The Department of War could soon broaden its support for homeschooling programs aimed at military families, following a directive issued by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

In a memo dated May 15, Hegseth calls for “a Department-wide review of its current support for homeschooling military-connected families, as well as best practices, including the feasibility of providing facilities or access to other resources for those students.”

This move acknowledges the growing trend of home-based education among service members, and aims to identify actionable improvements across all branches.

Military households already homeschool at roughly double the rate of civilian families.

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A Johns Hopkins analysis conducted last March found that between 2023 and 2024, about 12 percent of active-duty military families educated their children at home, compared to just 6 percent of civilian households.

Before the pandemic, only 2 to 3 percent of civilian families opted for homeschooling, making the recent surge particularly striking.

Many parents cite pandemic-driven remote learning frustrations and heated debates over curricula as catalysts for considering alternatives to traditional public schools.

“Homeschooling offers an individualized approach for students and highlights the significant role parents play in the educational process,” according to the Department of War memo dated May 15.

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By tailoring lessons to each child’s pace and interests, military parents can smooth transitions caused by frequent relocations or parental deployments.

These unique challenges often leave children struggling to adjust to new schools—or missing class entirely when a parent is stationed overseas without the family.

“Because of the frequent moves, we see twice as many military families choose to homeschool their children, and the reasons why, in a lot of cases, is related to that transience of military life,” Shannon Razsadin, CEO of the Military Family Advisory Network, said.

“Helping their kids have consistent education and not necessarily struggle with some of the things that can be inherent with frequently being the new kid at school.”

Her remarks underscore the way homeschooling can mitigate academic disruption and social isolation.

The impetus for Hegseth’s memo builds on broader federal interest in diversifying K-12 education options.

Hegseth’s call follows a Jan. 29 executive order by President Donald Trump that encouraged expanding learning beyond traditional public schools through avenues such as homeschooling and private schooling.

In light of this national push, the DoW review will examine whether installations could host cooperative learning spaces, computer labs, or access to extracurricular programs for homeschooled military children.

Advocates hope the review leads to concrete gains, like granting homeschoolers the same on-base facility privileges enjoyed by students in Department of War Education Activity (DoWEA) schools.

In 2017, a survey of 5,650 service members and veterans by the Military Family Advisory Network revealed that 43 percent of families chose to live apart during deployments or assignments, and 21 percent said the separation was driven by the desire to maintain continuity in their children’s education.

Even before COVID-19, homeschooling held appeal for many in uniform. In 2019, Johns Hopkins researchers reported that 11 percent of military families taught their children at home—identical rates among National Guard and Reserve households, despite fewer relocations or deployments.

By 2023, Reserve and Guard homeschooling levels remained at about 11 percent, suggesting a stable preference beyond active-duty dynamics.

Natalie Mack, spouse of a retired Navy chaplain and founder of The Military Homeschoolers Association, has spent 23 years teaching her five children at home.

Her eldest pursued Russian and became fluent in Mandarin “just because of homeschooling, just giving her that ability to pursue interests and passions,” she said.

To support peers, Mack’s association offers guidance on varying state and international laws, credit transfers, and graduation requirements.

A 2024 survey of roughly 760 homeschooling military spouses and service members by Mack’s group found that the majority cited pandemic disruptions, opportunities for enrichment, and concerns about school violence or bullying—particularly for children with special needs—as reasons to teach at home.

Many families employ structured curricula from private providers like Miacademy or Time4Learning, while nearly two-thirds participate in group homeschooling methods, such as spouse-led co-ops or “pods” which Mack said thrived during the pandemic, referencing the concept of “being in someone’s bubble.”

Still, about 66,000 children of active-duty parents attend DoWEA schools in the U.S. and overseas. Johns Hopkins scholars called the homeschool rate “fascinating,” noting that DoWEA students routinely outperform their peers nationwide; a 2024 assessment ranked DoWEA 4th and 8th graders above every state in reading and math.

Religious motivation remains significant: Mack’s survey indicated 58 percent of military parents homeschool so their children can receive instruction aligned with personal worldviews. Some go beyond core subjects, teaching the Bible, financial literacy, life skills, coding, culinary arts, home economics and theology.

“We’re seeing a community that was very much a pretty traditional, Christian conservative community, and those are still significant numbers of families who are choosing to homeschool for their religious beliefs,” Mack said. “But you also see a lot of families who are choosing to homeschool just because their school isn’t meeting what they want. It’s not meeting the needs that they have.”

To capitalize on these trends, the DoW memo recommends exploring enhanced roles for DoWEA school liaison officers, who could guide and liaise with homeschooling parents.

Mack points to her own efforts at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where local military homeschoolers gained access to base gyms, pools and unused buildings for holiday gatherings, book clubs and science fairs.

“They are choosing homeschool but it doesn’t mean that they don’t want to get together in a social environment,” she said. “Homeschool is very socialized.”

As the Department of War embarks on this comprehensive review, military families will watch closely for expanded supports—both to reinforce academic consistency amid constant change and to foster the rich social networks that make homeschooling a viable, and often preferred, choice for those in uniform.

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