Homeschooling growing in Alaska, not as much for Wrangell students

Now that in-person school is available, the Wrangell homeschool community has shrunk to roughly pre-pandemic levels, though community awareness of alternative education options has increased.

Homeschool education, which has been growing steadily nationwide since the 1970s, experienced a massive popularity boost in 2020, as families who were dissatisfied with their children’s Zoom classes explored other possibilities.

While the percentage of homeschooled children nationwide was holding steady at around 3% before the pandemic, that number rose to 11.1% in the fall of the 2020-2021 school year, a...