Courtesy photo Andrea Larsen is a cofounder of Michigan Homeschoolers for Freedom.

LANSING – The number of homeschooled children in the state is on the rise, according to a report from the Johns Hopkins University School of Education.

That’s because more parents are looking for ways to make their children’s education more individualized, said Andrea Larsen, a co-founder of Michigan Homeschoolers for Freedom.

Homeschooling has been gaining popularity since the 1980s, but the COVID-19 pandemic is what caused many families to search for alternatives to public schools, Larsen said.

In 2020, homeschooling rates in the state jumped from 5.3% at the beginning of the year to 11.3% by the end of the year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

And although numbers went back down when schools reopened after the pandemic, homeschooling has grown again in popularity in recent years, the Johns Hopkins report said.

From 2022 to 2023, about 5.04% of K-12 students in Michigan were homeschooled and in the 2023-24 school year, about 6.58% were homeschooled, the report said.

Larsen, who lives in Clinton County, said families discovered a wealth of available resources, “including online learning programs and a plethora of social activities and classes offered by businesses and other organizations.”

Larsen said from her perspective as a second-generation homeschooling mother and former college classroom instructor, the benefits of homeschooling are tremendous.

“Homeschooling allows parents to tailor education to fit their students’ needs”

“It is not a one-size-fits-all education. Students can take subjects at their own pace,” Larsen said.

Larsen said that despite criticism that homeschooled children don’t get enough socialization, students learning at home now have many options for spending time with other children and others outside of their family.

“Homeschoolers now are most often involved in group meetups with other homeschoolers, classes offered in their local communities, clubs, sports, activities and serving in their communities in various ways,” Larsen said.

Larsen said that Michigan law lists required courses for K-12 students, and most homeschoolers not only meet, but exceed those requirements.

“We use a huge variety of curricula to accomplish academic goals, which is one of the beautiful things about homeschooling. We can use whatever tool for learning works best for our students,” said Larsen.