Homeschooling numbers remain highly elevated despite public having reopened, dropped mask mandates

The number of parents homeschooling their children in the United States remains well above pre-pandemic levels, even as schools have continued to stay open and other restrictions have continued to ease.

In a review of select state data by the Associated Press, homeschooling rates fell by just 17% in the 2021-2022 school year after spiking 63% the year prior. 

The huge increase in homeschool numbers came as large numbers of parents pulled their children from traditional brick-and-mortar schools that had ceased in-person instruction and switched to “virtual” learning for much of the first year of the pandemic. 

The AP noted that black American families make up a sizable percentage of new homeschoolers, with “the proportion of black families homeschooling their children [having] increased by five times, from 3.3% to 16.1%.”

Nearly every school that closed during the earliest stages of the pandemic has reopened, though many of them have continued with severe restrictions including masking and distancing policies until relatively recently.