TEXAS — Since the pandemic forced kids to learn at home temporarily, many Texas families made it permanent.

According to a census survey, the percentage of families’ homeschooling their kids jumped from 4% at the end of the 2019/2020 school year to 12% at the start of the following school year.

That survey also found the increases were highest among Black families.

Peggy Semingson, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Arlington who’s studied the rise in homeschooling, said multiple factors were driving parents to choose homeschooling. 

“A lot of it came out of the pandemic; parents realizing they could do homeschooling and just choosing to continue it,” said Semingson. “[Also], wanting to have more control over their child’s education, bullying [and] the culture wars.”

According to the Texas Education Agency, about 379,000 Texas kids are homeschooled. Semingson says that schools may need to adapt their models if they want to stop declining enrollment in public schools.

“I think schools are going to need to be much more flexible,” she said. “We’re going to need much more flexibility with curriculum and what we think school is, in order to retain students. Otherwise, this trend may continue.”