Software-based, Video Centric Homeschooling Competitive Landscape

• In 2016, around 3.3% of the U.S. population were homeschooled, compared to 1.7% in 1999 and 3.4% in 2012, showing a flattening of the demand.
• This represented around 1,689,726 students in 2016.
• A federal report on school choice released in September 2019 found that the number of homeschooled children was rising in the U.S.
• Homeschooling as evolved recently with a growth of digital programs and curricula which allow families a greater choice in terms of purchasing all-in-one products or choose from a menu of online courses.
• Companies that are active in the space include Calvert Education, Sonlight, K12 Inc. and Connections Academy.
• Demographics of homeschoolers in the U.S. are 39% suburban, 29% city, 22% rural and 10% town.
• 60% are white, 26% Hispanic; 8% black, 4% other non-hispanic and 3% Asian or Pacific Islander.
• The main reasons given by families to provide their children with homeschooling are mainly their concern about the environment of other schools such as safety, drugs, and negative peer pressure, followed by a dissatisfaction with traditional schools’ academic performance and a desire for more instruction.
• Parents who choose to homeschool their children are the ones that do not believe that the current educational system is the best for them.

Regulatory Landscape

• In the U.S., it is legal for any parents to choose homeschool for their children.
• There are no federal laws regulating the industry, with rules and regulations varying depending on the state.

Main Innovations

• Examples of the main innovations available to homeschoolers are links to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s MetKids program, Starfall.com (a math-games website for younger children), and Stickfigurehamlet.com (an entire site devoted to telling the story of Hamlet through stick-figure drawings and humor), a Netflix subscription that allows Bob Ross to teach art, and YouTube videos that provide hours of explanatory science as well as Amazon Prime which gives access to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
• Hybrid homeschooling is a new form of education, mixing time in a classroom with homeschooling.

Predictions In Light of the Macro Changes (COVID-19)

• Dr. Nancy Messonier, a doctor at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared during a February 25th conference that "Closing schools and using internet-based teleschooling to continue education" was a scenario being envisioned to deal with the pandemic.