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The U.S. Treasury Department has proposed rules for a federal school scholarship program that could allow funds to cover some homeschooling costs, tutoring and special education therapies. The rules leave access dependent in part on how states define a school and whether they participate. An opinion essay argues that the growing homeschooling population is more varied than common political stereotypes suggest.
The U.S. Treasury Department has proposed rules for a national school scholarship program that could let families use funds for homeschooling costs, tutoring and special education therapies in some states. In an opinion essay published by The 74, a homeschooling parent says access may turn on how each state defines a school, as the proposal brings new attention to the varied reasons families choose home education.
The proposed rules do not establish uniform access for homeschool families nationwide. According to the essay, eligibility may depend on whether a state recognizes homeschools as schools, and some states have not opted into the federal program. The Treasury proposal is still at the rulemaking stage; the source does not describe final eligibility requirements or a completed rollout.
The author writes from personal experience, describing two daughters who homeschooled for different reasons: one in connection with learning disabilities and support needs, the other while pursuing intensive ballet training. The family’s move to homeschooling also followed an experience of bullying on a school bus. These accounts illustrate the author’s argument, but they are not a survey of all homeschooling families.
The essay cites an estimate that nearly 3.5 million children, or about 6% of U.S. K–12 students, were homeschooled during the 2024–25 academic year. It says that total is nearly twice the pre-pandemic level. The report presents the figures as evidence of growth and argues that the families choosing homeschooling vary in ideology, race and geography; the article does not provide detailed demographic breakdowns for those groups.
State Rules Could Shape Scholarship Access
The proposal could affect whether some families can use federal scholarship money for education expenses outside a conventional school. If access hinges on state definitions, families with similar needs may face different options depending on where they live. That makes state participation and definitions consequential for households weighing tutoring, therapies or home-based instruction.
The opinion essay also challenges policymakers to distinguish between the reasons families homeschool and assumptions about their politics. Its author says families may choose home education to address an individual child’s needs or circumstances, rather than to reject public education. That perspective matters as governments decide which expenses qualify and how to regulate home education, though the essay’s account should be understood as one parent’s argument rather than a comprehensive finding about the population.
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A Growing and Varied Homeschool Population
The author describes a family with close ties to public education: she attended public schools, her mother taught public school for 36 years, and the author says she considers public education essential to democracy. She writes that her family turned to homeschooling for practical reasons tied to different children, not as a general rejection of schools or government.
One daughter’s path involved learning disabilities, autism and difficulty securing services through school processes, according to the essay. Another trained and performed at a pre-professional ballet school, where the schedule did not fit a traditional school day. The author says homeschooling offered flexibility in both cases. Those details are the author’s account and do not establish how often similar circumstances lead families to homeschool.
The essay also cites Angela Watson, director of the Johns Hopkins Homeschool Research Lab, on the overlap between home education and other schooling arrangements. Watson says, “the line between ‘homeschoolers’ and everyone else is blurrier than the discourse suggests.” The point is that families may use a mix of educational services or change arrangements as children’s needs shift.
““The line between ‘homeschoolers’ and everyone else is blurrier than the discourse suggests.””
— Angela Watson, director of the Johns Hopkins Homeschool Research Lab, as quoted in The 74 opinion essay
Eligibility Depends on State Decisions
The proposal does not yet settle which homeschool expenses will qualify in every state, or whether every state will participate. The source says state definitions of “school” may affect access, but does not set out the full proposed criteria, a final list of participating states, or a timeline for implementation. Those details may change as federal officials and states work through the rules.
The essay’s enrollment estimate also does not provide a full account of how homeschooling families differ by political views, race or location. Its broader description of a diverse population is an argument supported by the author’s account and cited research, but the source material gives no demographic figures for assessing the size of those differences. It is also unclear how much scholarship funding, if any, would reach individual homeschool families under the final program.
Treasury and States Settle the Rules
Federal officials and states will need to determine how the proposed rules apply, which states will participate, and how state definitions affect homeschool eligibility. The source does not give a deadline for final rules or identify the next formal milestone. Until those decisions are made, families cannot tell from the proposal alone whether specific home-based expenses will qualify where they live.
The policy debate will also continue over how to define eligible schools and expenses while accounting for families with different educational arrangements. The essay’s author urges decision-makers to focus on children’s needs rather than political stereotypes. Whether the final rules provide consistent access across state lines remains unresolved.
Key Questions
What did the Treasury Department propose?
The Treasury Department released proposed rules for a federal school scholarship program. The opinion essay says eligible funds could cover some homeschooling costs, tutoring and special education therapies.
Will every homeschooling family be eligible?
That is not established. According to the essay, eligibility may depend on how a state defines a school, and some states have not opted into the program.
How many children were homeschooled in 2024–25?
The essay cites an estimate of nearly 3.5 million U.S. K–12 students, about 6% of students, for the 2024–25 academic year. It says that is nearly twice the pre-pandemic level.
What reasons for homeschooling does the author describe?
The author describes learning and support needs, bullying, and a daughter’s intensive ballet training as factors in her family’s decisions. These are personal examples, not a full account of why families homeschool.
What remains undecided?
The final eligibility rules, participating states, qualifying expenses and practical access for homeschool families remain unclear in the source material.
Source: rss
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