Homeschool students in Arkansas are outscoring their private school peers in the state’s Educational Freedom Account program, according to test data the Family Council pulled from the Arkansas Department of Education through a public records request.
Homeschoolers averaged the 63rd percentile in math and the 68th percentile in reading. Private school students in the same program came in at the 55th percentile in math and 57th percentile in reading.
The EFA program launched in 2023 under the LEARNS Act, giving families state funds to pay for private school tuition or approved homeschool expenses. As a condition of receiving that money, students must take a nationally recognized norm-referenced test every year, which is where this data comes from.
Family Council President Jerry Cox says the scores back up what Arkansas already knew. “These test scores prove what the Department of Education learned through 30 years of annual homeschool testing from 1985 to 2015: Arkansas homeschoolers score above average in every subject at every grade level every year,” he said. Cox also pointed out that a significant number of EFA homeschoolers aren’t just above average — they’re scoring higher than 80 to 90 percent of their peers nationwide.
“When the government gets out of the way and lets parents educate their children, good things happen,” Cox said.
But Cox is worried the program could be weakened. Two bills targeting EFA eligibility for homeschoolers have already been introduced, and the Department of Education has put forward new rules that many homeschool families believe go further than state law allows. A legislative vote on those rules could come soon.
“There have always been a few lawmakers and a few people at the Arkansas Department of Education who oppose homeschooling,” Cox said, calling on elected officials to leave the program intact. “The EFA program clearly is working well for homeschool families, and we hope our elected officials will keep it that way.”
See the original story published by Family Council here.
