Why Are More Parents Choosing to Homeschool Their Children?

Is homeschooling really becoming more popular?

Yes. The number of children known to local authorities as being electively home educated has increased considerably.

Children in elective home education in England

• Autumn 2022: 80,900 children

• Autumn 2023: 92,000 children, estimated

• Autumn 2024: 111,700 children

• Autumn 2025: 126,000 children

The Department for Education also recorded 175,900 individual children experiencing home education at some point during the 2024/25 academic year, up from 153,300 the previous year and an estimated 126,100 in 2022/23.

The figures need some caution because the national data collection is relatively new and improvements in reporting account for some of the increase. Nevertheless, the Department for Education confirms that numbers have increased each autumn since its collection began.

Interestingly, 78,000 children started home education during 2024/25, while 28,100 returned to a school setting. So children move in both directions.

Why are parents choosing to homeschool?

There isn't one reason.

Some parents want greater flexibility and the ability to personalise education around their child's interests, abilities and pace of learning.

Others feel their child isn't thriving within their current school environment or want more freedom to include practical learning, travel, creativity, STEM, technology and other experiences within their child's education.

Home education also allows families considerable freedom over what they teach. Parents have a legal responsibility to provide a suitable full-time education from compulsory school age, but they do not have to follow the National Curriculum.

For the right child and family, that freedom can be enormously valuable.

What does homeschooling actually involve?

This is where the decision becomes much more personal.

Think about your child, rather than homeschooling in principle.

Would they enjoy spending considerably more time learning at home? Do they thrive with one-to-one attention? How important is being surrounded by other children to them? What are their energy levels like? Do they enjoy group sport, competition and collaborative activities?

Then think about yourself.

Do you have the temperament to be both parent and educator? How will you plan their learning? Do you have suitable space at home? How will you provide subjects outside your own knowledge? And how will you ensure your child regularly spends time learning, playing and building friendships with other children?

Local-authority guidance itself encourages parents to consider the time, energy, money, space, resources, physical activity, expertise, support and social opportunities involved before choosing home education.

Homeschooling is a change to family life, rather than simply a change of school.

Does homeschooling mean children have to learn alone?

Certainly not, and many home-educating families deliberately create opportunities for children to learn with others.

That might mean home-education groups, sports clubs, music lessons, STEM activities, tutors, outdoor learning, trips or sessions where several families learn together.

Some things naturally work particularly well in groups.

Team sport requires teammates and opposition. Drama requires other performers. Collaborative STEM projects allow children to combine different ideas and abilities. Friendships themselves require regular opportunities to spend time with other children.

Home education can provide social opportunities, but parents may need to be more intentional about creating them.

Is homeschooling free?

This is one of the biggest misconceptions worth addressing.

There are no school fees, but elective home education isn't necessarily free.

Parents generally take financial responsibility for their child's education, including resources and potentially tutors, activities, travel and examinations. Local authorities may offer some support, but families should not assume that the money the state would otherwise have spent educating their child will follow them home. Leeds City Council, for example, explicitly states that families choosing home education receive no funding and take responsibility for education and access to exams.

Then there is potentially a much bigger cost:

your time.

If homeschooling requires one parent to stop working or substantially reduce their hours, the lost income needs to be considered as part of the financial decision.

For a single-parent household, that can be particularly challenging.

For a family with several children, the calculation may look different because one parent's time is being used to educate several children. With one or two children, sacrificing a substantial salary can make home education considerably more expensive than it initially appears.

Could private school be an alternative to homeschooling?

For some families, yes.

If you're considering home education because you want smaller classes, greater individual attention, broader experiences or a different educational philosophy, it is worth exploring whether an independent school could provide some of what you're looking for without requiring a parent to take responsibility for full-time education.

There is obviously a significant financial cost to private education.

But compare that cost properly.

If one parent would otherwise give up or substantially reduce a career to homeschool, compare school fees with the after-tax income sacrificed, alongside the resources, tutors, activities and other costs of providing a broad home education.

Private education can also provide things that are harder to recreate individually, including specialist teachers, facilities, team sport, music, performances, friendships and the everyday experience of learning alongside other children.

Neither approach automatically provides the better education. The question is which environment best suits your child, your finances and your family life.

Questions to Ask Before Choosing Homeschooling

Consider:

1. Why do we want to homeschool?

2. Is the problem homeschooling would solve specific to our current school, or schooling generally?

3. Would our child thrive with this style of learning?

4. How important is daily interaction with other children to them?

5. Do we have suitable space at home?

6. Who will take primary responsibility for their education?

7. Do we have the time and temperament for it?

8. How will we provide sport, friendships and group learning?

9. What resources, tutors and activities might we need?

10. What income would we sacrifice?

11. What would a broader or more personalised school cost by comparison?

12. How would this decision affect the rest of our family?

There doesn't need to be a universally correct answer.