Study Finds Military Families Homeschool at Twice the Rate of Civilian Families

STUDY FINDS MILITARY FAMILIES HOMESCHOOL AT TWICE THE RATE OF CIVILIAN FAMILIES

By Buddy Blouin

Research from Johns Hopkins University shows that homeschooling in the military is quite popular. In fact, military families homeschool their children at a much higher rate than civilian homes. This might be for many reasons, but researchers are still trying to decipher why. Furthermore, the military population is being looked at to help determine why the overall population might choose to homeschool their children instead of using other educational routes.

Kids Are Twice as Likely to Be Homeschooled in Military Families

Experts are trying to figure out why homeschooling in the military community is so popular—twice that of civilian populations.

By doing so, researchers hope to determine the motivations behind the overall population’s decision to teach their kids at home instead of in traditional schools.

Speaking on the matter, Angela Watson, an assistant research professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Education, said, “We knew at least anecdotally that people said (military families) homeschooled at higher rates. What we found was that, indeed, the (Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey) does show a high—almost double—rate of homeschooling among these families.”

During the 2023-24 school year, 12% of active-duty homeschooled their kids, compared to only 6% of civilian respondents.

Keep in mind that the rate of civilian homeschooling has doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas military families have remained relatively the same.

This shows that the pandemic isn’t necessarily a big influence on why military rates are so high. Researchers continue to look at what other factors are responsible for such a large discrepancy.

Possible Factors

Many believe that military families often homeschool for stability during frequent moves or to spend more time together after deployments.

However, homeschooling is also common among National Guard and Reserve members, with 11% choosing it in 2023-2024—just slightly behind active-duty rates.

Natalie Mack, the founder of the Military Homeschoolers Association, highlights traditional reasons like stability but also notes growing concerns such as meeting special needs, avoiding bullying, and school safety.

Mack's organization is waiting to see how the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) responds to President Donald Trump's executive order on school choice. The executive order could potentially provide funding for military families to choose their preferred education options.

Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey

The Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey helps the government and experts better understand how homeschooling works within homes, among many other things.

Because of Pulse’s data, looking at the data to determine the difference in homeschooling between military and civilian households, is possible.

The Household Pulse Survey affects military and civilian families on a social and economic level leveraging real-time data for efficient results when critical needs must be met within a community.