Student enrollment numbers are directly tied to the amount of funding school districts receive -- funding that provides crucial resources for students.
However, with more families choosing homeschooling, this trend could affect the resources and support available to neighborhood schools -- schools that are vital to our communities.
The Texas Home School Coalition reports that more than 50,000 students left public schools for homeschooling last year. Many families cite safety concerns and dissatisfaction with school instruction as their top reasons.
Paris London Singletary began her school year on Sept. 3, but instead of walking into a classroom, she logged on from her bedroom.
Last year, she was surrounded by classmates and teachers in a public charter school, experiencing the social and interactive environment of a traditional setting.
Now, she is embarking on a new chapter in her education through a virtual academy for homeschooling.
“I’m kind of getting used to it because I’ve never done homeschool before,” Paris said.
Her mother, Sheretta Miles, explains that homeschooling offers a different kind of safety and comfort for her daughter.
“They have certified teachers that teach her,” Sheretta says. “I wanted Paris London to be homeschooled because I kind of experienced a little bit of it during COVID, and I loved it.” She also expresses concerns about safety in schools, adding, “Life, just things that happen in school. Those babies got killed in a school. Just, people come in off the streets into the school.”
Paris is zoned for Fleming Middle School, one of 130 schools now operating under HISD’s controversial New Education System, implemented by a state-appointed administration.
Her mother, Sheretta, considered sending her there up until the first day of class and decided against it. She says NES didn’t influence her decision.
“I don’t really know much about it,” Sheretta said about the New Education System. “A relative, Danielle, she’s in the school district... she says the New Education System is awesome.”
For Paris, the decision to homeschool was met with mixed feelings. “I was pushing to go to school, period. I really did not want to be homeschooled, but I mean, I was—I’ll do it for a semester. I want to see what it’s like,” she said.
The decision wasn’t easy -- and it came at a cost for Fleming Middle School and HISD.
Fleming has seen a continuous drop in enrollment, and administrators have been working to bring students back to class. Public schools receive funding based on student enrollment and attendance. When students leave for homeschooling, schools lose per-pupil funding from local, state, and federal sources, affecting school resources and potentially the diversity of the student body. Paris is one of thousands of Texas students now learning from home.
Sheretta has left her full-time job as a phlebotomist and is working to open a preschool in her home to support Paris’s education.
“I’m not going to leave her here alone. I decided to bring, you know, work to me,” she said. “I’m deciding to open up a preschool now... I’ll be registered with the Texas Department of Regulations.”
Despite her decision, Sheretta remains open to public school in the future.
“Maybe second semester if I see, you know, that Paris is excelling and doing well, I may consider it, but for right now, we’re going to stick with the homeschool,” she said.
Paris remains hopeful about returning to a traditional school setting.
“To be honest, I really just want to get good grades, so I could just, you know, just go to school,” she said.
Homeschool withdrawals remain 50% higher than pre-pandemic levels -- suggesting high numbers may be the new normal for school districts.