Homeschooling Growth in Texas

Homeschooling in Texas was solidified as a legal alternative to public school through the 1994 Texas Supreme Court decision Leeper vs Arlington ISD.

Pre-Covid, nearly 23,000 students in grades 7-12 were withdrawing from public schools to homeschool each year in TX. Post-Covid, this number rose dramatically. A detailed analytics tool for this data is provided at THSC.org/map.

These numbers measure only students in grades 7-12 (The TEA does not track below grade 7) and do not include students who began homeschooling organically. Withdrawal numbers from other states indicate that grades 7-12 may represent only 50% of the total students withdrawing to homeschool, making the actual total withdrawal figure twice as large as reported by the TEA. 

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that Homeschooling in Texas nearly tripled between the spring of 2020 and the fall of 2020, rising from 4.5% to 12.3%, which would translate to more than 750,000 homeschool students U.S. Census Bureau. 

Based on averages from other states collected more recently (available here), as well as Texas’ status as one of the most homeschool-friendly states in the country, the Texas Home School Coalition estimates that between 8-10% of students in Texas are currently homeschooled.

In 2022, enrollment in Texas Charter Schools was 375,000 and enrollment in accredited private schools was 279,000. Combined, charter school and private school students represent 10% of the school-age population in Texas (ages 4-18). Thus, there are approximately as many homeschooled students in Texas as charter school and private school students combined. 

Homeschool Growth Nationwide

Homeschooling was growing between 2-8% per year before the coronavirus pandemic and was the fastest-growing form of education in the U.S. (public school growth has been 1% over the last 10 years. Ed. Data.org. NHERI.

Before the pandemic, there were approximately 2.5 million homeschool students in the United States (NHERI) and they saved taxpayers approximately 27 billion per year. NHERI. Current national studies estimate more than 3 million homeschooled students currently in the US. NHERI.

Homeschool Demographics

Pre-Covid, approximately 41% of homeschool families were minorities. 26% Hispanic and 8% black. The black community has been the fastest-growing segment of homeschooling. NCES, pg 18.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, homeschooling in 2020 grew the fastest among minority families, particularly black families. U.S. Census Bureau.

Approximately 21% of homeschool students live in households below the poverty line. NCES, pg 18. Approximately 45% of students live in homes where parents have a bachelor’s degree or higher. NCES, pg 18. Homeschooling families spend approximately $600 per student per year on education. Public school students average more than $11,000 per year. NHERI.

Reasons to Homeschool

When citing the most important reason that they chose to homeschool:

• 34% cited concern with the school environment, such as safety, drugs, or negative peer pressure.
• 17% cited dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools.
• 21% cited a desire to provide moral or religious instruction. NCES, pg 19.

Among black homeschoolers, racism in the schools was the second most common reason cited for why the family chose to homeschool. Mazama, pg 11.

Academic Performance

Homeschool students rank 15-30 percentile points above their public school peers on national achievement tests. Ray, pg 27.

Homeschool students significantly outperform their public school peers academically regardless of gender, amount of money spent on education, whether the parent had ever been a certified teacher, number of children living at home, degree of structure in the homeschooling, amount of time spent on structured learning, or the age at which formal instruction began. None of these factors causes any significant variance in the student’s academic test scores. Ray, pg 27. 

Whether the parent has a college degree has almost no effect on the academic performance of the student. Regardless of parent education level, homeschool students outperform their peers by a significant margin. Ray, pg 21.

The degree of state regulation on homeschooling causes no statistical difference in the academic performance of the students. Ray, pg 27

Social, Emotional, and Psychological Development and Performance as Adults

Homeschool students outperform their peers by a statistically significant margin on issues of social and emotional development, measured by peer interaction, self-concept, leadership skills, family cohesion, participation in community service, and self-esteem. NHERI. Ray, pg 10.

Homeschool students are more politically tolerant by a statistically significant margin.  (Ray, pg 1) and are more likely to participate in community service, more likely to attend community meetings, and more likely to vote. NHERI.

Other Facts

Homeschool students are 40% less likely to die of abuse and neglect and are less likely to experience sexual abuse when compared to students in the general public. Ray.