Homeschooling is on the rise in Texas.

The Texas Home School Coalition (THSC) is reporting a 15-fold increase in the number of public school opt-outs in July 2020 compared to July 2019, a jump that THSC Public Policy Analyst Stephen Howsley naturally attributes to the COVID-19 pandemic – as well as other factors.

“I think that the primary reasons right now that parents are giving for withdrawing their children from public schools are related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Howsley told Lone Star Standard. “In addition to this, many are concerned about the curriculum being taught to their children and want to have more of a say on what their child is taught in school. I also think that a lot of parents have realized how much they like the extra time that they have spent with their children. I think that many have also discovered that they like homeschooling after being placed in a position where they had to homeschool when schools closed this spring.”

Texas Home School Coalition Public Policy Analyst Stephen Howsley | Contributed photo

Texas is one of the best places to homeschool, according to the THSC. It provides details on its website under the heading How to Home School in Texas.

“By ‘best,’ we mean that Texans who homeschool don’t have to jump through the hoops that some other states require – like taking yearly standardized testing, having parents evaluated by the state and getting specific curriculum approved,” the THSC notes on its website. “The only things that Texas law requires to legally homeschool are the instruction must be bona fide (i.e. not a sham), the curriculum must be in visual form (e.g. books, workbooks, video monitor), and the curriculum must include the basic subjects of reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics and good citizenship. Your child may also be taught in another family’s home or you may use a tutor for instruction.”

Withdrawing a student from public school is also relatively easy, according to the THSC.

The coalition provides instructions on how to fill out and submit a withdrawal form. Parents are then guided on how to send a letter to the school district.

Howsley says health concerns over the pandemic are the primary reason for homeschooling’s rise in popularity.

“I think that COVID-19 plays a big role in these increased numbers,” he said. “Many parents are concerned that public schools are opening too soon while other parents were not excited by the idea of their child having to be socially distant from other children at school or having their child be required to wear a mask all day.”

The THSC, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, was formed as a political action committee (PAC) in 1986. Kirk McCord of Hearth and Home Ministries and the late Brad Chamberlain were the founders.

“Because of the numerous lawsuits against homeschoolers across the state and harmful legislation being introduced in Austin, they saw a need for a statewide political organization to work for the rights of homeschoolers in the state of Texas,” THSC states on its website. “The founders, believing government restriction could not be justified academically or socially, formed the THSC PAC to oppose any regulation of home education in Texas.”

It was incorporated as an educational nonprofit organization in 1995 and merged with HOPE for Texas in 1998. Howsley says it is dedicated to defending families’ rights to choose what form of education is best for their children.

“At THSC, we believe that each family needs to make the educational decisions that make the most sense for their family and are best suited for each child,” he said. “We do believe that homeschooling is one of the best methods available. We do our best to equip families who make the decision to homeschool by providing resources and connecting families to a community of other homeschoolers.

“The biggest resource that we offer families looking to homeschool is our public school withdrawal form on our website that helps families legally withdraw from public school before homeschooling.”

As schools reopen in a variety of fashions, Howsley says homeschooling will remain an attractive option.

“I think that we will see the rate of withdrawals [from public schools] either increase or remain the same at least through the end of the summer,” he said. “In the first week of August, we were copied on the highest number of withdrawals to homeschool for any given week this year at 1,371. This same week last year, we were only copied on 137.”

Howsley predicts homeschooling will continue to grow even after the pandemic lessens.

“In general, we have seen homeschooling become more and more popular as it has become more mainstream,” he said. “The public view of homeschooling is also consistently trending positive right now and has been for quite some time.”

Howsley, who himself was homeschooled, has worked for the Texas Home School Coalition since 2015 as a writer, public policy analyst and lobbyist.