8 Surprising Homeschool Statistics That Will Make You Happy (2024)

Ready to read some amazing homeschool statistics?

Homeschooling has seen a dramatic rise over the last couple of years, mostly because of the pandemic. Worldwide lockdowns took millions of kids from the traditional school building and left them homeschooled. Surprisingly to some, it went better than many expected.

Let me show you 8 homeschool statistics that may positively surprise you. Most of them come from the U.S. backyard but there are some from overseas. They all come from credible sources, mostly education articles so you may believe in every word you read. And feel good about your homeschool choices.

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1. Homeschooling Is Legal in All 50 States

Yes, it is. So no matter where you are, you’re in your right to homeschool your own kids.

However, you might need to meet different requirements in different states. Some states are very strict in terms of homeschool regulations while others have very few. You’ll need to check your state’s regulations very carefully, especially in terms of graduation requirements and college admissions.

The states that are very relaxed in their attitude towards homeschooling are Alaska, Michigan, Idaho, Texas, and Oklahoma. You don’t even need to notify any official body that you’re homeschooling.

The ones that are very strict in terms of regulations are Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Check the Homeschool Legal Defense Association site for specifics and the best states for homeschooling. Just click in the name of the state of your interest and you’ll get all the information you need.

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2. Over 300 Million Children Have Been Lately Homeschooled Around the World

The Covid Pandemic registered a surge in homeschooled kids not only in the U.S: but around the world. Many parents saw that children can be educated without being schooled and quite often can even receive an education of better quality. According to Forbes, at some point, 300 million kids were having lessons at home.

Nowadays, homeschooling is a popular alternative to the traditional public school system not only in the U.S. It’s legal in many countries and it’s a very popular choice in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. However, still some countries consider it illegal and some others introduce firm regulations.

Homeschooling in France is for example subject to yearly inspections and the child needs to prove that they’re at a skill level paired with kids in the traditional school system. In the United Kingdom parents are not even required to inform local authorities about homeschooling their kids. In Iceland, the parents can homeschool their kids, only if they have a teaching degree. In Hungary, homeschooled kids need to be tested twice a year.

3. More People Perceive Homeschooling Positively Than Before the Pandemic

It’s difficult to find advantages of the recent Covid-19 pandemic, but a positive outlook on homeschooling is definitely one of them.

It was enough for many families to be “forced” to homeschool kids at home, to see that it’s not a bad idea.

(For more homeschooling memes, check out 21 Hilarious Homeschool Memes for Moms and Teachers!)

In the beginning, parents of traditionally schooled kids were so lost that searches for homeschooling on Google skyrocketed, and in North Carolina, the state’s homeschooling registration site crashed due to unusually high traffic.

What happened after almost a year of forced homeschooling? According to Edchoice 47% of the homeschooling rookie parents viewed homeschooling more favorably than before. One-fourth of these parents indicated that they were very likely to continue homeschooling after the pandemic.

4. Over 90% of the Graduated Homeschooled Students Are Happy about Being Homeschooled

There are not many studies on adults that were being homeschooled but the ones that you can access give us a very positive image of the homeschooling experience as a whole.

According to Dr. Brian D.Ray, more than 90% of the adults that were homeschooled as kids and teenagers were glad about such a form of education. They thought that being homeschooled was an advantage to them as adults, it didn’t limit their educational opportunities and they were eager to homeschool their own kids in the future.

According to the survey, homeschooling produces successful adults who value their education.

5. Homeschooling Students Score Above the Public National Average

Are you worried about official exams? You shouldn’t, homeschoolers generally perform better than public school students.

Systematic studies show that homeschooled students perform well above an average education level in the US. Most educational articles report that the scoring range is between the 65-80th percentile.

Homeschoolers in the 21st Century generally outperform traditionally schooled teenagers during SAT exams generally scoring much better on the verbal section.

6. Admission Officers Expect Homeschool Graduates to Perform as Well or Better Than Traditionally Schooled Students

Many parents of homeschooled high schoolers fear the college admission process and don’t want their kids to be disadvantaged. Studies show that this feeling is unfounded.

Already in 1998, John M. Jenkins in his book Properties of Personalized Learning showed that around 63% of college admission offices believed that admitted homeschoolers would perform equally or be more successful than other students from accredited schools.15 years later, Paul Jones and Gene W. Gloeckner (2013) reflected on a decade of changes in homeschooling and provided an even higher number— 78% of admission officers were positive about the performance of homeschoolers in college.

So, look on the bright side of life and stop fretting about your child’s academic future.

7. 66.7% of Homeschooled Students Graduate from College

Another one from homeschooling vs public schooling statistics, provided by Dr. Michael Cogan from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, proves the effectiveness of the former.

66.7% of homeschooled students graduating from college may not seem very high but if you look into general national education stats, you’ll notice that only 57.5% of public school pupils graduate from college.

It means that homeschool vs. public school wins by 9.2% in this comparison.

Dr. Cogan explains in his study that homeschooled students would also earn a significantly higher first-year GPA compared to the overall group.

There’s almost nothing to worry about if your homeschooler has been successful till now. They will surely perform well in college and graduate with success.

You might like: A Guide to College Admissions for Homeschool Students

8. Homeschoolers Fare Better Than Public School Students in Terms of Socialization

Are you surprised? I bet.

One of the principal stereotypes about homeschooled students is that they lack proper socialization. Well, that’s completely wrong.

Whatever study you look at, you’ll see that homeschooled kids do not suffer at all in terms of socialization when compared to their traditionally-schooled peers.

National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) indicates that 71% of homeschoolers participate in community service on a regular basis compared to 37% of the conventionally schooled students. Homeschoolers also proved to be civically and politically engaged.

Janet F. Carlson in 2020 also showed that homeschoolers fare much better than their public school counterparts in terms of socialization.

Another study in 2020 proved that homeschooled students did better in social and emotional development than students from conventional schools.

So next time, when somebody raises the question about your child’s lost opportunity for socialization, remember what to answer.

You might like: 8 Amazing Benefits of Homeschool vs Public School

Don’t Worry, Be Happy With Your Choice to Homeschool

As you can see, scientific data is on your side. Homeschooling numbers are not only skyrocketing in the US and around the world, but the outcome of homeschooling is extremely positive. Homeschoolers perform well in school, graduate with success, get admitted to college, graduate too and turn into happy adults.

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