Homeschooling on the rise amid COVID-19 pandemic

The percentage of children being homeschooled in the U.S. has nearly doubled since the start of the COVID-19, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report. 

The number of students increased from 5.6% in March 2020, to 11% in Sept. 2020, according to the most recent bureau report on the issue, released in March.

Prior to the pandemic, roughly 3.3% of U.S. households homeschooled children. 

Black households saw the largest increase. Their homeschooling rate rose from 3.3% in the spring of 2020 to 16.1% in the fall according to the report.

The increase nationwide is being attributed to several factors including that parents learned that once public and independent schools moved to online learning the parents were capable of teaching their children. The idea was particularly interesting to parents with children who have special needs or who wanted to give them a faith-based education, according to the Associated Press. 

Many of those family, as a result, have decided to continue to teach their children in home settings, the wire service also report.