What’s driving desperate families into homeschooling

The number of children being homeschooled has soared more than 160 per cent in just five years – and now we know what’s driving so many families to this desperate measure.

Rose Innes

@RoseInnes161

2 min read

September 22, 2025 - 5:00AM

Rising homeschooling rates reflect ‘deep dissatisfaction’ with education system

QLD Education

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Families are increasingly pulling their children out of state schools and turning to homeschooling amid heartbreaking stories including a child being labelled dumb by their own teacher.

The unprecedented rise is shown in Queensland government data and is backed in a new survey by Australia’s largest online education provider, which revealed “social reasons” including bullying was the top cause of parents opting out of mainstream schools.

The survey by Euka Future Learning, of 11,000 parents, also found special needs and individualised learning was the second biggest reason (11.8 per cent).

Jade Smith, with her kids Elizabeth, 7, Lucian, 5, and Lillith, 2, is homeschooling her kids. Picture: Steve Pohlner

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Brisbane mums Jade Smith and Liz Brockway said bullying was the main reason they pulled their children out of mainstream schools.

Ms Smith pulled her son Lucian, 5, out of school last month after he was assaulted in the school toilets and teachers did nothing. She also decided to pull her two other children out of their public school at the same time.

Ms Brockway, of Morayfield, said her son Ryan had been called “dumb” by his own teacher and it became increasingly difficult to get the teen to go to school.

“Some days he’d just wake up in the morning and be like, ‘I just don’t want to go,’ and trying to get him to go to school some mornings was impossible, because he knew that if this teacher was there, then he was just going to have a bad day,” she said.

Liz Brockway said it was hard to motivate her son Ryan to go to school after a teacher called him “dumb”. Picture: Lachie Millard

The latest Queensland Education Department figures show at the end of 2024 there were 11,314 school-aged children that were homeschooled, up from 4297 at the end of 2020.

QUT education lecturer Dr Rebecca English said she was not surprised bullying was still the main reason parents choose homeschooling over mainstream schooling.

“One of the big things about bullying is how it can lead to issues around school refusal and I think that’s a huge part of what we’re seeing more and more in home schooling,” Dr English said.

Euka Future Learning chief executive Brett Campbell said it “hurts my heart” to know so many children were forced to have these experiences.

“It’s clear and evident there are an overwhelmingly large number of students being left behind and just aren’t able to cope in the school system,” he said.

“This (homeschooling) isn’t going away, it’s only getting bigger and bigger.”

A Queensland Education Department spokesman said it encouraged students, parents and carers to immediately report any cases of bullying or misconduct to their school principal in the first instance.

The spokesman said schools closely monitored student attendance, academic performance, and wellbeing.

“Every Queensland state school has access to a wellbeing professional such as a psychologist, social worker, guidance officer or youth worker to provide support for students’ mental health and wellbeing needs,” he said.