Homeschooled students scored substantially above national norms in reading, language, mathematics, social studies, and science, according to the first peer-reviewed nationwide homeschool achievement study of its kind in approximately 15 years.
The findings arrive as homeschooling remains above pre-pandemic levels nationwide and Texas expands financial and extracurricular opportunities for participating families. Researchers cautioned, however, that the results demonstrate an association—not proof that homeschooling caused the higher scores.
Scores Exceeded National Norms Across Five Subjects
The study, “A Nationwide Study on the Academic Achievement of Homeschool Students and Parents’ Reasons for Homeschooling,” was published online on May 21, 2026, in the peer-reviewed Peabody Journal of Education.
Researchers Brian D. Ray and Braden Hoelzle analyzed standardized achievement scores from homeschool students across the United States. The results were compared with the national norm groups used by the tests, whose midpoints are at the 50th percentile.
The homeschool students’ average scores were:
- 29 percentile points above the norm in reading;
- 25 points above the norm in language;
- 25 points above the norm in mathematics;
- 26 points above the norm in social studies; and
- 27 points above the norm in science.
Those figures mean, for example, that the study’s average homeschool reading score was approximately at the 79th percentile. They do not mean students answered 29% more questions correctly.
The researchers also examined whether achievement varied with family income, parents’ education, or state teacher certification. Those factors generally had little or no practical relationship with students’ scores, according to the paper.
Ray is president of the National Home Education Research Institute, while Hoelzle has been affiliated with NHERI and Frisco Independent School District.
What the Study Does—and Does Not—Prove
The paper’s results support the claim that participating homeschool students scored above the national norms on the standardized tests. They do not establish that homeschooling itself produced the difference.
The research was observational, not a randomized experiment. Families choose whether to homeschool, and those who obtain standardized testing or participate in research may differ from families who do not. The comparison was also with each test’s national norm group, rather than a matched, contemporaneous sample of public-school students with the same demographic and family characteristics.
Factors such as parental involvement, curriculum selection, testing participation, family structure, student motivation, and time spent on instruction could contribute to the results.
The authors’ findings also concern academic achievement tests. The study does not resolve separate questions about social development, special-education services, athletics, college preparation, or long-term outcomes.
Homeschooling Remains Above Pre-Pandemic Levels
The latest nationally representative federal survey found that 3.4% of students ages 5 through 17 were homeschooled during the 2022-2023 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. An additional share attended full-time virtual programs through public or private schools.
Overall, 5.2% received instruction at home through either homeschooling or full-time virtual education, up from 3.7% in 2018-2019.
Parents reported multiple reasons for homeschooling. Concern about the environment at other schools—including safety, discipline, drugs, or negative peer pressure—was cited by 83%. Other frequently reported reasons included moral instruction, at 75%; emphasizing family life, at 72%; and dissatisfaction with academic instruction elsewhere, also at 72%.
Concern about other schools’ environment was the single most important reason for 28% of homeschool families.
Texas Homeschooling Expanded After COVID
Texas does not require homeschool families to register with a statewide enrollment system, making an exact current count unavailable. Public-school withdrawal data provide only a partial measure because they exclude children who began homeschooling without first attending public school.
As The Dallas Express previously reported, more than 83,000 Texas students left public schools for homeschooling during the 2020-2021 school year, compared with approximately 25,000 one year earlier. Withdrawals remained above 50,000 during each of the following two school years.
Tarrant County recorded 2,655 withdrawals for homeschooling during 2022-2023, while Dallas County recorded 1,765.
Texas is also introducing public financial assistance for homeschool expenses. Under the state’s new education freedom account program, eligible homeschool families may receive up to $2,000 per student for approved curriculum and instructional materials during the 2026-2027 school year.
Homeschool students have also gained broader access to public-school extracurricular activities. Under current University Interscholastic League rules, school districts must generally allow eligible homeschool students to participate unless their boards formally opt out.
Flexibility Comes With Added Responsibility
Homeschooling can allow families to adjust instruction to a student’s pace, select curricula, accommodate travel or medical needs, and devote additional time to particular subjects. Co-ops, hybrid schools, online courses, and community programs can supplement instruction and provide group activities.
The arrangement also shifts substantial responsibility to parents. Families must choose curricula, maintain records, provide or arrange instruction, monitor academic progress, and frequently absorb costs and lost working time. Access to specialized instruction, counseling, laboratories, competitive athletics, and services for students with disabilities can vary by location and program.
The new study supplies updated evidence about standardized academic performance among participating homeschool students. Broader comparisons will still require representative samples that track similarly situated homeschool and conventional-school students over time.
Provided by Dallas Express
