Pandemic drives sharp rise in California families opening own home schools

DURING THE HEIGHT of the pandemic, almost 35,000 California families filed an affidavit with the state to open a private home school. 

That’s more than double the number of private school affidavits filed for the 2018-19 school year for schools with five or fewer students — the number that the state Department of Education says is likely to be a home school. Another 3,215 people filed private school affidavits to operate schools with six or more students.