Homeschool Percentage by State: Where Does Your State Rank?

The percentage of school-age children being homeschooled varies more than most people expect. In some states, homeschooling is genuinely unusual — fewer than 2% of students, mostly concentrated in specific communities. In others, one in ten or more children is educated outside of traditional schools. The difference is not random. It tracks closely with state regulation levels, legal environments, and the maturity of local homeschool networks.

Here is what the current data shows and what it actually means for families considering the decision.

National Homeschool Enrollment: The Baseline

The most comprehensive recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) puts the national homeschool rate at approximately 5.4% of school-age children — roughly 3.3 million students. That figure has grown substantially from the 1.7% recorded in 1999 and accelerated further after 2020, when pandemic-era disruptions pushed many families to experiment with home-based education and a meaningful portion never returned to traditional schooling.

The NCES definition of homeschooling for survey purposes is a child who receives instruction at home for at least part of the school year and is not enrolled in public or private school full-time. That broad definition means the 5.4% figure likely includes a spectrum of arrangements, from fully independent home education to hybrid models that blend homeschooling with part-time enrollment.

States with the Highest Homeschool Percentages

Several states consistently rank at the top of homeschool participation rates:

Alaska is among the leaders nationally, with homeschool participation rates that have historically exceeded 10% of the student population in some surveys. Alaska's geography — vast rural areas with limited school access — combined with a long-standing tradition of correspondence programs and distance learning creates conditions where homeschooling is both practical and well-supported.

Idaho has seen its homeschool population grow sharply, with estimates placing current participation above 9% of school-age children. Idaho's minimal regulatory environment (no testing requirements, no curriculum approval) and a politically active homeschool community have made it one of the fastest-growing homeschool states in the country.

Montana and Wyoming reflect the same pattern visible in Alaska: low population density, significant distances between communities, and practical barriers to traditional schooling that make home education appealing regardless of ideological motivation.

North Carolina stands out among more populated states, with homeschool percentages consistently in the 6-8% range. North Carolina has a large and well-organized homeschool community, a regulatory framework that is demanding on paperwork but not on curriculum content, and strong political support for homeschool access at the state legislative level.

Florida has grown rapidly, in part because of a legal environment that has made hybrid arrangements and access to public school resources (including sports, AP courses, and testing) relatively accessible. Florida's homeschool population is estimated at over 150,000 students.

States with Lower Homeschool Rates

States with higher regulatory burdens tend to show lower homeschool participation:

New York requires detailed individualized home instruction plans (IHIPs), quarterly reports to the school district, standardized testing, and annual assessments. The administrative burden is significant enough that many families who might otherwise homeschool do not start. New York's homeschool rate remains well below the national average.

Pennsylvania has similarly demanding requirements — portfolio reviews, evaluator assessments, detailed record-keeping — and its participation rate, while meaningful in absolute numbers given its population, is proportionally lower than less-regulated neighboring states.

Massachusetts requires approval from local superintendents, a process that has historically been inconsistently applied and that has driven legal challenges. The regulatory uncertainty keeps some families away.

Where Delaware Fits

Delaware is a small state with a specific profile. Approximately 3,920 students were enrolled in home-based education in Delaware in the 2024–25 school year, representing about 2.67% of the state's total student population. By raw percentage, that places Delaware in the lower-middle tier nationally.

The lower raw percentage reflects Delaware's size more than its legal environment. Delaware is actually among the lower-regulation states — no testing requirements, no curriculum approval, no portfolio reviews by school officials. Its legal framework is more permissive than Pennsylvania, New York, or Massachusetts. The 2.67% figure simply reflects that Delaware has fewer total families than most states, and its small geographic footprint means it lacks the rural, geographically isolated communities that drive high homeschool rates in Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming.

For families in Delaware, the regulatory environment is genuinely favorable. The dual-notification process with EdAccess and the local school district is the primary administrative step, and ongoing requirements are minimal.

What Drives State-to-State Variation

Looking across the data, three factors explain most of the variation in homeschool rates:

Regulatory burden is the strongest single predictor. States with light-touch frameworks — no mandatory testing, no portfolio review, no curriculum approval — consistently show higher participation rates than states that require annual bureaucratic interaction. Families who might otherwise be interested in homeschooling are deterred by the administrative workload in high-regulation states.

Urban-rural composition matters significantly. Rural states and states with high proportions of rural population show higher homeschool rates, partly because of practical access issues and partly because rural communities have stronger traditions of independent education.

Community infrastructure compounds over time. States where homeschooling has been common for decades have deeper support networks — more co-ops, enrichment programs, dual enrollment options, and experienced families who can mentor newcomers. That infrastructure makes homeschooling more viable for families on the margin, which drives participation higher in a self-reinforcing cycle.

The Post-2020 Growth Story

Every state saw significant homeschool growth during 2020 and 2021, when school building closures pushed millions of families into remote or hybrid arrangements. What is notable is what happened after buildings reopened: a meaningful percentage of those families did not return to traditional schooling. Estimates suggest the homeschool population nationally is 40-60% higher than pre-pandemic levels, even after accounting for families that resumed traditional enrollment.

The growth has been particularly pronounced among demographic groups that were historically underrepresented in homeschooling — urban families, Black families, and families for whom the catalyst was not ideological but practical (frustration with specific school quality, learning environment concerns, or a desire for more academic flexibility).

Using State Data to Evaluate Your Options

The homeschool percentage in your state is a useful signal, but it is not the only thing worth knowing before making a decision. States with low participation rates sometimes have that low rate precisely because the legal environment makes it difficult. States with high rates may have that rate because the law is permissive and the community is well-developed.

For Delaware families, the starting point is understanding that the legal framework is genuinely supportive even if the raw participation percentage looks modest. The process begins with registering your nonpublic school through EdAccess and notifying your local school district.

If you are in Delaware and want a complete walkthrough of that process — including the exact sequence, what each agency actually needs, and how to handle any pushback from the district — the Delaware Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers every step from initial notification through your first year of operation.

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