On Wednesday, more than a thousand home schoolers, policymakers, and elected officials gathered for Home School Day at the Capitol 2025.
Family Council and our home school division, the Education Alliance, are proud to host this great event every legislative session.
Home School Day at the Capitol gives home school families the opportunity to gather with one another, meet legislators, watch committee meetings, tour the capitol, and more.
This year home schoolers heard from Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Lt. Governor Leslie Rutledge, Attorney General Tim Griffin, Secretary of State Cole Jester, State Auditor Dennis Milligan, State Treasurer John Thurston, State Land Commissioner Tommy Land, and others.
Rep. Cameron Cooper (R — Romance) also presented a special resolution in the Arkansas House of Representatives recognizing and honoring home schooling in Arkansas.
Family Council has always believed families deserve options when it comes to education. That’s one reason we have supported home schooling for the past 30 years.
Home School Day at the Capitol demonstrates how home schooling makes it possible for families in Arkansas to flourish.
Above: Rep. Cooper presents legislation in this file photo from 2021.
On Monday Rep. Cameron Cooper (R — Romance) filed H.R. 1046 recognizing February 26 as Homeschool Day at the Arkansas State Capitol.
The resolution highlights many of the good things about home schooling and celebrates home schooling’s legacy in Arkansas, saying,
WHEREAS, over thirty thousand (30,000) students were homeschooled in Arkansas during the 2023-2024 school year; and
WHEREAS, homeschooling offers flexibility, efficiency, and effectiveness in teaching students in Arkansas, and this benefit allows homeschooling families to offer increased opportunities for community involvement and service to others for their children; and
WHEREAS, homeschooling is not a one-size-fits-all plan, and the education can be customized to the student’s learning styles and preferences and can be beneficial to students with special needs; and
WHEREAS, homeschooling provides benefits in academics, mental health, physical health, and social development; and
WHEREAS, homeschooling encourages autonomy and independence and allows children to harness their own unique qualities and interests; and
WHEREAS, homeschooling offers opportunities for students to learn entrepreneurship and often to begin working on their own small businesses; and
WHEREAS, homeschooling emphasizes family as a foundation for social development and development of faith; and
WHEREAS, homeschooling is accommodating to special situations and works well for military families, families who travel, and families contending with illness and challenging work schedules; and
WHEREAS, homeschooling parents are able to value an individual student’s potential and focus on this individual potential instead of minimum standards and standardized testing, and these parents are allowed to shape homeschooling so that learning for the students can be reactive to new methods and new concepts regarding positive child development; and
WHEREAS, homeschooling provides for a focus on life skills that students can use as they progress into adulthood as homeschooling allows students to dedicate time to learning anything from cooking to budgeting,
NOW THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
THAT the House of Representatives recognize February 26, 2025, as Homeschool Day at the State Capitol.
Home schooling in Arkansas has surged since the COVID-19 pandemic.In 2019 there were a little less than 22,000 homeschoolers in Arkansas. In early 2020, those numbers climbed to 22,249. By 2023, homeschooling had risen to 30,000 students. And last year homeschooling surged again, to 32,767 students.
Family Council has always believed families deserve options when it comes to education. That’s one reason we support home schooling.
Research shows parental involvement generally is tied to better educational outcomes for children. That’s true no matter how families choose to educate their children — but home schooling is particularly good for many families, because it lets them choose the education that’s best for them. That’s good for everyone.
