More Texas Families Choosing to Homeschool

Texas — As the pandemic forced children to study at home temporarily, many families in Texas have made homeschooling permanent.

According to the Census, the percentage of families homeschooling their children jumped from 4% at the end of the 2019/2020 school year to 12% at the start of the next school year.

The study also found that the increase was highest among black families.

Peggy Seminson, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Arlington who studies the rise of homeschooling, said multiple factors are driving parents to choose homeschooling.

“A lot of it stemmed from the pandemic. Parents realized that homeschooling was possible and chose to continue with it,” says Semingson. “[Also]want more control over their children’s education and bullying [and] culture war. ”

According to the Texas Department of Education, approximately 379,000 Texas children are homeschooled. Semingson said schools may need to adapt their models if they want to stem the decline in enrollment in public schools.

“I think schools need to be more flexible,” she said. “There will need to be more flexibility in curricula and what schools are in order to retain students. Otherwise, this trend is likely to continue.”