{"id":660,"date":"2023-12-21T18:33:06","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T18:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/education.jhu.edu\/edpolicy\/?post_type=us_state&p=660"},"modified":"2026-01-29T20:01:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T20:01:12","slug":"utah","status":"publish","type":"us_state","link":"https:\/\/education.jhu.edu\/edpolicy\/policy-research-initiatives\/homeschool-hub\/states\/utah\/","title":{"rendered":"Utah"},"content":{"rendered":"

History<\/h2>\n

Utah is located in the western United States. Homeschooling, officially called \u201chome school,\u201d was legalized in 2014.<\/p>\n

Regulation<\/h2>\n

Utah<\/a> offers one option for homeschooling. Parents seeking to homeschool their students, ages 6 to 18, must complete and file a one-time notification of intent to homeschool at their local school district. Once filed, the student is removed from the public education system and is exempt from Utah\u2019s <\/span>compulsory education law<\/span><\/a>. This policy is different than most other states. Since homeschooled students are <\/span>exempt<\/span><\/a>, there are no state requirements <\/span>about instruction time<\/span>, instructor, subjects, or record keeping. Homeschooled students can choose to take the <\/span>state test<\/span>,<\/span> but it is not required.<\/span><\/p>\n

Utah <\/span>provides access<\/span><\/a> for all nonpublic students, including homeschoolers, to <\/span>educational opportunities<\/span><\/a> offered at the local public schools. These include sports, extracurricular activities, and courses. Further, all students in the state are eligible for <\/span>special education services<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

State Data<\/h2>\n

Utah reported homeschool participation for years, but recently stopped publicly reporting. The reason for this change is unclear. During the last school year when data was available, 2016-17, the number of homeschooled students in the state was close to 16,000.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

U.S. Census estimates<\/a><\/span><\/span> indic<\/span>ate that around <\/span>5.7% of Utah families homeschooled in the spring of 2020 and increased to 11.2% by the fall of 2020. These are comparable to national estimates of 5.4% and 11.1%, respectively, at this time. Based on U.S. Census data<\/a>, our calculations indicate that about 6.21<\/span>% of K-12 students in Utah<\/span> were homeschooled during the 2022-23 school year, and 5.76<\/span>% during the 2023-24 school year. Due to<\/span> <\/span>survey<\/span> changes<\/span>, the<\/span> data from 2020<\/span> reflects<\/span> the percentage of households, while <\/span>the data from <\/span>following years<\/span> reflect<\/span>s the percentage of<\/span> students<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nDownload Homeschool Hub State Data<\/span><\/a>\n

Cross-Sector Comparison<\/h2>\n

We cannot calculate a cross-sector comparison because we lack information on homeschool participation.<\/p>\n

School Choice Context<\/h2>\n

In addition to homeschooling, parents in Utah have multiple <\/span>school choice<\/span><\/a> options, including a new universal education savings account called <\/span>Utah Fits All Scholarship Program<\/span><\/a>, passed in 2023. Other options include enrollment in traditional public schools through inter- and intra-district choice, private, magnet, charter, and virtual schools. The new Education Savings Account (ESA) is available to homeschooling families, although they are reclassified as \u201chome-based\u201d education participants.<\/span><\/p>\n

Commentary<\/h2>\n

Utah could improve transparency by resuming the reporting of homeschool and home-based education participation in the state. Utah could also release more of the information they currently collect from homeschool parents. For example, simply reporting by district on participant number and age\/grade would aid in the understanding of homeschool growth in the state and the nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-660","us_state","type-us_state","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"Utah - Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy\u2019s Homeschool Hub is your one-stop shop for U.S. homeschooling data and insights. 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