Homeschooling rates surge across the country in the wake of COVID: Report
Homeschooling is growing across the country following the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report.
The Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy’s Homeschool Research Lab reported its analysis of the homeschooling rate for 21 states for the 2023-2024 academic year. The report also noted that only 30 states keep track of their homeschooling numbers.
Among the 21 states that reported their homeschooling participation for the 2023-2024 school year, only two showed a decline. The other 19 states showed increases, ranging from slight to significant.
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For example, Georgia saw a 2% rise in homeschooling while Delaware’s is much higher at 29%, the report states. Vermont and New Hampshire saw decreases in the number of parents homeschooling their children. However, the researchers add that the decline in New Hampshire may not actually reflect a drop in homeschooling.
"Recent data shows that, in the 2023-2024 school year, homeschooling grew across the United States. While the exact reason for this growth is unknown, we do know that it was not driven by the pandemic or a sudden disruption to traditional schooling," the report stated.
Homeschooling is an alternative to the public schools families are zoned for. Charter and magnet schools are other alternatives to public schools.
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Educational Freedom Institute Director Corey DeAngelis blamed the teachers unions, particularly the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten, for driving parents to choose homeschooling over public schools.
"The unions showed their true colors and pushed more families to embrace homeschooling long-term. Families saw the leftist indoctrination happening in public schools through ‘remote learning’ and many of them became more confident in their ability to homeschool," DeAngelis told Fox News Digital.
"The power-hungry unions held children’s education hostage by fighting to keep schools closed as long as possible to secure billions of dollars in ransom payments from taxpayers," he added.
The AFT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.