Homeschooling in the United States has seen a serious upswing in the last couple of years. According to NHERI research, between the years 2016 and 2021, the number of children getting their education at home jumped from 2.3M to a whopping 3.7M.
To paint a broader picture here, homeschooling grew about 10% each year during those 5 years. And no, it hasn’t slowed down. This drives more and more parents to look for trustworthy math tutors in San Diego and other areas.
In this blog post, I’ll break down why homeschooling in California (and all around the US!) is booming, how it helps kids build a strong foundation, and ways for families to support their studies at home.
A deeper look into homeschooling statistics
The COVID-19 pandemic shook the US schools to their core, making home education a mainstream option for many parents. But homeschooling was popular long before, growing 10% each year from 2016. In 2022, many students returned to school after the pandemic had died down, dropping from 3.7M to 3.1M students.
In 2024-2025, we see changes: the number of homeschool kids has risen back again to the 2021 level, with 3.7 million choosing home education. Still, home-based learning trends aren’t really the same across the country, with significant disparities from state to state.
For example, the top 3 states with the most homeschoolers in the US are Alaska, North Carolina, and South Dakota, with 10.3%, 8.6%, and 5.7% respectively. California’s homeschooling rate is 2.4%, which is below the 3.5% national average.
The benefits of parent-led education
- Flexible pacing: Essential for children learning at different speeds, with learning difficulties or significant learning gaps.
- Deeper family bonds: Learning becomes a journey both kids and parents can share.
- Safe, familiar space: Just like adults love working from home, some children feel more comfortable and more ready to learn in comfortable, familiar spaces.
- Real-world experiences: Homeschooling allows for more real-life experiences when math is learned through grocery shopping, and history through museum visits.
- Stronger foundation: Parents tend to focus more on math and reading, while dabbling in history, arts, and science.
Homeschooling common concerns
While homeschooling has grown a ton in the US, it does face criticism and debate. Some parents worry about a lack of socialization, academic drawbacks, and the quality of online homeschooling resources. Homeschooling also requires one parent to stay home, which is by far financially out of reach for many families.
In short, homeschooling may not be the best way to boost scores, but it helps raise curiosity, adaptability, and confidence in children. Alternatively, when parents can choose among the best homeschooling programs to support subjects like math and reading, and get structured guidance.
Finding a homeschool teacher online is usually an ordeal for parents — they aren’t particularly sure about the criteria they need to be looking for.
This becomes easier with online educational platforms like Brighterly, where all parents need to do is take a quiz and set up a free trial lesson to start learning. Let’s talk about how Brighterly, in particular, can help homeschooling families in California with math and reading.
How Brighterly can help homeschooling families in California
Brighterly is an online math and reading platform for students in grades 1–9. The platform connects families with professional tutors based on their preferences, learning gaps, goals, and other criteria. Only last year, over 200K parents joined Brighterly, with an average Trustpilot rating of 4.5 stars, which is excellent by review websites’ standards.
Brighterly homeschooling activities: Key features
Professional tutors with expertise in online education
The Brighterly platform collaborates with tutors whose expertise is specifically in online teaching. They also have to have a proven record of teaching success and creating a supportive and safe environment for children with various learning needs.
Educational plans with Common Core principles + adaptive methods
Brighterly offers adaptive educational plans that are aligned with the Common Core standards so that students are on track with the school’s curriculum. This is where children get a tailored curriculum for their learning needs that follows the same benchmarks as traditional school.
Free learning resources
The Brighterly platform is the perfect place for homeschooling students, as it not only provides private tutoring, but also free learning resources for solo practice: worksheets, knowledge base, expert blog, and tests for assessing skills.
Some of the other benefits of Brighterly homeschool include:
- First free lesson — no credit card or signup required. Ideal for families that want to test several platforms at once.
- Flexible scheduling. You set up a schedule individually with your tutor.
Tips to support learning at home
- Short, focused sessions are more effective than hour-long lessons.
- Take mind breaks – every 15 minutes for elementary and every 30 minutes for older kids.
- Celebrate progress, not just track it – every small win counts.
- Encourage solo learning: you don’t always have to be by their side.
- Identify your child’s learning style. There are a variety of learning styles – detect your kid’s to better adapt to their needs.
- Keep curious. Make space for exploring and discovery to help your kid stay motivated (also works for parents!).
Homeschooling is not supposed to feel awkward, chaotic, or rigid, but it can. Remember – homeschooling is the perfect place to personalize education as much as possible, so don’t lose momentum.
Conclusion: Is homeschooling a thing in California?
Homeschooling is still booming in the US, with 3.7M students learning at home. Even though California’s homeschooling rate is below the 3.5% national average, it is still a big piece of the state’s educational pattern.
Many California parents are on the lookout for professional homeschooling support, which is why Brighterly has gained over 200K of new users in the last year. With the Brighterly platform, parents don’t have to face homeschooling alone – with expert tutors, it is no longer an isolated effort.
After all, the goal of homeschooling is to help kids thrive while learning. And when homeschooling in California may not be in the top 3, it is still shaping the future of learning.
