Recent data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) showed almost 29,765 students switched to homeschooling after withdrawing from public or private schools during the 2021-22 school year. The information was part of an open records request by the Texas Home School Coalition (THSC). 

"This high has previously only been matched during the COVID-19 peak in the 2020–2021 school year when the number was 29,845," the coalition said.

THSC Vice President of Policy and Engagement Jeremy Newman told KBTX-TV that the TEA numbers for the 2022-23 school year will be released in 2024. Although the TEA only tracks student withdrawals from the 7th to the 12th grade, Newman thinks a very large number of younger students are also switching to homeschooling.

"This is certainly anecdotal because we don't have the hard numbers from the TEA, but in our experience, the lower grade levels are the most prominent grade levels where families choose to withdraw," Newman said. "So if the total number were north of 40,000 or higher, that would not surprise me at all."

The THSC has cited the following three main reasons for parents withdrawing their children from public schools: "concern about safety, parental involvement, and the school environment."

The bottom line: Homeschooling in Texas is rising rapidly, The Federalist reported. According to a THSC study, "Since 1998, a total of 379,815 students between grades 7-12 have withdrawn from public schools in Texas to homeschool. This number has increased at an average of 6.5% per year."

Newman told The Federalist homeschooling is attractive to parents in the Lone Star State partly because the transition process is easy. 

"In Texas, it's easy to homeschool because there is a lot of flexibility and little regulation," he said. "In Texas, you have to teach reading, spelling, grammar, math, and good citizenship. So other than a few other paperwork things, this gives parents an enormous amount of flexibility, and a lot of other states are more onerous than the homeschooling community in Texas. It's more developed than in other states so it's comparatively easier."

And the homeschooling trend also continues across the country. The National Home Education Research Institute's data shows that from late March to early May of 2022, 5.22% of all school-age children were homeschooled. So far, homeschooling has had a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.1% between 2016-2021.

Public Schools Saw Student Exodus During the Pandemic

As CBN News has reported, although the homeschooling move may have started before the COVID-19 pandemic, the exodus from public schools certainly sped up during the health crisis.

Many parents pulled their kids out of the public school systems after educators and administrators flip-flopped repeatedly on virtual versus in-person learning and mask mandates from 2020 into 2021.

The mishandling of the government-sanctioned education system saw many parents enrolling their children in private and charter schools. In addition, about five million children are now homeschooled.

Along with frustrating COVID-related policies, viral social media accounts like "Libs of TikTok" have alerted parents to concerning—and oft-sexually explicit—content being taught to their young children. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country.

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

AMERICAN SOUNDTRACK: Singer-Songwriter Kaylin Roberson Honors Father and 250 Years of Brave Soldiers in Stirring Ballad 'So I Didn't Have To' (Video)

America of 1976 Would Not Recognize Herself in Our 250th Year

Baseball Players Refuse to Wear Pride Uniforms, Forced to Forfeit

Canada: Carney Liberals Move to 'Force' Radical Internet Surveillance Bill through House

Belfast Is Burning, and the Media Won't Say Why

Israel, Hezbollah Agree to New Ceasefire after Conflict Delayed US-Iran Talks

Report: Biden-Era FDA Spun Autopsy Results to Downplay COVID Vaccine Deaths in Kids, Letter Shows

Newly Exposed: Fauci Funded Wuhan Lab Research That Sparked COVID; Evidence Fauci Manipulated Intelligence and Lied to Congress

From Pulisic's 'Bible Time' to Team Prayer on the Field, US Gives 'Glory to God' at World Cup

Good News: Gasoline Drops Below $4 A Gallon

Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro Abandoning 30,000 Children as Democrats Push to Strip School Choice

Canada's Parliament Officially Passes 'Bible Ban' Bill C-9

Occupied Britain: Muslim Rape Gang Report Warns against Dangers of Mass Immigration (Part 1)

Obama Center Contractors Say Millions Are Owed

VP Vance Defends Iran Deal, Says It Will Benefit Both America and Israel

President Trump Signs MOU with Iran During Dinner at Palace of Versailles (VIDEO)

[Watch] JD Vance Ventures Onto 'The View,' Serves Up an Unforgettable Schooling

School District Pays $95K to Settle Lawsuit After Painting Over Bible Verse Tribute to Charlie Kirk

Is MLB Treating Christians Differently? Senator Hawley Demands Answers

Hundreds of Thousands of Antidepressants Recalled Over Potential Cancer Risk