1.5 Million Homeschooled Students In The United States In 2007
Issue
Brief
December 2008
U.S. Department of Education
NCES 2009–030
1.5 Million Homeschooled Students in the
United States in 2007
Since 1999, the National Household Education Surveys
In this Brief, students are considered to be homeschooled
Program (NHES), conducted by the U.S. Department of
if their parents reported them as being schooled at home
Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
instead of at a public or private school for at least part of
in the Institute of Education Sciences, has collected nationally
their education and if their part-time enrollment in public
representative data that can be used to estimate the number
or private school did not exceed 25 hours a week. Students
of homeschooled students in the United States. This Issue
who were schooled at home primarily because of a temporary
Brief provides estimates of the number and percentage of
illness are not included as homeschoolers.
homeschooled students in the United States in 2007 and
compares these estimates to those from 1999 and 2003. In
Number and Percentage of Homeschooled
addition, parents’ reasons for homeschooling their children
Students in the United States
are presented. Estimates of homeschooling in 2007 are
based on data from the Parent and Family Involvement in
Data from the 2007 NHES survey show an estimated
Education Survey (PFI) of the 2007 NHES.1
1.5 million students (1,508,000) were homeschooled in the
United States in the spring of 2007 (figure 1). This represents
Data were collected for students ages 5 through 17
an increase from the estimated 1.1 million students who
with a grade equivalent of kindergarten through 12th
were homeschooled in the spring of 2003 (Princiotta, Bielick,
grade. Interviews were conducted with the parents of
and Chapman 2004). In addition, the percentage of the
10,681 students, including 290 homeschooled students.
school-age population that was homeschooled increased
When weighted, these data represent the experiences of
from 2.2 percent in 2003 to 2.9 percent in 2007 (not shown
approximately 51,135,000 students ages 5 through 17 with
in tables or figures). Data from the 1999 NHES showed
a grade equivalent of kindergarten through 12th grade in
an estimated 850,000 homeschooled students in the United
the United States in 2007.2
States—about 1.7 percent of the school-age population
(Bielick, Chandler, and Broughman 2001). The increase
Figure 1. Estimated number and 95 percent confidence interval for number of homeschooled students, ages 5 through 17 with a grade equivalent of
kindergarten through 12th grade: 1999, 2003, and 2007
Number of students (in millions)
2.0
1.8
1,739,000
1.6
1,508,000
1.4
1,277,000
1,277,000
1.2
1,096,000
1.0
992,000
915,000
850,000
0.8
709,000
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
1999
2003
2007
Year
NOTE: Excludes students who were enrolled in public or private school for more than 25 hours a week and students who were homeschooled primarily because of a temporary illness. The numbers in bold
are the estimated number of homeschooled students in the United States. The numbers above and below the bold numbers are the upper and lower boundaries of the 95 percent confidence interval
around the estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent Survey of the 1999 National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES); Parent and Family Involvement in
Education Survey of the 2003 and 2007 NHES.
in the homeschooling rate (from 1.7 percent in 1999 to
Table 1. Percentage of homeschooled students, ages 5 through
2.2 percent in 2003 to 2.9 percent in 2007) represents a
17 with a grade equivalent of kindergarten through 12th
74 percent relative increase over the 8-year period and a
grade, by school enrollment status: 1999, 2003, and 2007
36 percent relative increase since 2003.3
Year
As with the results from any sample survey, the numbers and
1999
2003
2007
percentages discussed in this Issue Brief are estimates of the
School enrollment status
Percent
+/- Percent +/-
Percent
+/-
actual numbers and percentages of homeschooled students in
Total
100
†
100
†
100
†
Homeschooled only
82
6
82
7
84
5
the population. Although 1.5 million is the best estimate of
Enrolled in school part time
18
6
18
7
16
5
the number of homeschoolers from the 2007 NHES, another
Enrolled in school for less
than 9 hours a week
13
6
12
6
11
5
similar sample survey might produce a different estimate.
Enrolled in school for 9 to
The margin of error presented in this Issue Brief defines a
25 hours a week
5
3
6
4!
5
3!
range of values around an estimate within which 95 percent
† Not applicable.
of the estimates from all possible similar sample surveys are
+/- is margin of error for a 95 percent confidence interval.
! The standard error for this estimate is greater than 30 percent of the estimate. Interpret
expected to fall. It is presented along with each estimate
with caution.
NOTE: Excludes students who were enrolled in public or private school for more than 25
to show the range of possible values for the estimate. The
hours a week and students who were homeschooled primarily because of a temporary
margin of error for the number of students who were
illness. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent
homeschooled in spring 2007 is +/- 231,000, which means
Survey of the 1999 National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES); Parent and
Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 and 2007 NHES.
the range of the estimate is from 1,277,000 to 1,739,000
(figure 1).4 Confidence intervals vary from year to year and
are largest in 2007.
particular reasons for homeschooling their children applied
to them. The three reasons selected by parents of more
The estimates of homeschooling discussed in this Issue
than two-thirds of students were concern about the school
Brief include students who were homeschooled only and
environment, to provide religious or moral instruction, and
students who were homeschooled while also enrolled in
dissatisfaction with the academic instruction available at
school for 25 hours or less per week. As shown in table 1,
other schools (figure 2). From 2003 to 2007, the percentage
in all 3 survey years, about four out of five homeschoolers
of students whose parents reported homeschooling to
were homeschooled only, while about one out of five
provide religious or moral instruction increased from
homeschoolers was also enrolled in public or private school
72 percent to 83 percent.
part time.
In the 2007 NHES, parents also were asked which one of
Parents’ Reasons for Homeschooling Their Children
their selected reasons for homeschooling was the most
important.5 The reason reported by the highest percentage
In the 2003 and 2007 NHES, parents were asked whether
of homeschoolers’ parents as being most important was
Figure 2. Percentage and confidence interval estimates of homeschooled students, ages 5 through 17 with a grade equivalent of kingergarten through
12th grade, whose parents reported various reasons for homeschooling: 2003 and 2007
Reasons for homeschooling
85
¹
A concern about the 2003
88
school environment
2007
72
A desire to provide religious 2003
83
or moral instruction
2007
68
A dissatisfaction with academic 2003
73
instruction at other schools
2007
Nontraditional approach 2007
65
to child’s education
only
20
2003
Other reasons²
32
2007
29
2003
3
Child has special needs
21
2007
16!
Child has a physical or 2003
11
mental health problem
2007
0
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
! The standard error for this estimate is greater than 30 percent of the estimate. Interpret with caution.
¹ Includes reasons such as safety, drugs, or negative peer pressure.
² Other reasons parents gave for homeschooling include family time, finances, travel, and distance.
³ Special needs are needs other than a physical or mental health problem that the parent feels the school cannot or will not meet.
NOTE: Excludes students who were enrol ed in public or private school more than 25 hours per week and students who were homeschooled primarily because of a temporary il ness.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 and 2007 National Household Education Surveys Program
(NHES).
2
NCES 2009-030
Issue Brief December 2008
to provide religious or moral instruction (36 percent). For
Endnotes
an additional 21 percent, the most important reason was
concern about the school environment, and for 17 percent
1 Estimates of homeschooling in 1999 and 2003 are based
it was dissatisfaction with the academic instruction available
on data from the Parent Survey of the 1999 NHES and the
at other schools. The remaining homeschoolers had parents
Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey (PFI) of
who reported another reason as being most important (child
the 2003 NHES. NHES collected data about homeschooled
has a physical or mental health problem, 2 percent; child has
students in 1996, but did not include questions about part-
other special needs, 4 percent; interest in a nontraditional
time homeschooling. Therefore, estimates from 1996 are
approach to education, 7 percent; other reasons such as
not representative of the homeschooled population, are not
family time, finances, travel, and distance, 14 percent).6
comparable to later years, and are not included in NCES
reports on homeschooling.
Summary
2 When applied to survey data, weights allow for the generation
of national estimates from a sample of respondents. They also
From 1999 to 2007, the number of homeschooled students
adjust for characteristics of the survey design, nonresponse,
in the United States increased, as did the homeschooling
and noncoverage. However, biases may exist in the data if
rate. In 2007, parents homeschooled their children for a
weighting procedures have not adequately adjusted for these
variety of reasons, but three reasons—to provide religious
issues. A large-scale bias study was conducted in conjunction
or moral instruction, concern about the school environment,
with the 2007 data collection. Readers interested in the
and dissatisfaction with the academic instruction at other
findings of the bias study, as well as detailed information on
schools—were noted as most important.
NHES survey methods, weighting, and response rates, can
Data from NHES can also be used to examine the student,
refer to the Data File User’s Manuals published online at
family, and household characteristics of homeschoolers.
http://nces.ed.gov/nhes.
Upcoming reports will use these data to study the
3 All estimates of change and relative change were computed
characteristics of homeschoolers and to see how
using unrounded data.
homeschooling rates may have changed between 1999,
4 Although the confidence intervals surrounding the estimated
2003, and 2007 for different segments of the student
number of homeschooled students in the United States may
population.
overlap somewhat, the differences between the estimates
References
are statistically significant. Differences between estimates
with overlapping confidence intervals can be statistically
Bielick, S., Chandler, K., and Broughman, S.P. (2001).
significant (Schenker and Gentleman 2001).
Homeschooling in the United States: 1999 (NCES
5 “Most important reason for homeschooling” was asked
2001-033). National Center for Education Statistics,
differently in 2003 and 2007 and, therefore, cannot be
U.S. Department of Education. Washington, D.C.
compared across time.
Princiotta, D., Bielick, S., and Chapman, C. (2004). 1.1
6 Percentages do not sum to 100 because of rounding.
Million Homeschooled Students in the United States
in 2003 (NCES 2004-115). National Center for
Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences,
U.S. Department of Education. Washington, D.C.
Schenker, N., and Gentleman, J.F. (2001). On Judging
the Significance of Differences by Examining the
Overlap Between Confidence Intervals. The American
Statistician, 55(3): 182–186.
The Issue Brief series presents information on education topics of current interest. All estimates shown are based on samples and are subject to
sampling variability. All differences discussed are statistically significant at the .05 level; this means a difference is discussed only if the probability that
it is due to chance (i.e., sampling variability) is less than 1 in 20. No adjustments were made for multiple comparisons. In the design, conduct, and
data processing of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) surveys, efforts are made to minimize the effects of nonsampling errors, such as
item nonresponse, measurement error, data processing error, or other systematic error. For more information on the National Household Education
Surveys Program (NHES), visit http://nces.ed.gov/nhes.
This Issue Brief was prepared by Stacey Bielick (American Institutes for Research) of the Education Statistics Services Institute (ESSI). For further information,
contact Gail Mulligan, NCES, at 202-502-7491 or gail.mulligan@ed.gov. To order additional copies of this Issue Brief or other NCES publications, call
1-877-4ED-PUBS or visit http://www.edpubs.org. NCES publications are also available on the Internet at http://nces.ed.gov.
NCES 2009-030
Issue Brief December 2008
3
The Issue Brief series presents information on education topics of current interest.
NCES 2009–030
United States in 2007
1.5 Million Homeschooled Students in the
Brief
Issue
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