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Heather Feinberg has always supplemented her daughter鈥檚 homeschool education with other learning opportunities in their Austin, Texas, community, like church groups and music classes.

Now in eighth grade, her daughter attends a microschool twice a week. The part-time option is something that many small alternative schools offer for families who don鈥檛 want a five-day commitment.

鈥淚t never worked for us to isolate ourselves and be just the two of us at home,鈥� Feinberg said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not that kind of homeschool family.鈥�

Her choices are more common than she thinks. Combining homeschooling with something else 鈥� whether that鈥檚 a microschool, an online class or a co-op has become the norm 鈥攁ccording to released Wednesday from Johns Hopkins University and the Rand Corp.聽

In Rand鈥檚 of parents, 88% of those who currently homeschool their children use some additional type of support. Over 40% said they use online resources, which could range from a YouTube video to an online curriculum. Nearly a quarter enroll their child in an online school, and 10% use a tutor. As public schools increasingly compete for students, many, especially in Florida, also offer a la carte classes to homeschoolers.

Replacing federal data

To some traditional homeschoolers, those who enroll their children in virtual programs aren鈥檛 truly homeschooling, especially if it鈥檚 a public online school, because parents are less involved in directing the learning. But Angela Watson, researcher at Johns Hopkins University and director of the Homeschool Research Lab, chose not to define homeschooling on the survey.

鈥淚t’s getting so tricky,鈥� she said. Some parents who attend a microschool 鈥渋dentify as being homeschoolers either for policy reasons or because they feel like they are homeschooling.鈥�

The lines between homeschool and other models have been blurry for years, said John Watson, founder of the Community Advancing Digital Learning, a network of online providers. (He is not related to Angela Watson.)

He recently heard about some relatives who said they were homeschooling, but 鈥渦pon digging deeper, I found they are attending an online charter school,鈥� he said. The rise of education savings accounts, allowing parents to enroll their children in virtual programs using public funds, has further contributed to the 鈥渋ntersection of homeschooling and online schools or courses.鈥�

Johns Hopkins University commissioned Rand to insert homeschooling questions into its survey to learn more about a population growing in both size and diversity. 

鈥淭he hope is to better understand current homeschool trends and more about who is doing it,鈥� Angela Watson said. 

Of the 2,427 parents surveyed, about 10% say they homeschool their children. That鈥檚 nearly double the 5.2% last when the National Center for Education Statistics released a 鈥渇irst look鈥� at new data.

A fuller report, from the National Household Education Survey, was expected in January 2025. But that after Elon Musk鈥檚 Department of Government Efficiency wiped out the Institute for Education Sciences. It鈥檚 unclear whether efforts to include restarting that project. 

鈥淚 thought, 鈥楲et’s just make some lemonade out of these lemons,鈥� 鈥� Watson said, explaining why she turned to Rand.

鈥楻un the gamut鈥�

Some of the providers who market to homeschool families met last week near Atlanta for the fifth annual National Hybrid Schools Conference, a gathering of those serving students who split their time between different educational settings. 

Exhibitors included twin brothers Matthew and Jared Young, who founded Read Write Create, which offers creative writing classes and materials like journals and colored pencils. 

The homeschoolers who participate in their program 鈥渞un the gamut,鈥� said Matthew Young. Some do it for religious reasons, while others weren鈥檛 happy with the traditional public system. What they have in common, he added, is that they 鈥渓ike the freedom of being able to use whatever they want.鈥� 

In one session, the marketing team from Kaipod, a network of microschools, coached school founders on how to use websites and social media to attract parents looking for something different.

鈥淓nrollment of a child in school is a major decision especially if they鈥檙e walking away from a more familiar model,鈥� said Christine Carlson, Kaipod鈥檚 head of content marketing.

Sometimes homeschooling is what鈥檚 most familiar, but parents want their child to have more socialization, said Candice Hilton, founder of Hilton Horizons Academy, a Kaipod program in Tennessee offering two-, three- or five-day schedules. 

鈥淭hey may just want to have community. When you homeschool, sometimes you feel a little bit isolated,鈥� she told 麻豆精品. Other parents, she said, want an educator鈥檚 assurance that their child is on track. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like 鈥業 feel like we鈥檙e doing really awesome, but I want to confirm.鈥� 鈥�

Three survey samples

How homeschoolers鈥� complement their kids鈥� education with other programs is just a small slice of what Watson鈥檚 team will be able to learn from the parent survey. They also asked parents what grades their children are in, if homeschooling was their first choice or a last resort, what their political and religious views are, and whether their child has disabilities. 

In Austin, Feinberg鈥檚 daughter has learning difficulties, but also needs the part-time arrangement because of a chronic illness. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e super happy there,鈥� Feinberg said. She originally enrolled her daughter for four days a week, but 鈥渟he doesn鈥檛 have the stamina yet.鈥�

Watson, at Johns Hopkins, also wants to learn directly from homeschooled students. Rand just completed a survey of students, with results out later this spring. The data will provide more information on how kids move in and out of different educational settings.

鈥淣obody really thought to ask 鈥榃ere you only homeschooled for two years?鈥� 鈥� Watson said. 鈥淭hat seems different than being homeschooled for 12 years.鈥�

Finally, Rand will soon conduct a broader survey of adults, asking if they were ever homeschooled and for how long. Results from the three samples, Watson said, will provide 鈥渕ore confidence that these survey findings are accurate and reflect what is actually happening in the nation.鈥� 

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