Homeschooling Gains Popularity as Educational Freedom Grows

RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. — In recent years, an increasing number of families in Rutherford County have turned to non-public education options for their children, with homeschooling becoming a popular choice. This shift has led to the growth of a strong and diverse homeschool community, offering a range of educational experiences tailored to individual family needs.

Jessica Morgan, co-founder of the Rutherford County’s Legacy Homeschool Resource Center, shared her insights on the growing trend. “Our homeschool community is large, but it's also great,” she said. “We have over 22 co-ops or tutorials available, ranging from secular to religious, and catering to different learning styles.”

Morgan collaborated with former RCS teacher Jennifer Burtrum to establish the resource center, which provides support for homeschooling families. Burtrum explained that her decision to homeschool came after the pandemic. “My family made some different choices, and we decided homeschooling was the right fit for us because I wanted to give them an education that closely aligned with our family values,” she said. “I wanted to be able to teach academic knowledge and biblical wisdom together.”

According to data provided by Rutherford County Schools, there has been a steady increase in the number of students receiving home-based education. However, district leaders can only provide estimated numbers due to state law. Tennessee law allows parents or legal guardians to choose between independent homeschooling or enrolling in an approved church-related umbrella school. While online schools are also an option, they do not meet the state’s definition of homeschooling.

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Here’s a breakdown of how many students were reported on RCS’s “Non-public and home school” reporting form since the 2018-2019 school year:

• 2018-2019 – 4,053
• 2019-2020 – 4,462
• 2020-2021 – 5,425
• 2021-2022 – 5,834
• 2022-2023 – 5,663
• 2023-2024 – 7,651
• 2024-2025 – 7,029

An RCS spokesman noted that families do not always submit updated homeschool paperwork each year. Additionally, the district does not track when former homeschool students return to public schools, and umbrella schools are not required to send in Non-Public School reports. The 2023-2024 increase includes more information from online schools about their student enrollment.

Murfreesboro City Schools reported 400 students in their independent homeschool and umbrella school categories at the end of the 2024-2025 school year, compared to 157 in the previous year.

“We meet with the homeschool coordinator here once a year or so, and there are over 7,000 students just in Rutherford County registered in alternative education programs like this,” said Burtrum. “It’s growing every day, and it takes all of us communities working together to make sure that all the homeschoolers have a place to plug in.”

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The Legacy Homeschool Resource Center supports homeschooling students through workshops, various programs, and mentoring new families. “We may have different reasons why we started homeschooling, but the ultimate goal is to bring families back together and really strengthen the family unit,” said Morgan. “I don’t want anybody to be scared to homeschool.”

Morgan shared her experience with her children. “For my son, it was rough because he’s my social kid. He needed more friends. That’s where I saw it was important for us to find a community. My daughter, on the other hand, would have been fine staying home, but we needed the community to push her outside of her comfort zone and show her that the world isn’t a scary place.”

The center helps families navigate the homeschooling journey, including access to traditional school experiences like sports and prom. “We still see misconceptions that homeschoolers are isolated, but that’s not true,” said Burtrum. “Homeschooling doesn’t mean locking the doors and drawing the curtains. It means parents are the decision makers on what to teach, who gets to teach it, and when it’s developmentally appropriate for our kids.”

Flexibility is another major factor for parents choosing homeschooling. “I felt like school was a bit of a prison to me. I wasn’t able to unleash my creativity,” said Frank Saunders, who is homeschooled. “Now I can do it at my own pace and do whatever I want.”

Frank’s mom, Michelle Saunders, explained that homeschooling allowed her son to explore his interests. “He’s taking culinary classes, sewing, and coding. He’s about to do 3D printing. He’s able to venture into all his creative interests.”

Even experienced educators like Burtrum found the transition to homeschooling challenging. “I had a background in education, but coming into homeschooling was a sharp learning curve. I had to learn new lingo and terminology, and find resources,” she said. “I joined Facebook pages and did internet research, and quickly found that there are lots of communities out there to join.”

Morgan’s children have completed their homeschooling journeys. “We graduated our daughter last year, and she is now a freshman in college. My son has been graduated for two years and is on his way to a fantastic career,” said Morgan. “It’s not uncommon anymore. More people are seeing it done well. My neighbors, my sister, and many church families are homeschooling. More and more people are seeing it as normal and thinking, I can do this too.”