very good and dedicated individual teachers who introduced us to varied life experiences.
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It’s my impression, Katherine, that the government already controls what’s taught – which is why Americans in droves are taking their kids out of school and home schooling them.
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I agree. But I also believe balance makes for good education, as in exposure to different people, with different backgrounds and values. Life itself educates, but I wonder about how a large, institutionalized system can serve individual needs.
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Public education has advantages and disadvantages, but everyone pays for public education. Locally, the schools have declined in quality and increased their share of property and other tax rates. There remain good and dedicated individual teachers, but curriculums have been politicized by scool boards and teacher unions. This said, I still believe in the three R’s- Readin’, Ritin’, and Rithmetic’ for the basics in the US of A. With these skills, students are armed for a productive education in any area of life they choose to undertake. There is value in the group experience, too, of nuts and bolts learning with others.
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Katherine, here in New Zealand and in many of the blue states, the government mandated human sexuality curriculum starts at age five. Neither teachers nor parent have any say and children are taught about masturbation and about their right to choose to choose what gender they want to be. https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/22-02-2024/heres-exactly-what-students-are-required-to-learn-in-sex-ed
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