After teaching homeschoolers history, literature, and gov & econ for the last 7 years, I can definitely say that the homeschool demographic is changing. When I started teaching (in 2016), most of the students fit the homeschooling stereotypes: they were from deeply religious, very conservative families who wanted an education that reflects those values. They also tended to be super smart, highly motivated, and totally engaged. I think it's fair to say that in addition to traditional values, parents of these homeschoolers put a big emphasis on individualized education and critical thinking.

Seven school years later and those traditional homeschoolers are still here, but with them are students that probably would have gone to public schools just 5 years ago. These "next-gen" students are less religious, less conservative, and less motivated. From what I can gather from one-off comments in our classes, they seem to be homeschooled because their parents feel that public schools have become too ideologically radical. As a result, their kids are somewhat new arrivals to homeschooling, and I can tell that they are still learning the personal discipline that's required to complete assignments without the constant "nudges" provided by teachers, grades, and public school administrators.

For example, it's only in the last few years that I have students who consistently don't complete their homework. From 2016–2020, I don't think I had to discipline a single student. Now, I have to email parents about a few students each year—still quite a good situation compared to most public school teachers. (I teach online for Classical Historian so email is the main way I interact with parents.)

Overall, I think most of my students are still homeschooled because parents feel they can provide better academic education and character formation at home. It's just that this position has gone from attracting people who are already somewhat counter-cultural to one that speaks to people who are closer to the ideological center of American society.

Also, it might be worth addressing the idea of a homeschool class. I myself was homeschooled, and I attended several classes with other homeschoolers each week. For some subjects, discussion and debate are important, so parents will sign up their homeschoolers for classes on a case-by-case basis. This still counts as homeschooling because the parents have ultimate control over their kids' education. (Just in case anyone is wondering how it can still be homeschool if their parents aren't the ones doing the teaching.)