Homeschooling in California increased by 78% in the five years between the start of the 2017 and 2022 school years, according to a new analysis from the Washington Post. This analysis follows a report from earlier in October from the California Department of Education that found that most of the state’s public school students do not meet basic math, science and literacy standards, suggesting the state’s public school system is in a state of major crisis. The Post analysis’ authors noted that “home schooling’s surging popularity crosses every measurable line of politics, geography and demographics,” and that there was “found no correlation between school district quality, as measured by standardized test scores, and home-schooling growth,” upending narratives that home-schooling is primarily for wealthy or religious families.
