Homeschooling is on the rise globally — and it’s becoming “normal”

Homeschooling is no longer a fringe choice. Across multiple countries, education systems are seeing a sustained lift in families choosing to educate at home — a shift that accelerated during COVID disruptions and has, in many places, settled into a new baseline rather than snapping back.

In England, newly collected national data shows 175,900 children were identified as electively home educated at some point during the 2024/25 academic year, up from 153,300 the year prior. In Australia, Queensland alone recorded 11,800 registered homeschool students as of August 2025, with large growth since 2021 (especially in secondary year levels). In New Zealand, official statistics reported 11,010 homeschooled students as at 1 July 2025 (about 1.3% of total enrolments).

What’s driving it? Part of the story is practical: families discovered they could manage learning outside school during lockdowns, and the ecosystem of online curricula, tutoring, micro-schools, and hybrid programs expanded rapidly. But there’s also a deeper “push” factor: in the UK data and commentary, mental health and special educational needs feature prominently in reasons families withdraw from school, suggesting some parents are choosing home education because mainstream settings aren’t meeting their child’s needs.

This creates policy tension. Governments want safeguarding visibility (for example, proposals for registers), while families want autonomy and flexibility. The next phase of the trend may be less about pure homeschooling versus schooling, and more about customised education—where families mix home learning, part-time enrolment, online providers, and community-based instruction.

Either way, “home education” is increasingly part of the mainstream menu of options — and systems worldwide are now adapting to that reality.