By Katherine Zehnder for The Carolina Journal
According to data from the US Census Bureau, North Carolina has the fourth highest number of homeschooled children in the nation.
“North Carolina has a great support network, with NCHE as a statewide organization that offers many resources from setting up a homeschool to recording a high school transcript, opportunities to connect with other homeschool families, an athletic commission offering over 15 sports, field trips, a mentoring program, a yearly conference with a graduation ceremony, and even a podcast and YouTube channel,” Jessica Frierson, media director, of North Carolinaians for Home Education told the Carolina Journal.
In North Carolina, more than 10% of students are homeschooled, which translates to 404,036 children out of a total of 3,991,805. Alaska topped the list with 14.65%, Delaware ranked second with 11.60% and Vermont took third place with 11.03%.
“The popularity of homeschooling has unsurprisingly grown since the pandemic, with remote learning proving convenient for students due to a number of reasons,” Joshua James, director of Find a Super Tutor, said in a press release. “However, as the data shows, homeschooling is far more prevalent in some states than in others.”
Geographical location, local regulations, and underfunding or a lack of trust in public institutions are all factors contributing to the growth of homeschooling, says James.
“As a lawyer at HSLDA who assists our members in North Carolina, I’m not at all surprised that such a high percentage of parents are choosing to teach their children at home,” Darren Jones, senior counsel and director of group services for Homeschool Legal Defense Association, told the Carolina Journal. “I have attended the annual homeschool conference put on by North Carolinians for Home Education a number of times in the last few years, and I meet lots of families coming by who are brand-new to homeschooling.”
The US Census Bureau’s 2024 data calculates each state’s homeschooling rate by comparing the total number of children in the state with the number reported as homeschooled.
“North Carolina’s ranking is a testament to the growing popularity of homeschooling among families in our state,” Kaitlyn Shepherd, policy analyst for the Center for Effective Education at the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “Enrollment in home schools has been steadily increasing for many years, growing by 40 percent in the last decade alone. Home schools saw a noticeable spike in enrollment during the initial year of the pandemic, due in part to restrictive pandemic policies but also to growing interest in school choice. Enrollment continues to be ahead of where it was before the pandemic, attesting to the continued popularity of home schooling and parents’ desire to direct their children’s education.”
“North Carolina ranks among the top states for homeschooling because it provides families both freedom and structure,” continued Frierson. “Parents can design a school calendar that works for them, select a curriculum that fits their child’s learning style, and use outside resources as needed. Meanwhile, the state ensures consistency and quality through annual standardized testing and by recognizing each homeschool as a non-public school.”