Americans continue to homeschool their children in order to create customized learning programs, avoid detrimental aspects of government schools, and instill family values.

Annora Gilliss, an adjunct professor at Southern Nazarene University, conducted a study in which she interviewed twenty-one caregivers across the United States on why they choose to educate their children at home. Those caregivers were attracted to the “positive and personalized” culture surrounding homeschooling, which allows for students to enjoy more flexible schedules and creative instruction, and were dissuaded by the “negative” culture surrounding government schools, such as slow learning paces and inadequate instruction.

Many respondents also indicated that their desire to teach their children “religious and family values” was a motivator for pursuing home education, with many voicing their Christian convictions surrounding home education and parents as the primary educators of their children.

The researcher concluded that caregivers interviewed for the study maintained a “resolved commitment for a positive and personalized educational setting” and were characterized by a remarkable eagerness to share their experiences with the public. Commentary on the study published last month by the National Home Education Research Institute noted that the willingness to share and “even champion” homeschooling publicly was a new development.

“Whereas home educators have heretofore seemed reluctant to participate in research or educational studies, perhaps the winds are changing as the popularity of home education grows and its efficacy becomes harder to challenge based on empirical data,” the organization said.

The study occurs as home education becomes the most rapidly growing form of education in the country. An analysis published last year by The Washington Post showed that the number of homeschool students rose 51% over the past six school years, outpacing 7% growth in private school enrollment, while government school enrollment fell 4% over the same time horizon.

One study from the Urban Institute likewise concluded that homeschool enrollment had increased 30% even two years after the lockdowns, meaning that the trend would be sustained.