Study: Homeschooling Has Doubled in Missouri to About 1 in 16 Kids
Local Homeschool News: Missouri
Homeschooling has doubled in Missouri. Research from the Policy Research in Missouri Education (PRiME) Center at Saint Louis University estimates the share of homeschooled children rose from about 3% to 6% after the pandemic (KOMU 8).
“We saw that homeschooling rates in Missouri doubled over the course of the pandemic from 30,000 to over 60,000 students,” PRiME Center Executive Director Collin Hitt said. That is about 1 in 16 kids. Because Missouri does not require families to report homeschooling, researchers reviewed 10 datasets. They found growth in every region of the state.
Columbia-area parents told KOMU that homeschooling has become a long-term choice. Reasons include customizing academics, safety, special needs accommodations, travel sports, and more individual attention. Parent Shonna Dean serves on the boards of Classical Conversations and the Mid-Missouri Co-Op of Home Educators. Parent Jenifer Gingerich said her group’s high school classes are larger than ever.
Missouri public schools will now be required to let homeschool students try out for sports and other activities. Parents noted homeschoolers still cannot use the state’s A+ Scholarship program. “You probably have 61,000 kids homeschooling in Missouri and 61,000 different reasons,” Hitt said.
For more on homeschooling in the state, see our Missouri Homeschool Laws page.
Sources:
- Sophia Ortiz, “Homeschooling has doubled in Missouri: Why families are leaving schools,” KOMU 8, March 31, 2026