Homeschooling as at 1 July 2008

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Homeschooling as at 1 July 2008

For any enquiries about this report, please contact the Data Services Unit via email

Information.Officer@minedu.govt.nz, or you can download the supplementary tables from this webpage.

Statistics on homeschooling

At 1 July 2008 there were 6,501 home schooled students recorded on
the Ministry of Education’s homeschooling database, which represents
less than one per cent of total school enrolments at July 2008. These
students belonged to 3,379 families.

Homeschooling 1998-2008

In 1998 there was a total of 5,274 homeschoolers; in 2008 there were 6,501 – an increase of 23.3 %.  
Between 1 July 2007 and 1 July 2008 the number of homeschoolers increased by 28 students – an increase of 0.4 %.

Figure 1 – Number of Homeschooled Students in NZ 1998-2008

Figure 1 - Number of Homeschooled Students in NZ 1998-2008

Number Commencing Homeschooling

Between 30 June 2007 and 1 July
2008, 1,281 students commenced homeschooling – a decrease of 1.3 %
compared with the number starting during the previous year.
    
Of those starting in the 12 months ending 30 June 2008:

  • 36.0 % were aged six years old
  • 82.0 % were aged within the primary school age range (5-12 years)

Figure 2 – Homeschoolers Commencing Between July 2007 and July 2008

Figure 2 - Homeschoolers Commencing Between July 2007 and July 2008.

Number Finishing Homeschooling

Between 30 June 2007 and 1 July 2008, 1,253 students finished homeschooling.  Of these:

  • 184 students (14.7 %) finished their homeschooling within a year of starting
  • 745 students (59.5 %) finished within four years
  • 508 students (40.5 %) had been homeschooled for 5 or more years.

Figure 3 – Duration of Homeschoolers Finishing between July 2007 and July 2008

Figure 3 - Duration of Homeschoolers Finishing between July 2007 and July 2008

Age Distribution of Homeschoolers

Of those being homeschooled, 64.7 % were in the primary-school age range (5-12 years).

Number of Homeschoolers by Age and Gender at 1 July 2008

Age
Male
Female
Total
Percentage
5
7
8
15
0.2
6
205
271
476
7.3
7
307
290
597
9.2
8
301
298
599
9.2
9
347
310
657
10.1
10
326
314
640
9.8
11
331
292
623
9.6
12
330
271
601
9.2
13
282
277
559
8.6
14
285
290
575
8.8
15
242
259
501
7.7
16
160
184
344
5.3
17
98
108
206
3.2
18
36
60
96
1.5
19
5
6
11
0.2
20
1
–
1
0.0
Total
3,263
3,238
6,501
100.0

Homeschoolers by Region

West Coast, Northland and Marlborough
regions had the highest proportions of homeschoolers compared to the
total school populations in those regions.
   
Gisborne, Hawkes Bay and Otago had the lowest proportions of homeschoolers in relation to their total school populations
    
The majority of homeschoolers (73.8%) reside in the North Island with 23.9 % in Auckland.

Figure 4 – Percentage of Homeschoolers by Region at 1 July 2008 (relative to the total school population)

Figure 4 - Percentage of Homeschoolers by Region at 1 July 2008 (relative to the total school population).

Ethnicity of Homeschoolers

Almost all (98.4 %) of homeschoolers reported their ethnicity.  Of these:

  • 81.1 % identified as European/Pakeha
  • 9.6 % identified as Maori
  • a
    lower proportion of homeschoolers identified as being Maori, Asian or
    Pacific Islands compared to students attending regular schools.

Figure 5 – Comparison of School Students and Homeschoolers by Ethnicity at 1 July 2008

Figure 5 - Comparison of School Students and Homeschoolers by Ethnicity at 1 July 2008.

 

Related Pages on Education Counts’

The Homeschooling statistics index page.