Taking the Pulse on U.S. Education: A Cross-Sector Comparison

• In Event: Homeschooling in America: The Changing Regulation, Motivation, and Population

Abstract

Objective
This study compiles survey data available from the Household Pulse Survey for a better understanding of who participates in homeschooling. The Household Pulse Survey, conducted by the United States Census Bureau, is an online survey that intends to measure the impact of emergent social and economic matters on U.S. households since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methodology
We average responses across survey phases for the most accurate representation of both national and statewide homeschool participation during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. We also examine respondents’ demographic information, including race and ethnicity, sexuality and gender, age, education level, and household income.
Results
We find that the current homeschool population is diverse. Certain characteristics of this population are comparable to those of public school students, while others are more comparable to those of private school students.
Considering data from the 2022-23 school year, the average percentage of all school-aged students reported as homeschooled was 5.82%. This compares to 10.06% of students in private schools, and 84.12% in public schools. These percentages held steady during the following school year at 5.92% in homeschools, 9.92% in private schools, and 84.16% in public schools.
The states with the highest percentages of reported homeschooled students during the 2023-24 school year were Alaska (16.15%), Tennessee (10.75%), and Montana (9.03%). The states with the lowest percentages were Connecticut (3.01%), Washington, D.C. (3.04%), and Massachusetts (3.39%). The states that saw the largest increases in homeschool enrollment over the previous school year were Alaska, Rhode Island, and Tennessee. Those with the largest decreases were Washington, D.C., Hawaii, and Maryland.
Examining this data, we can also gain a more comprehensive understanding of the demographics of households with students that homeschool. Homeschools and private schools appear to be very similar in terms of race and ethnicity, with slightly higher share of white respondents and a slightly lower share of Hispanic or Latinx respondents. Sexuality and gender were comparable amongst all three categories of respondents, though a slightly larger share of respondents with homeschooled students reported being LGBTQ+. In terms of age, the share of respondents with homeschooled students was comparable to those with public and private school students. For education level, respondents with private school students had higher education levels on average, while those with homeschool and public school students were comparable. Household income levels for respondents with homeschooled students were modestly lower than those with public school students, and considerably lower than those with private school students.
Conclusion
This paper offers a nationally representative picture of homeschoolers, and that information is broken down by state and by demographic characteristics. We currently have Pulse data through the 2023-24 school year. Unfortunately, the future of the Household Pulse Survey and its data collection is uncertain. Because reliable homeschool data is limited, and some states have little to none, this data is even more crucial.

Authors

• Genevieve Smith, Johns Hopkins University

• Alanna V. Bjorklund-Young, Johns Hopkins University