Survey says: Homeschool parents support educational freedom programs
A national survey of 1,000 homeschooling parents shows strong support for educational freedom programs, including education savings accounts (ESAs) and tax credits.
The online survey conducted by the yes. every kid. foundation. from Aug. 29-Sept. 2, 2024 asked homeschool parents about the importance of giving parents more options to help improve their children’s education, how they feel about policies that enhance educational choice, and why they homeschool, to name a few.
Homeschool parents were very supportive of educational freedom programs, with 84 percent supporting ESAs and 88 percent supporting tax-credit programs. Majorities for both also strongly supported each program — 53 percent for ESAs and 58 percent for tax credits. Currently, 18 states have an ESA program and 23 states have a tax-credit program.
As educational choice programs continue to grow nationwide, the homeschool community recognizes “the value of diverse learning environments, with nine in ten homeschool parents indicating homeschool and private school children should be able to attend public schools on a course-by-course basis,” writes the yes. every kid. foundation. “The vast majority (80%) believe this access would improve their state’s K-12 education system.”
When asked if their state leaders spend enough time focusing on K-12 education, two-thirds of respondents believe their elected leaders spend too little time on the topic, with 5 percent believing they spend too much time and 22 percent believing they spend the right amount of time. Non-white parents, moms, households with incomes under $100,000, and suburban and rural parents most believe state leaders spend too little time on K-12 education.
Two-thirds (67 percent) of homeschool parents stated that programs like ESAs “give families back the money the state would have spent on their child in public school” and families should get to decide whether to participate in these programs or not. But, for this to happen, programs like ESAs need to be established in the first place. “Only 27 percent of homeschool parents believe these programs are a way for government to monitor people and should not be established in the first place. At least three-fifths of every demographic subgroup supports establishing these programs,” summarized the yes. every kid. foundation.
Recent data shows that during the 2023-2024 school year homeschooling grew across the United States. North Dakota reported its highest-ever number of homeschoolers. The state rebounded from its homeschool decline during the 2022-2023 school year, increasing 24 percent.
“While the exact reason for this growth is unknown, we do know that it was not driven by the pandemic or a sudden disruption to traditional schooling,” writes Angela Watson for the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy. “Something else is driving this growth.”
