More than 54 million students are set to return to the classroom this fall. Here’s some data about the state of teaching and learning to improve decision-making.
Homeschooling remains popular
Roughly 4.2 million K12 students were homeschooled in 2024, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Homeschooling has grown in popularity since the pandemic, particularly among families who want more control over what their children are taught.
An estimated 6% of all school-aged children are homeschooled, according to the National Home Education Research Institute. The homeschool population has grown between 2% and 8% each of the past several years.
The teacher workforce
Nearly six million teachers will lead the nation’s classrooms this school year. Among them, roughly 57% are elementary or middle school teachers and more than three-quarters are female, according to the Census Bureau.
Still, the teacher pipeline is shrinking, according to a report from the Learning Policy Institute.
Over the past decade, the number of college students interested in the profession has fallen to its lowest level in 50 years. Additionally, enrollment in higher ed prep programs dropped by nearly 100,000 candidates between 2012-13 and 2014-15 but has remained stable since.