YOU ARE HERE: HOME > THOUGHTS & OPINIONS > DEMOGRAPHICS > NUMBERS OF HOMESCHOOLERS IN USA

A to Z Home's Cool Home Page


Homeschooling books and supplies at discount, no sales tax, and free shipping!

A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling

 

Thoughts & Hard Facts

I am Ann Zeise, your guide to the best and most interesting and useful sites and articles about home education on the web.

Home ~ Recent Articles ~ A2Z Groups ~ A2Z Blogs ~ A2Z Chat ~ Contact Ann Zeise ~ Curriculum Shopping
Site Index: A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

Demographics

World
Canada
USA in General
Other Countries

More Research

Demographics
Gifted Homeschoolers Research
HeartMath and the Magical Child
Research
Socialization: The "S" Word

Thoughts & Opinions

Accreditation

Controversy
Demographics
Dispelling the Stereotype
Education Reform
HeartMath
Homeschooling Is Best
HSLDA Consumer Info
John Taylor Gatto
News About Homeschooling
Public Homeschool Programs
Numbers of Homeschoolers
Ravage of Home Education
Research
Resources
School Issues
Socialization: The "S" Word
Taking Charge
Testing Homeschoolers

A to Z Home's Cool

Home
Articles
Beginning to Homeschool
Chat Room
Community Networking
Concerns
Curriculum Shopping
Distance Learning Programs
DVD Rentals
Early Years
Events
Explorations 4 Kids
Field Trips
Gifted Kids
Holiday Directory
Homeschooling Jokes
Laws & Legalities
Lessons & Ideas
Methods, Styles
Regional Information
Religion & Cultural
Special Needs
Support Group Resources
Teens & College-Bound
Thoughts & Hard Facts
Unschooling

Explorations 4 Kids

Computer Literacy
Drivers Ed
Fine Arts
General Interest
Health & Fitness
Language Arts
Languages
Math
Science Experiments
* Astronomy
* Biology
* Chemistry
* Earth Science
* Physics
Social Studies
 
Try Netflix for Free!
A to Z DVD Library
DVD rental and purchase store


The Schools Our Children Deserve
Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and "Tougher Standards"
by Kohn, Alfie
Teacher-turned-writer Alfie Kohn takes on traditional-education giants like E.D. Hirsch, along with practically every state government "raising the bar" and toughening standards, in this attack on the back-to-basics movement. 1999 Hardcover

Numbers of Homeschoolers in USA

Updated 12/30/08

I used the census 2000 data from Kids Count Census Data Online for the number of children in each state under 18, and the percent of those children ages 5-17 to calculate the number of school-aged children in each state.

I then used what data I had on registered homeschoolers from those states that require registration to figure out what percentage of the school-aged population in those states were homeschooled and that the average percentage of those states was 1.71%. Some data had to be pulled from other years than 2000-2001. See my Demographics page for what exact data I do have.

I can get the numbers online of homeschool students in only eleven states, so I am using their average growth rate, and assuming it applies in other states. This probably isn't accurate to assume, but is all I have to use. If you would like to "play around" with these numbers, add new data, etc., here is my Excel Spreadsheet, DemographicStateComparison.xls, 323 KB.

These numbers are just a statistical estimate. Many things seem to influence the numbers of homeschoolers in a state, and may make these numbers too high or too low:

  • Perception of whether or not schools in state are good or bad;
  • Ease of complying with homeschool laws in a state;
  • In a number of states homeschoolers do not register, either because they need not or will not. California and Texas are two of them;
  • I include all students ages 5-17. Many families homeschool children younger or older than the compulsory age range in their states. These students would not be counted on official homeschool demographics reports.
  • Some states and cities have better support organizations and more outreach than others.
  • I cannot say that this data will age well. Homeschooling grew during good economic times. Whether or not this will continue to hold true in bad times remains to be seen.
  • The 1.71% probably does not hold true for each grade level.
  • We cannot all agree on what constitutes a "real" homeschooler!

State

# 5-17 yr olds in 2000

Homeschoolers in 2000
(Estimated to be 1.71% of 5-17s)

Estimated Homeschoolers in 2008-9

Alabama 827,962 14,121 20,053
Alaska 143,038 2,439 3,464
Arizona 984,202 16,785 23,837
Arkansas 498,710 8,505 15,555
California 6,761,625 115,318 163,767
Colorado 803,580 13,705 19,463
Connecticut 618,641 10,551 14,984
Delaware 143,021 2,439 8,552
D.C. 82,449 1,406 1,997
Florida 2,701,938 37,196 57,842
Georgia 1,574,864 26,859 38,143
Hawaii 217,685 3,713 5,272
Idaho 271,237 4,626 6,569
Illinois 2,369,179 40,406 57,382
Indiana 1,150,883 17,575 26,146
Iowa 545,093 9,296 13,202
Kansas 524,050 8,938 12,693
Kentucky 729,202 12,436 11,455
Louisiana 902,651 15,395 21,862
Maine 230,447 3,930 5,260
Maryland 1,002,211 17,093 24,274
Massachusetts 1,102,547 18,804 26,704
Michigan 1,923,463 32,804 46,586
Minnesota 957,449 16,329 19,245
Mississippi 570,538 9,730 13,818
Missouri 1,057,920 18,043 25,623
Montana 175,307 2,990 4,246
Nebraska 333,179 5,682 8,070
Nevada 365,936 6,241 4,891
New Hampshire 234,029 3,991 5,668
New Jersey 1,523,917 25,990 36,909
New Mexico 377,870 6,445 9,152
New York 3,451,919 58,872 83,606
North Carolina 1,423,934 33,860 74,743
North Dakota 121,441 2,071 2,941
Ohio 2,134,483 36,403 51,697
Oklahoma 655,885 11,186 15,886
Oregon 623,890 10,640 15,111
Pennsylvania 2,194,588 37,428 24,176
Rhode Island 183,884 3,136 4,454
South Carolina 745,115 12,708 18,047
South Dakota 151,581 2,585 3,671
Tennessee 1,023,717 17,459 24,795
Texas 4,262,014 72,688 103,226
Utah 509,557 8,690 12,342
Vermont 113,593 1,937 2,751
Virginia 1,275,884 21,760 29,413
Washington 1,120,244 19,106 27,132
West Virginia 300,588 5,126 6,506
Wisconsin 1,026,567 20,117 22,014
Wyoming 97,943 1,670 2,372
Total 53,121,651 905,979 1,273,089

Is Homeschooling Growing?

Does this mean families are less interested in homeschooling than before? No, only that there are fewer school age children than in previous years. Here is a graph showing the past and future school enrollment figures from the US Department of Education:

Notice how the number of children in elementary school starts to dip in 2005, and how the total number has rather leveled off in recent times? That homeschooling is growing when there are even fewer children, is in itself amazing! Our growth rate in 2008 (from 2007) averaged around 3.5%, while public school enrollment was declining.

Our change in the rate of growth, however, has been declining, right along with the birth rates.

A Model of Homeschooling Growth
Don't like these numbers? Generate your own! A shockwave graph you can manipulate from The Homeschool Media Network.

Estimated Number of Homeschooled Students in the United States
1.5 Million Homeschooled Students in the United States in 2007. Estimates of homeschooling in 2007 are based on data from the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey (PFI) of the 2007 NHES.Data from the 2007 NHES. Interviews were conducted with the parents of 10,681 students, including 290 homeschooled students.

Site Sponsors
 
Arbor Academy
Arbor Academy
Personalized for your child's academic success.
 
Laurel Springs School
Laurel Springs School
Where interests, talents and learning styles are honored.
 
WriteShop
WriteShop
An Incremental Writing Program for Teens.
 
Homeschool Buyers Co-op
Click here to join the Homeschool Buyers Co-op now!
 
Time4Learning
Time4Learning
Online interactive homeschool curriculum.
 
The Learning Community International
The Learning Community International
Create your own unique learning programs.
 
Bridgeway Academy
Bridgeway Academy
Pre-K-12. Easy setup.
 
Global Village School
Global Village School
Pre-K-12, caring teachers, engaging curriculum, diploma.
 

Welcome
Home

Thoughts
& Hard Facts

Curriculum Shopping

Contact
Ann Zeise

© 1997 - Ann Zeise. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use & Privacy Policy

Advertise