• Math tutors
• /
• Blog
• /
• Homeschooling Statistics 2026

Homeschooling Statistics 2026

Jessica Kaminski

reviewed by Jo-ann Caballes

Updated on December 31, 2025

All

If you have doubts about what’s best for your child, checking out these homeschooling statistics might help to make an informed decision. As a tutor who works with homeschooled children and kids attending public/private schools alike, I’ll show you here all the main numbers about homeschooling with advantages/disadvantages to each type of education.

Key numbers 

• By 2025-2026, there are over 3 million homeschooled children in the United States.
• On private and public school vs homeschool statistics, over 70% of parents are dissatisfied with the school environment, the quality of academic education, and the amount of time kids spend away from home in public and private schools.
• The number of students who receive home-based education has increased by almost twice (from 2.8% to 5.4%) since pre-pandemic times.
• Based on the homeschool statistics 2025, in Alaska and North Carolina, almost every 1 out of 10 students is homeschooled.
• With the tutoring platforms like Brighterly, you can significantly save on the average $500-$2,500 annual cost on homeschooling.   

How many students are homeschooled in the US in 2025-2026?

Parents of more than 3.7 million children in the United States in 2025 are homeschooling, either partially or fully. 

The exact number of how many people homeschool in the US may be even more, as      NHERI reports 3.135 million homeschool students already in 2021-2022. Generally, sources mention the number between 3 and up to 4 million homeschooled in 2025, and such a dramatic difference is based on including those who receive any sort of virtual education on top of their full-time private or public school education.

Why do US parents choose homeschooling and supplemental tutoring?

Parents opt for homeschooling with tutoring platforms because they believe their child can benefit from individualized teaching or alternative curricula. According to Pew        Research Center (PRC), approximately 72% of the US homeschooling parents express dissatisfaction with the academic quality of traditional schools, driving the number of homeschooled students in US.

Among other major reasons for choosing best homeschool programs in the US are:

• Concern about school environment (PRC states that 83% of parents are worried about safety, drugs, and negative peer pressure)
• Desire to spend more time together (72% of parents)
• Desire to have more control over moral guidance on kids’ education (72% of parents)

If you can relate to these concerns about traditional school education, Brighterly reading and math tutors can convey more knowledge to children than is typically possible in schools. This is because, unlike in conventional classrooms where a teacher must divide their attention among many students, Brighterly provides one-on-one interactive online lessons, ensuring each student receives the maximum amount of personalized attention.

Thousands of parents choose homeschooling in the USA with Brighterly math and reading platform because each tutor is carefully selected based on the student’s grade, knowledge level, goals, and specific needs, such as ADHD or dyslexia.

Each Brighterly private tutor knows how to make a homeschool schedule that is based on a student’s strengths and areas for improvement. They carefully monitor each child’s progress to ensure that by the end of the course, your kid not only enjoys the subject but also possesses the necessary knowledge for their age level.

Homeschooling statistics vs public schooling statistics in the United States

Below, you’ll find out more about why so many children in the United States in 2025 are homeschooled, what benefits their parents see, and why they refuse public schooling.

General homeschooling statistics around the world

Based on the homeschooling statistics 2020-2025, the United States remains the country with the greatest number of homeschoolers in the world. Still, the number of homeschooled kids is increasing all over the world, based on these facts:

1. UK: Based on the UK Education Statistics, the percentage of kids homeschooled in 2024 increased from 92,000 to 111,700 children in one year.
2. Australia: In 2025, 45,000 young people out of 4.1 million schoolers in Australia are homeschooled.
3. Canada: After the pandemic spike with 83,988 homeschooled students, the current homeschooling rate is 63,150 students.
4. New Zealand: By the end of 2024, 75% of parents reported homeschooling their kids for up to 5 years.   
5. The US: 98% of homeschooled students participate in an average of 5 extracurriculars per week. Studies have shown that homeschooled students are more likely to participate in extracurricular activities than their peers in traditional schools. 

How many homeschoolers are in the USA?

As for percentage of USA homeschooling statistics 2025, the NCES reports that 5.2% of children in the US received homeschool instruction in 2024, and Johns Hopkins       Homeschool Research Lab states the increase in this trend to 5.4% in the 2024-2025 school year. This is a dramatic increase compared to the previous years, when NCES reported only 2.8% in the pre-pandemic 2018-2019 academic year.

How many kids are homeschooled in the US? [2018 – 2021]

According to NCES, growth of homeschooling in the United States from 2018 to 2021 was from 1.5 million to 3.7 million, with a huge spike during the COVID-19 lockdown validated by the Census Household Pulse survey for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Homeschool rates by year in the US: 2022 – 2025

Percent of homeschooling in America from 2022 to 2025 remained between 5% and 6% of all K-12 students, according to NCES, Johns Hopkins Homeschool Research Lab, NHERI, and other sources.

In 2022, after the heat of the pandemic had died down, we saw a decline in the number of homeschooling children. The figures for 2023 show the same thing. But already in homeschooling statistics 2024-2025, we see that the figure has risen again to the level of 2021, which tells us that the level of homeschooling popularity is still there, even after the pandemic, and is going to grow. 

As the US Census Bureau estimates 54.1 million K-12 students in the school year 2025-2026, we can expect up to 7% of homeschooled children in the coming years. 

States with the most homeschoolers in 2025-2026

Based on Edchoice information, the top 10 states with most homeschoolers are Alaska (10.4% homeschooled), North Carolina (9%), South Dakota (6.5%), Missouri (6.4%), Idaho (5.9%), Nevada (5.8%), Maine (5.7%), Alabama (5.5%), Kentucky (5.4%), and Indiana (5.1%).

Regarding the growth trend of how many people are homeschooled per US state, the statistics below show the increase in dynamics by the US state based on the information available from the Johns Hopkins Homeschool Research Lab for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Detailed homeschooling statistics 2025 by state

In many states, the real dynamic between the state and the cities and districts may dramatically differ. Some of the ratio findings available for the 2024-2025 academic year in this regard are available in the table below.

Which state has the most homeschoolers?

Alaska is a leader in homeschooling among all the US states. In detail, based on Edchoice, the top 3 states with the highest number of homeschoolers in US are Alaska (10.4%), North Carolina (9%), and South Dakota (6.5%).

Still, the strongest growth in the 2024-2025 academic year is shown in South Carolina (21.5%), Vermont (17%), New Hampshire (14%), and Georgia (12.9%).

Percentage of homeschoolers vs traditional public school by state

Even though the homeschooling rates keep constantly increasing, the traditional public school model is still prevailing. On the overall national level, 74.8% of all K-12 students report being involved in traditional public school education. Some details on this number per state are presented in the table below.

Source: Edchoice, 2025

Homeschool vs public school statistics: Details

Because of the strict rules, in particular, in Washington, the rate of homeschooled students is only 2.6%, not 10.4% as in Alaska, where parents are not required to notify the state or provide any details on qualifications, number of hours of instruction, or curriculum. Also, in some states (like Arizona, Florida, and Ohio) parents prefer to send kids to private schools instead of homeschooling them. 

In 2025-2026, the number of homeschooled students in Alaska is several times higher than in most of the US states (including New Hampshire, Kansas, and Rhode Island). Compared to Michigan, this number is 104 times higher (0.1% compared to 10.4%).

The lowest number of homeschooled children, based on these homeschooling percentage by state stats, is in:

• Massachusetts (1.2% homeschooled)
• Colorado (1.1% homeschooled)
• District of Columbia (1% homeschooled)
• Kansas (0.6% homeschooled)
• Michigan (0.1% homeschooled) 

Reasons for the high success rate of homeschooling in 2025 

• Safe environment
• Homeschool success rates for academic results
• Religious education
• Personalized education program
• Flexibility in the schedule

Statistics for homeschooling: Reasons for choosing [Infographic]

How safety impacts the homeschool percentage by state

According to homeschooling statistics, 83% of parents said that the main reason for homeschooling is concern about a safe environment. 

Safety is a great concern for parents these days, with the growing number of bullying, cyberbullying, and disturbing behaviors at public schools. On the latter, the IEC reports that for most of the educators, the lack of focus or inattention (26%), academic unpreparedness (21%), and disruptive behaviors (19%) are the most important negative factors on learning.

This explains why many parents choose to take matters into their own hands, and the homeschooling percentage rises so dramatically. 

How the quality of learning drives the homeschooling percentage by state

Based on the homeschool success rates, about 72% of parents mentioned the poor academic quality and teachers’ approaches in public schools as the primary reasons for homeschooling.

“Many parents are concerned about the quality of education in traditional schools.”

Standardized testing has narrowed the curriculum and forced teachers to teach to the test. This means less focus on critical thinking, creativity, and social-emotional learning. Studies show that homeschooled students often excel in these areas. I've seen this firsthand when homeschoolers later enroll in advanced college prep courses. These students are independent thinkers who thrive in a self-directed learning environment.

Dr. James A. Barham

Senior Vice President of Academic Influence

Homeschool success statistics

In a reviewed study of success in adulthood and college in the publication “A Systematic Review of the Empirical Research on Selected Aspects of Homeschooling as a School Choice,” one block can be highlighted:

Homeschool success statistics for individual academic subjects

Impact of religious education on homeschooling stats 

According to the homeschooling statistics, 53% of the answers were in favor of homeschooled religious education. 

Providing an integrated religious instruction in the child’s curriculum is also a reason for homeschooling. The inability to pray at school and commuting challenges can be the reasons for this. 

How the need for personalization drives the percentage of homeschoolers in US 

As 21% said that the reason for homeschooling was the child’s special needs and 15% mentioned a physical or mental problem causing dissatisfaction with the traditional system. 36% of parents feel like this model can provide a more customized learning approach to their kids.

As public schools cannot address psychological health and emotional states and a child’s individual goals, homeschooling can be the proper alternative option. 

Math tutors

Help your child achieve their full potential!

Brighterly’s math and reading curriculum is customized for each student’s goals.

Try FREE

Remember, traditional schooling may work for most parents, but it certainly has a few drawbacks. For instance, teachers in charge of large classes rarely pay special attention to each child’s specific learning needs. This causes many kids to lag in class, while their needs go unaddressed.

As every child learns differently, homeschooling provides your child with the type of education they need. For the public school vs. homeschool statistics, you can tailor lessons to meet their needs and fill any learning gaps.

“One of the most significant factors behind parents choosing to homeschool by 2025 is their desire for a more customized education for their children based on their needs and learning styles.”

Abid Salahi

Co-founder of FinlyWealth

Flexibility in the schedule and homeschooling stats

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 34% of parents cited other reasons to homeschool their kids, including flexibility in the schedule.

Unlike traditional schooling where you have to follow rigid rules set by the school, homeschooling is very flexible. As a homeschooling parent, you can make your own choices. You’ll be able to create your own curriculum and schedule. The best part? With homeschooling, learning isn’t limited to school hours.

When your child joins the percentage of homeschoolers, there’s less commuting time and more time spent at home. Generally, homeschoolers complete all their work earlier in the day, too. 

“Homeschooling education gives more time for family interaction and bonding.”

Homeschooling education gives more time for family interaction and bonding, and just generally more flexibility in the schedule, allowing for the development of hobbies and the pursuit of worthwhile personal goals.

Walker Larson

Literature Teacher at Providence Academy La Crosse

Read more about the pros and even cons of homeschooling.

How homeschool socialization statistics change the success rates?

Notwithstanding the common negative homeschooling statistics regarding a low social engagement of kids who study at home, homeschool socialization findings actually recommend opting for homeschooling. In particular, they reveal that kids enrolled in homeschooling programs demonstrate strong social and emotional development, which is also good for homeschooling numbers. 

Based on NHERI findings, 64% of studies in the field concluded that homeschooled kids perform statistically better than those involved in traditional classrooms. Also, it helps to perform better on standardized tests.

In this regard, interactive learning statistics show that homeschooling programs, especially those based on small-group studying and 1:1 tutoring sessions, provide a highly safe and comfortable environment for kids to learn fast from their peers and learning partners.

Which grade has the most homeschoolers?

Based on the recent NCES data, the highest number of homeschoolers by state is among students in grades 6 to 8 (3.4% vs. 2.3% of high schoolers). In 2012, the dominant homeschooling grades were 9-12. However, this trend has shifted in recent times.

How many kids are homeschooled by grade?

Here’s a breakdown of how many homeschool kids in the US, based on the overall age distribution:

In general, the grade distribution seems to be roughly even across all grade levels from kindergarten to graduation.

Homeschooling statistics 2025-2026: Trends by family size

Based on the homeschooling U.S. statistics: up to 48% of homeschooling households have up to 3 or more children. About 33% of homeschooling households have 2 children, while only 19% have 1 child. 

It puts an interesting perspective on the homeschooling concept. One may say that it’s easier to homeschool in a household with more than two kids since there’s already a higher focus on kids. Thus, the more kids you have, the more likely you are to go down the homeschooling path.

Similarly, NCES’ statistics for homeschooling data also show that 83% of homeschooled students live in two-parent households.

Private vs homeschooling vs public school statistics and average cost

Based on the price lists of the most popular platforms, the average cost of homeschooling is between $500 and $2,500 per child every year, which is cheaper compared to public and private schools. As the private schools usually cost between $32,351 and $71,715, public schools will require around $1,000-1,500 per year on commuting, learning materials, and extracurricular materials.

The average cost of homeschooling

Depending on the number of add-ons and the program chosen, the average cost of homeschooling can stay within the $500-2,500 range or reach more. Below you can see what’s inside the most typical homeschooling curriculum.

Statistics on homeschooling: Cost in states

Based on the average homeschooling cost, costs in separate states with the most homeschoolers look like this:

“Homeschool funds are a treasure. ”

If parents use the funds wisely, they can find opportunities not afforded to public school students. My nieces have been able to experience many types of classes. My eldest niece has learned violin, fashion design, and robotics. She just joined a science team that builds lasers.

College resume building. My eldest niece has a 4.87 GPA because she takes dual-enrollment courses at the local community college. She can take classes any time of day because of her flexible schedule

Valerie de la Rosa

Educational Coach, Leader, Innovator

Homeschool statistics: Income of homeschooling families

According to NHERI’s studies and statistics on homeschooling:

• 34% of homeschooling households have a combined annual income of over $100,000
• 15% of homeschooling households have an annual income of $75,001 to $100,000
• 21% of these households make between $50,001 to $75,000 each year

Average income of homeschooling families [Infographic]

Conclusion

Homeschooling can be either full or partial. For the first option, parents need to familiarize themselves with the rules of switching to this education type in their state. Each state has its own requirements. 

Homeschooling has been on the rise in recent years and from all indications, this trend will continue in 2025. More than 3 million is the answer to how many homeschoolers in US are now.

Why do so many parents choose this education for their children? 

• They want personalized learning, 
• The child doesn’t waste time learning information they don’t need, 
• The learning program is focused on what the child is good at,
• And they have more control over their safety. 

Whether it’s full-time homeschooling or part-time (there are online after-school classes, for example), Brighterly can find the perfect tutor for your child — according to their age, personal characteristics, and needs. Book free lesson and enjoy interactive lessons!

Jessica Kaminski

86 articles

Jessica is a seasoned math tutor with over a decade of experience in the field. With a BSc and Master’s degree in Mathematics, she enjoys nurturing math geniuses, regardless of their age, grade, and skills. Apart from tutoring, Jessica blogs at Brighterly. She also has experience in child psychology, homeschooling and curriculum consultation for schools and EdTech websites.

Previous article

Parenting How to Improve Math Skills

US teachers say that 40% of students perform below their grade level. “How can I be better at math?” is a common question asked by kids and parents. It’s clear that many kids need to increase their math skills, and there are a lot of ways they can do that. In this article, we cover […]

Rachelle Bencio Yu

Jan 04, 2023

Next article

Math Tests Math Diagnostic Assessment and Tests

Mathematical proficiency is a vital asset since it is necessary not only for academic success but also for daily tasks like shopping, meal prepping, etc. However, it is still common for school students to struggle with some math concepts. Math diagnostic assessments can pinpoint improvement areas. Read this article to get multiple free online math […]

Jessica Kaminski

Jan 10, 2023