More Georgia families are choosing to homeschool

“I’m just going to give it to you,” she says. “It was the trash.”

“I figured!” one student says before the class moves on to a lesson about action words.

Roman’s class is part of the DeKalb Christian Home Educators co-op, where about 100 homeschooled students meet at Stone Mountain United Methodist Church once a week to take classes and participate in sports, fine arts and other clubs.

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

More Georgia families are choosing homeschooling options like this one. During the 2024-25 school year, 89,510 Georgia students participated in homeschooling, a one year increase of about 10,000, according to recent data from the Johns Hopkins School of Education. The total might seem minor when compared to the 1.7 million students who attend the state’s public schools, but it’s a 45% increase over the last decade. Public school enrollment in Georgia, meanwhile, has been flat over the last decade and declined by roughly 25,000 during the last five years, according to state Department of Education data.

“It’s a big number,” said Angela Watson, an assistant research professor at Johns Hopkins, who developed and now directs the university’s homeschool hub and research lab, which aggregates and analyzes data about homeschooling.

Watson said Georgia’s numbers match national trends showing more families are opting to homeschool.

‘I can do this’

Coretta Ponder, the director of DeKalb Christian Home Educators, said she understands why more parents chose homeschooling after filling that role during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think people realized, ‘I can do this,’” she said. “We understand how our kids learn and … once you figure out what your child likes, what they’re good at, you can tailor an entire curriculum.”

Watson said changes in schooling during the pandemic probably can’t explain why 10,000 more Georgia students opted to homeschool in one year, but some cultural shifts and technological enhancements may have contributed to the increase.

“Things are just much more accessible, and so parents who may not have been able to even think about doing homeschooling for (a) child with special needs have access to more resources, more curriculum, more parent groups and supports and … if you’re able to do hybrid work or remote work, you can be home with a child that may need a little bit of supervision, but can also do a lot of the learning on their own or online … so things are just a lot different,” she said.

Concerns about the school environment (such as safety and children being exposed to drugs) was the top reason for homeschooling cited by parents, according to a 2021 report by the federal National Center for Education Statistics. A desire to provide moral instruction and an emphasis on family life were virtually tied for second on the list.

Watson initially wondered if Georgia’s school voucher law played a role in the increase, but it doesn’t take effect until the fall. Georgia’s new program, which is similar to programs operating in some other states, allows families to qualify for up to $6,500 to be used for a variety of educational expenses, including homeschooling.

The co-op effect

A co-op offered a perfect solution for Roman, the Spanish teacher. Her youthful energy seems to be a good match for the young children she teaches. She’s a former music educator who started teaching at DCHE this year. Her first-grade son, Wyatt, is one of her students.

“I was homeschooling, and I’m bilingual,” she said. “I have a Cuban background, so I wanted my children to have Spanish, and so I started teaching Spanish at home with a small group of friends.”

She offered lessons via a Facebook post and was contacted by the group.

“I wanted the opportunity for my child to continue Spanish and kids learn better with their peers,” she said. “They don’t … learn so good sometimes when it’s just Mom telling them. So that was a huge advantage for us … having him with some peers learning it.”

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

The co-op serves students in prekindergarten through 12th grades. It is busiest on Wednesdays, when in-person classes like high school chemistry, Spanish and math are held. A smaller number of classes are offered on Mondays. Some online options are scheduled for Tuesdays. Activities like 4-H and Beta Club are held on Fridays. Students can also participate in the robotics team, science fair, chess club and a running program overseen by the Atlanta Track Club. High school students can participate in the state’s dual enrollment program, where they can earn college credit.

“You know how you go to the YMCA and you pick à la carte classes you want to take? That’s a homeschool co-op,” said Nicole Doyle, who has homeschooled her four children.

The co-op model also provides responses to some common criticisms of homeschooling, including the claim that it can be socially isolating and that teaching and curriculum requirements are loose. In Georgia, parents or guardians who homeschool need to have a high school diploma. Students are required to take standardized tests every three years starting at the end of third grade.

However, DCHE students can participate in field trips and enter academic competitions. On a recent Wednesday, the church was buzzing with activity, especially during lunch, where students socialized and played basketball. Classes are taught by state-certified teachers. Students can take Advanced Placement courses and participate in the state’s dual enrollment program, where they can earn college credit.

There’s no clear research on the academic benefits of homeschooling in part because, as a group of Harvard researchers noted in 2021, there’s “no consensus on overall graduation rates or treatment effects” for homeschoolers. Some states do not monitor how those students are faring, The Washington Post found in its 2023 series on homeschooling.

Many homeschool supporters say their choice isn’t in opposition to public schools. Doyle said her decision to homeschool was based on her children’s needs, not resentment toward the school district.

“We are not anti-public school,” she said. “We are not anti-school system. We’re not screaming to close the public schools because I truly believe that ‘school choice’ means all the options on the table.”

Watson pointed out that data show just 10% of homeschooled students spend their entire K-12 education there.

“That means 90% of people who were ever homeschooled were only homeschooled for (two) or three years,” she said.

Homeschooling isn’t legal everywhere

Homeschooling has been legal in all 50 states since President Bill Clinton signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 1993. However, the practice is still banned or restricted in some other countries because of concerns about a lack of oversight and accountability. Some allow exceptions, such as a child having a severe disability that would be hard to accommodate in a public or private school classroom. Here are some places where homeschooling is illegal or restricted.