Homeschool Growth Rates in the U.S.

"We’re seeing something remarkable here. Homeschooling growth is nearly triple the pre-pandemic rate and shows no signs of slowing down. This isn’t a pandemic hangover; it’s a fundamental shift in how American families are thinking about education.”

Angela R. Watson

Director, Johns Hopkins Homeschool Research Lab

The big picture:

There are an estimated 3.4 million to 4.6 million K-12 students homeschooled in the United States. (roughly 6.26% of the school-age population). With an average enrollment growth rate of 4.9% per year.

Many people contribute this growth to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the timeline of this growth reveals how a temporary pandemic reaction solidified into a permanent shift in American education.

Because of these combined acceleration rates, 36% of reporting states noted their highest ever homeschool enrollment numbers in 2024-2025 - surpassing enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As you can see, the rate of students enrolling in Homeschool education in the U.S. is drastically increasing. The reasons vary by family, but the most common reasons are related to the ability to customize the curricula, child safety, enhancing family relationships, and strengthening core beliefs. It is also worth noting that Nationwide literacy rates are steadily dropping. In 2024, high school reading scores fell to the lowest levels since 1992. 

Growing homeschool numbers by state:

South Dakota: Leads the nation in long-term acceleration, registering a massive 143% increase in homeschooled students. This surge has directly redirected over $60 million in state education funding toward alternative schooling.

South Carolina: Experiencing explosive year-over-year momentum, the population jumped 21.5% in a single recent school year (rising from 32,724 to 39,767 students).

North Dakota: Recorded an aggressive 24% year-over-year single-season spike, pushing the state to its highest total headcount in history.

Vermont: Leading the recent rebound wave with an exceptional 17% single-year growth rate

New Hampshire: Directly behind with a 14.5% year-over-year expansion

Georgia: Experienced a 13% increase in a single year, climbing from 79,224 to 89,510 active students

Louisiana: Maintained continuous growth completely uninterrupted by post-pandemic stabilization metrics.

The states officially hitting their highest-ever tracked homeschool populations include:

Ohio, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wyoming (which recently recorded an 8% single-year surge).

States with the highest percentage of homeschool students: 

Alaska (16%), Tennessee (11%), North Carolina (9%), Montana (9%), Idaho (9%), Oklahoma (8%).