In 2024, THSC partnered with Johns Hopkins University to analyze homeschool regulation changes across all 50 states, tracking trends since 2009. The study examined whether homeschool access to public school sports or the passage of school choice programs led to increased regulation on the homeschool community, a long-standing concern cited by leaders of state homeschool organizations. The findings were clear: no state had increased homeschool regulation at all, for any reason. In some cases, regulations even decreased.
Recently, our friends at Homeschool Oklahoma published an article criticizing the study, alleging flaws in its design. However, they did not dispute its conclusion: that school choice and sports access programs have never led to increased homeschool regulation. For years, THSC has sought examples from state homeschool leaders nationwide of regulation increases caused by these policies. No such examples have ever been found, either by this study or by leaders in other states.
Addressing Criticisms
1. Methodology Criticisms
The article argues that the study focused too narrowly on three specific regulatory measures:
- Notice of intent to homeschool
- Testing requirements
- Parental qualifications
The article claims this approach could overlook regulatory changes in other areas. However:
- No critic has provided actual examples of other regulation increases on the homeschool community caused by these programs, despite years of searching.
- These three measures were selected because they are widely recognized as the most significant indicators of homeschool regulation. State and national leaders have long used these criteria to rank states by regulation level.
- These three categories are the only ones for which detailed historical data currently exist.
- Critics misunderstand the study by suggesting that it only tracked legislative changes and not changes in regulatory policy by state agencies. The study measured both legislative changes and regulatory shifts by state education agencies.
In summary, the article criticizes the study’s design, but offers no alternative data that could have feasibly been included and does not actually contest the study’s conclusion: that there are no examples of regulation increases ever occurring as a result of these programs.
2. State and Program Selection
The article also criticizes the study for:
- Including all school choice programs, even those not specifically affecting homeschoolers.
- Evaluating regulation trends across all states, rather than limiting the analysis to states with school choice programs.
- Allegedly claiming that deregulation was caused by school choice programs.
These concerns are misplaced. The study cast the broadest possible net (analyzing all states and all programs) in order to maximize the chances of finding regulation changes.
The study found zero homeschool regulation increases across all 50 states. If fewer states or fewer programs had been analyzed, the results would have been the same—zero increases. The argument that a more limited dataset might have found more regulation is hard to understand.
Additionally, the article misunderstands the causal claims in the study. Nowhere in the study is the claim made that school choice programs cause deregulation. Instead, it notes that deregulation has been driven by states modernizing outdated laws to better serve families. The article mischaracterizes this point.
Conclusion
Despite its many critiques, the article does not dispute the study’s core conclusion: there is no evidence that homeschool regulation increases have resulted from school choice or sports access programs in any state in the country. For this reason, THSC’s position has long been that homeschool families should decide for themselves whether or not to participate.
THSC has chosen to actively engage in the school choice conversation to ensure that any program that passes is well designed to protect homeschoolers who choose not to participate and to both protect and serve homeschool families who do.
For decades, opponents of sports access bills warned those programs would lead to increased homeschool regulation. Yet, 38 states now have such programs because homeschool families themselves wanted them, and no regulation increases have occurred.
The same pattern is now repeating itself on school choice today. National surveys show overwhelming support from homeschool families for school choice programs—71% to 84%, depending on the poll. School choice programs are exploding across the country. No state has ever seen a regulation increase as a result.
THSC believes Texas families should have the freedom to decide for themselves whether to participate. THSC’s involvement in the conversation is to ensure the protection of homeschooling and the effectiveness of the programs for the Texas homeschool community.
This position is supported not just by the study’s findings, and by 71% of homeschool families in Texas, but also by the acknowledgment from other states that there are no known examples of regulation increases ever occurring as a result of these programs.
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In 2024, THSC partnered with Johns Hopkins University to analyze homeschool regulation changes across all 50 states, tracking trends since 2009. The study examined whether homeschool access to public school sports or the passage of school choice programs led to increased regulation on the homeschool community, a long-standing concern cited by leaders of state homeschool organizations. The findings were clear: no state had increased homeschool regulation at all, for any reason. In some cases, regulations even decreased.
Recently, our friends at Homeschool Oklahoma published an article criticizing the study, alleging flaws in its design. However, they did not dispute its conclusion: that school choice and sports access programs have never led to increased homeschool regulation. For years, THSC has sought examples from state homeschool leaders nationwide of regulation increases caused by these policies. No such examples have ever been found, either by this study or by leaders in other states.
Addressing Criticisms
1. Methodology Criticisms
The article argues that the study focused too narrowly on three specific regulatory measures:
- Notice of intent to homeschool
- Testing requirements
- Parental qualifications
The article claims this approach could overlook regulatory changes in other areas. However:
- No critic has provided actual examples of other regulation increases on the homeschool community caused by these programs, despite years of searching.
- These three measures were selected because they are widely recognized as the most significant indicators of homeschool regulation. State and national leaders have long used these criteria to rank states by regulation level.
- These three categories are the only ones for which detailed historical data currently exist.
- Critics misunderstand the study by suggesting that it only tracked legislative changes and not changes in regulatory policy by state agencies. The study measured both legislative changes and regulatory shifts by state education agencies.
In summary, the article criticizes the study’s design, but offers no alternative data that could have feasibly been included and does not actually contest the study’s conclusion: that there are no examples of regulation increases ever occurring as a result of these programs.
2. State and Program Selection
The article also criticizes the study for:
- Including all school choice programs, even those not specifically affecting homeschoolers.
- Evaluating regulation trends across all states, rather than limiting the analysis to states with school choice programs.
- Allegedly claiming that deregulation was caused by school choice programs.
These concerns are misplaced. The study cast the broadest possible net (analyzing all states and all programs) in order to maximize the chances of finding regulation changes.
The study found zero homeschool regulation increases across all 50 states. If fewer states or fewer programs had been analyzed, the results would have been the same—zero increases. The argument that a more limited dataset might have found more regulation is hard to understand.
Additionally, the article misunderstands the causal claims in the study. Nowhere in the study is the claim made that school choice programs cause deregulation. Instead, it notes that deregulation has been driven by states modernizing outdated laws to better serve families. The article mischaracterizes this point.
Conclusion
Despite its many critiques, the article does not dispute the study’s core conclusion: there is no evidence that homeschool regulation increases have resulted from school choice or sports access programs in any state in the country. For this reason, THSC’s position has long been that homeschool families should decide for themselves whether or not to participate.
THSC has chosen to actively engage in the school choice conversation to ensure that any program that passes is well designed to protect homeschoolers who choose not to participate and to both protect and serve homeschool families who do.
For decades, opponents of sports access bills warned those programs would lead to increased homeschool regulation. Yet, 38 states now have such programs because homeschool families themselves wanted them, and no regulation increases have occurred.
The same pattern is now repeating itself on school choice today. National surveys show overwhelming support from homeschool families for school choice programs—71% to 84%, depending on the poll. School choice programs are exploding across the country. No state has ever seen a regulation increase as a result.
THSC believes Texas families should have the freedom to decide for themselves whether to participate. THSC’s involvement in the conversation is to ensure the protection of homeschooling and the effectiveness of the programs for the Texas homeschool community.
This position is supported not just by the study’s findings, and by 71% of homeschool families in Texas, but also by the acknowledgment from other states that there are no known examples of regulation increases ever occurring as a result of these programs.
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