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| Homeschooling is on the rise across the country. Maskot/Getty Images |
At 8:00 a.m., breakfast in the kitchen. By 8:30 a.m., math at the dining room table. This isn’t just a pandemic memory — it’s the new normal for a growing share of American families.
Across the country, homeschooling is on the rise again, signaling a shift in how parents think about education and what works best for their children.
Homeschooling Numbers Keep Climbing
According to Johns Hopkins’ Homeschool Research Lab, 17 states have already reported increases in homeschooling for the 2024–25 school year.
| State | 2023-2024 | 2024-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 157,642 | 165,243 |
| Georgia | 79,224 | 89,510 |
| Virginia | 53,680 | 56,008 |
| South Carolina | 32,724 | 39,767 |
| Minnesota | 29,062 | 31,216 |
| Wisconsin | 29,599 | 31,094 |
| Washington | 29,467 | 30,387 |
| Louisiana | 17,049 | 17,241 |
| Nebraska | 14,612 | 15,375 |
| Massachusetts | 11,790 | 12,203 |
| Maine | 10,636 | 11,785 |
| South Dakota | 10,536 | 11,489 |
| Colorado | 9,406 | 9,826 |
| North Dakota | 4,820 | 5,009 |
| Delaware | 4,466 | 4,246 |
| Hawaii | 4,669 | 4,161 |
| Vermont | 3,198 | 3,751 |
| New Hampshire | 3,055 | 3,499 |
| Rhode Island | 2,886 | 3,086 |
Even smaller states such as Vermont and Rhode Island saw enrollment tick up, while just a handful reported slight declines.
Angela Watson, senior research fellow at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, says this isn’t just a leftover effect of COVID-19. “Younger parents today don’t see homeschooling as stigmatized in the way older generations did,” she explains.
Beyond the Pandemic: Why Families Are Choosing Homeschooling
During the pandemic, many families turned to homeschooling because public schools struggled with remote learning. But in 2025, the motivations are broader:
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Flexibility: Parents want control over schedules and curriculum.
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Personalization: One-size-fits-all education often leaves some children behind.
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Community Models: Microschools, co-ops, and hybrid programs are giving families new ways to combine resources.
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Values and Safety: Some parents cite concerns about school culture, safety, or political influence over education.
Watson summarizes: “A variety of people are exiting traditional settings for reasons that are diverse, but all fit around their needs not being met.”
Public Schools Under Pressure
The rise in homeschooling coincides with a steady decline in public school enrollment. Falling birth rates, shifting demographics, and school voucher programs — encouraged by the Trump administration — are reshaping the education landscape.
Some public schools are consolidating, while others are adapting. For instance, Mesa Public Schools in Arizona now let homeschool students take part-time classes at local campuses, using voucher funds to support the arrangement.
The Role of Politics and Policy
Federal policy is also nudging parents toward alternatives. The Trump administration has promoted school vouchers as a way to redirect funds from public schools toward private schools and homeschooling. While full-scale funding changes require congressional approval, federal agencies have already experimented with withholding or conditioning money for certain programs.
Linda McMahon, Trump’s education secretary, explained: “We don’t set curriculum, we don’t hire teachers, we don’t buy books. We’re primarily a pass-through. But we want states to see what’s working and replicate it.”
The Future of Education: Hybrid and Customized Models
Looking ahead, experts predict families will continue to “cobble together” education: a mix of homeschooling, microschooling, part-time public programs, and private tutoring.
This patchwork approach reflects a broader trend — education is becoming personalized and decentralized, moving away from the single-track model of public schooling that dominated the 20th century.
For parents, the choice is increasingly about fit, not stigma. And for America’s education system, the challenge will be adapting to a world where learning happens across dining room tables just as often as in classrooms.
