For Promotional Products / SWAG Click Here!!
How Much Has Homeschooling Increased During COVID-19?

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed nearly every aspect of our lives.  Since COVID’s emergence in the United States in early 2020, one area that has changed drastically is the educational system. Homeschooling during COVID-19 has seen a dramatic increase, as many parents saw it as more beneficial than zoom learning and safer than sending their children to classrooms. 

A Look at Homeschooling Enrollment During the Pandemic


Prior to the pandemic, homeschooling enrollment numbers were where you would expect them to be and relatively low. The US Census has released data, and it is estimated that during the first week of lockdowns in April of 2020, 5.4% of families with school-aged children were reported to be homeschooling their children.1 

By the fall of 2020, only four months after the initial lockdowns, the US Census reported that 11.1% of families with school-aged children were being homeschooled at the time. While a 5.7% increase may not seem like much, consider that this is a percentage of all school-aged children in the United States and is a 105% increase in the number of homeschooled students. 


A Look at Homeschooling Increases by State

As a whole, the United States saw drastic increases in homeschooling rates, while individual states differed significantly in their changes. For example, Iowa and Kentucky had fewer families homeschooling in the fall of 2020 than in April of 2020. These states are outliers, however, as every other state experienced increases, albeit with varying rates. 

The largest percent change in homeschooling numbers originated from New York, with an estimated 842% increase in homeschooled students, increasing from 1.2% to 10.1% from April to the fall. Massachusetts also experienced a large change, with an 806% growth in homeschooled students, changing from 1.5% to 12.1%.1


How Will Homeschooling Numbers Change With the Delta Variant?

The numbers for this coming school year will surely change, based on a variety of new factors. For one, we now have a readily available vaccine that may increase the willingness of parents to send their children back to school. It is, however, currently only available to children twelve years old or older. If the vaccine is found to be safe for younger children, this may cause a serious drop in homeschooling numbers as more children return to physical schools. 

Another factor, however, is the new Delta variant, which of late has seen surges throughout the country. As with 2020, different states have had different reactive measures in place, and the coming colder months could see the number of cases rise even more. 

Unfortunately, how COVID will affect the future is largely unknown. Keeping an eye on vaccination rates and new infection rates will be the best way to predict future trends.  


Moving Forward

How the educational landscape moving forward will change is largely unknown and highly debated. The one constant is how everyone understands that children must be allowed to learn. Whether homeschooling numbers remain the same, drop, or increase, graduation rates must not drop due to the pandemic. 

The school year of 2020 saw many graduation ceremonies in large schools canceled, with students throwing their own ceremonies, complete with personalized graduation caps, gowns, and tassels. Whether your child is homeschooled or not, we believe graduation ceremonies, no matter the size, are a great way to celebrate your child’s accomplishments and show your child what they can achieve through hard work. 

At Tassel Depot, all of our graduation accessories and items are completely personalizable, so regardless of where they graduate from, your child can experience the full graduation experience. 


Related Readings:

Are Desk Shields Effective for Teachers and Students Against COVID-19


Preparing Yourself for Senior Year of High School

Sources Used:


1https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/03/homeschooling-on-the-rise-during-covid-19-pandemic.html