Welcome back to our weekly roundup. This week leads with new Johns Hopkins numbers showing homeschooling is still growing, just more slowly, a good-news update on the Pennsylvania hybrid program we told you about two weeks ago, and a push for more homeschool oversight in New Jersey that families there will want to follow.

On the funding side, Arkansas has its quarter 2 EFA deposit scheduled for October and there is one step to take before you can see it, the federal scholarship tax credit is up to 31 states, and a Tennessee court threw out the lawsuit against the state’s Education Freedom Scholarship. As always, every story below links its source so you can read the original yourself. We use the agency, the court or the program’s own page wherever one exists.

Homeschooling is still growing, but Johns Hopkins says the pace has slowed

The Johns Hopkins Homeschool Research Lab has posted its first look at homeschool numbers for the 2025-2026 school year. The short version: homeschooling is still growing, just not as fast as it was.

Thirty states, including the District of Columbia, report annual homeschool counts, and 22 have reported for 2025-2026 so far. Of those 22, 17, or 77%, show an increase. At the same point in past years, 80% of reporting states showed growth in 2024-2025 and 90% in 2023-2024. Across the same 22 states, the growth rate fell from 6.3% to 1.5%, which works out to about 9,000 more homeschooled students this year compared with around 38,000 the year before.

Montana had the biggest jump at 27.7%, and lab director Angela Watson notes the governor made policy changes in 2025 that made it easier to homeschool. North Dakota grew 18.8% and Arkansas 14%. Six states reported their highest homeschool numbers ever: Arkansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Five states declined: Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire and North Carolina, with Minnesota showing the steepest drop at 10.8%.

Two things worth knowing about these numbers. They are state-registered counts, so Watson treats them as the minimum number of homeschooled students, and they often include microschools, hybrid schools and learning cooperatives. And this slower growth is happening while the number of children in the country, and enrollment in public and private schools, is going down. “Homeschooling is still growing, but not the way it was,” Watson writes.

Source: Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, Homeschool Hub

Update: a Pennsylvania hybrid program says the state now agrees co-ops are not childcare

Two weeks ago we told you about Roots Learning Academy, a hybrid homeschool program in the Pittsburgh area that Pennsylvania ordered to stop operating as an unlicensed childcare facility. There is good news.

Michael Bindas, a senior attorney at the Institute for Justice, said the state Department of Human Services has now agreed that hybrid programs or co-ops are not childcare facilities. The department declined to comment beyond a statement: “PA DHS is working directly with Roots Learning Academy regarding Pennsylvania’s regulations for child care.”

As a next step, Bindas said he will push for a settlement and an official order from the Bureau of Hearings and Appeals saying that hybrid programs providing education are not childcare under state law. The Institute for Justice is also working with the state on how many preschool-age children can be on site without a childcare license, because Roots keeps a nursery for younger siblings while parents volunteer or teach.

Roots was founded in 2023. Students attend one to three days a week, and their parents stay responsible for their education and file homeschool paperwork with their local school district. If your co-op or hybrid meets more than one day a week, this is a case to watch until that order is in writing.

Sources: Kidsburgh (reporting by PublicSource), The 74

New Jersey lawmakers want more homeschool oversight, and homeschool groups are pushing back

New Jersey asks very little of homeschool families. According to the state Department of Education, parents only have to tell the local board of education they are homeschooling in two narrow situations, and the law does not require or authorize the board to review and approve a homeschool curriculum. Two state senators now want to change some of that after the death of a 9-year-old Paulsboro girl who was not in school.

State Sen. John Burzichelli, a Democrat who represents Gloucester County, and State Sen. Paul Moriarty are calling for more protections for children who do not go to school. Burzichelli told The Philadelphia Inquirer his office is researching other states’ rules and plans to soon propose legislation to refresh the state’s alternative education statute. Ideas he mentioned include a requirement for homeschooled children to meet with the school district once a year and a ban on guardians with criminal records teaching children at home. He also said homeschooling can be successful, that he does not want to upend New Jersey’s education rules, and that he wants to meet with homeschool advocates first. A bill that would require every homeschooled child and parent to meet with a school official once a year, S741, was introduced on January 13 by Burzichelli, Moriarty and Sen. Benjie Wimberly, and HSLDA reports no hearings have been scheduled. A nearly identical bill from last year never came to a vote.

New Jersey homeschool groups say the tragedy is being wrongly tied to homeschooling. “Please be clear that Maya Thomas’ murder is a tragedy that has nothing to do with homeschooling,” wrote Pamela Kerr, a New Jersey Homeschool Association board member. The New Jersey Homeschool Freedom Association asked families to call both senators to say that “public statements connecting this tragedy to homeschooling risk stigmatizing thousands of responsible New Jersey homeschooling families.” If you homeschool in New Jersey, now is the time to make sure your legislators hear from you.

Sources: The Philadelphia Inquirer, New Jersey Department of Education homeschooling FAQ, HSLDA on S741 and A1341

Arkansas: quarter 2 EFA funds are scheduled for October, and there is one step before you can see them

The Arkansas Department of Education’s 2026-27 Education Freedom Account family handbook lists the quarter 2 deposit for October 2026, followed by quarter 3 in February 2027 and quarter 4 in April 2027. For students who are not in the Succeed program, each quarter is $1,802, out of $7,208 for the year. Succeed students receive $2,002.75 a quarter, or $8,011 for the year.

The step that trips families up: the handbook says parents must accept the ClassWallet affidavit before funds are visible and available in their dashboard. If you log in and do not see the new quarter, check that first.

If you plan to pay out of pocket and ask for a reimbursement, build in some time. The state’s EFA FAQ says ADE tries to approve requests within 25 business days, but it can take longer in busy periods, “especially right after funds disbursement.” Once a request is approved, the money should reach your bank account within 2 to 10 business days. Applications for the 2027-28 school year open in March 2027. (Be sure to look for us in the CW Marketplace!)

Sources: Arkansas EFA Family Handbook 2026-27, Arkansas EFA FAQ, Arkansas Department of Education

Update: the federal scholarship tax credit is up to 31 states

The new federal scholarship tax credit, which the administration calls the Education Freedom Tax Credit, now has 31 states signed on, according to IRS figures reported on October 19. States have until January 1 to opt in.

Every Republican governor had opted in by the summer, and two Democrats, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, agreed recently. On Monday, October 19, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon visited Spokane to urge Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson to join. A spokesperson said the governor still hasn’t decided.

Beginning in 2027, taxpayers can get a credit of up to $1,700 for donations to approved scholarship-granting organizations in participating states, and under the proposed rules a married couple filing jointly could claim up to $3,400 if each spouse gives. For homeschool families, the question we have been following is still open: whether homeschool students in a given state can receive these scholarships depends on the federal rules being written now. Comments on those proposed rules must be received by December 1, 2026, and the public hearing is set for December 15.

Sources: WBUR Here & Now, The Spokesman-Review, Federal Register

Tennessee: a court dismissed the lawsuit against the Education Freedom Scholarship

On October 19, a three-judge panel of the Davidson County Chancery Court dismissed the lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s Education Freedom Scholarship program in its entirety. According to EdChoice Legal Advocates, which represented two families who stepped in to defend the program, the court found that Tennessee’s Constitution does not prohibit funding private education, and that a claim about inadequate public school funding has to target the laws that govern that funding, not this program. One of the three judges partly dissented.

The program provides state-funded scholarships toward private school tuition and other approved educational expenses, and it awarded 20,000 scholarships in its first year and expanded to 35,000 for 2026-27.

Sources: EdChoice, the court’s final order, PDF, Tennessee Department of Education

Upcoming Homeschool Events

Homeschool Day at the Sacramento History Museum, Sacramento, California, Wednesday November 4. 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Drop-in programs include a museum scavenger hunt and gold panning, plus docent-led Print Shop and Heading West programs. Members pay $8 and non-members $12 for students and adults, and children under 5 are free. A Student Underground Tour is an $8 add-on. You must pre-register.

Homeschool Day at Pioneer Farm Museum, Eatonville, Washington, Wednesday November 4. 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Choose the Pioneer Farm tour or the Native American Seasons tour for $11 per person age 4 and up, or both for $20. Bring a sack lunch for the picnic area, and buy tickets in advance because space is limited.

Homeschool Discovery Day at the North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro, North Carolina, Monday November 9. This year’s theme is Animal Superpowers, and November’s day is “Super Strength,” with a hands-on program and pop-up encounters around the zoo. Families register separately, and a ticket includes zoo admission.

Sources: Sacramento History Museum, Pioneer Farm Museum, North Carolina Zoo

Homeschool Facts and Tips for This Week

Did you know? Arizona’s Department of Education lists 108,688 students enrolled in Empowerment Scholarship Accounts for the 2026-2027 school year, as of October 19. The department also notes that 7,000 students who were eligible to renew did not submit the required information, and it expects many of them to return to the program. (Arizona Department of Education)

Myth: you have to teach every subject yourself. You do not. Co-ops, hybrid programs, online classes and tutors exist to share the load. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute says hybrid programs and co-ops can be a good fit for parents who are worried about socialization or who do not feel confident teaching certain subjects on their own. (Kidsburgh)

Resource tip. The National Park Service has National Theme Junior Ranger programs you can do from home, on topics like caves, the night sky, archeology, fossils and the transcontinental railroad. Many are aimed at ages 5 to 14 but are open to everyone, and some have online activities or a downloadable booklet. Completion awards vary and may include a printable certificate. (National Park Service)

Field trip tip. In North Carolina, state-registered homeschools can visit the North Carolina Zoo free through individual reservations by calling 336.879.7700, Monday through Friday. The school-aged children and one adult registered to the homeschool get free admission, eligible dates run September 14, 2026 through June 15, 2027, and there is a daily limit. If you live in another state, ask your zoo and museums whether they have a similar homeschool policy. (North Carolina Zoo)

Social tip. Team up with other families to meet group minimums. The Sacramento History Museum will book its other education programs for homeschool groups with at least 10 students, and Pioneer Farm Museum offers private tours for groups of 20 people or more. One message to your co-op or local homeschool group can turn a solo outing into a group field trip. (Sacramento History Museum, Pioneer Farm Museum)

Until next week

What we are watching: the homeschool curriculum case at the Supreme Court, where California’s state superintendent filed his brief opposing review on October 22 and the charter school defendants filed theirs on October 23, so the families can now reply before the justices decide whether to take the case (docket), Colorado’s final vote on homeschool enrichment rules later this fall (Chalkbeat), whether New Jersey senators file a homeschool bill, the December 1 comment deadline on the federal tax credit rules, and Election Day on November 3.

New states in the roundup this week: Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Arkansas, Washington, New York, Colorado, Tennessee, Arizona and California.

Happy homeschooling, and we will see you next Saturday.

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