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- The Schools Our Children Deserve
- Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and "Tougher Standards"
- by Alfie Kohn
- A powerful argument against the Òback to basicsÓ philosophy of teaching and simplistic demands to "raise the bar."
- kindle edition
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Number of Homeschoolers in the USA
Updated August 6, 2012
How many children are home schooled in
the United States? This the most current information on homeschooling
families in the U.S. The list of homeschooled kids by state is a work in
progress and is updated annually with additional home education statistics
as they are found. Home school statistics can be fraught with errors. A
discussion of the miscounting of homeschoolers is included below.
I used the census 2009 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 5.00%. 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-2012.xls, 242 KB.
These numbers are just a statistical estimate. Many
things seem to influence how many homeschoolers there are in each US state,
and influences 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.
- The relative population of children to adults in a state.
- I cannot say that this data will age well. Homeschooling
grew during good economic times. Whether or not this will continue to
hold true during the economic downturn remains to be seen.
- A 5.00% growth probably does not hold true for each grade level in every state.
- We cannot all agree on what constitutes a "real"
homeschooler! What sort of homeschoolers are tracked by each state may vary.
You can find the approximate number of homeschooled kids in your state here:
| State |
Kids 5-17 From Census |
2011-2012 Homeschoolers
(Estimate) |
| Alabama |
812,782 |
31,871 |
| Alaska |
128,482 |
5,038 |
| Arizona |
1,212,413 |
47,542 |
| Arkansas |
504,077 |
19,766 |
| California |
6,699,334 |
262,697 |
| Colorado |
859,434 |
33,701 |
| Connecticut |
597,909 |
23,445 |
| Delaware |
146,965 |
8,225 |
| District of Columbia |
76,404 |
2,996 |
| Florida |
2,881,019 |
72,748 |
| Georgia |
1,834,492 |
71,935 |
| Hawaii |
200,349 |
7,856 |
| Idaho |
293,433 |
11,506 |
| Illinois |
2,287,711 |
89,707 |
| Indiana |
1,144,343 |
33,246 |
| Iowa |
506,340 |
19,855 |
| Kansas |
500,515 |
19,626 |
| Kentucky |
730,313 |
28,637 |
| Louisiana |
808,838 |
31,717 |
| Maine |
200,670 |
7,869 |
| Maryland |
973,393 |
38,169 |
| Massachusetts |
1,046,091 |
41,020 |
| Michigan |
1,738,920 |
68,187 |
| Minnesota |
895,166 |
79,693 |
| Mississippi |
545,097 |
21,375 |
| Missouri |
1,030,563 |
40,411 |
| Montana |
158,276 |
4,260 |
| Nebraska |
316,149 |
7,134 |
| Nevada |
476,723 |
18,693 |
| New Hampshire |
213,913 |
8,388 |
| New Jersey |
1,493,469 |
58,563 |
| New Mexico |
357,167 |
14,005 |
| New York |
3,185,340 |
124,905 |
| North Carolina |
1,617,357 |
79,693 |
| North Dakota |
100,780 |
3,952 |
| Ohio |
1,981,469 |
77,698 |
| Oklahoma |
643,194 |
25,221 |
| Oregon |
628,424 |
24,642 |
| Pennsylvania |
2,025,846 |
79,438 |
| Rhode Island |
165,582 |
6,493 |
| South Carolina |
767,320 |
30,088 |
| South Dakota |
139,731 |
5,479 |
| Tennessee |
1,075,141 |
42,159 |
| Texas |
4,827,178 |
189,285 |
| Utah |
590,800 |
23,167 |
| Vermont |
93,444 |
3,664 |
| Virginia |
1,311,499 |
33,578 |
| Washington |
1,114,410 |
43,699 |
| West Virginia |
282,108 |
7,366 |
| Wisconsin |
943,380 |
20,556 |
| Wyoming |
91,097 |
3,572 |
|
|
|
| Total |
53,254,852 |
1,972,433 |
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 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 2011 (from 2010) averaged around 5%, while public school enrollment was declining.
Home schooled numbers change in the rate of growth, however, has been declining, right along with the birth rates. But it took a sudden turn upward when the economy tanked. Many families can no longer afford private schools, and so have turned to homeschooling. Others may have decided to home school when one parent lost their job and could stay home
and teach.
A
Model of Homeschooling Growth
Don't like these home schooling statistical numbers? Generate your own! A shockwave graph
you can manipulate from The Homeschool Media Network. Homeschool
demographics from AtoZ/a2z.
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.
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- Recommended books to help you Homeschool
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- First Year of Homeschooling Your Child:
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- The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas:
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- This book would be very helpful to any homeschooling parent with a "high needs" child, whether or not the child has a disability label.
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- Homeschooling: The Teen Years:
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- This book reveals the adventure and rewards as well as the special challenges of working with this age group.
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