Some U.S. states had much larger increases in homeschooling rates for the 2020-2021 school year than others.

Massachusetts, for example, jumped from 1.5% to 12.1% while many other states did not show a significant change.

Possible contributing factors include local homeschooling variation that predated the pandemic, local rates of coronavirus infections, and local decisions about how school is being conducted during the pandemic.

Differences by Metro Area

Homeschooling rates vary among metropolitan areas, as well (Table 3).

Among the 15 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA), for example, the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MSA, went from 0.9% in the spring of 2020 to 8.9% by the fall.

In contrast, the rate in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, MSA was not significantly different (4.2% and 5.2%) for the same period.

Additionally, the rates are likely affected by local rates of coronavirus infections and local public school decisions about modes of instruction.


The Household Pulse Survey is designed to provide near-real-time information about the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on American households.

Education is one of many topics covered by the survey and the data are not designed to provide a highly detailed look at the many different types of educational arrangements and innovations pursued by households in this unusual school year.

Casey Eggleston is a research mathematical statistician in the Census Bureau’s Center for Behavioral Science Measurement.

Jason Fields is the senior researcher for Demographic Programs and the Survey of Income and Program Participation in the Census Bureau’s Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division.