Number of home-schoolers in state rises again

— The latest count of home-schooled students in Arkansas shows about 400 more students are learning at home compared to the previous year.

The Arkansas Education Department said 16,405 students completed the 2011-2012 school year as home-schooled students. That’s compared with 16,003 in the prior year.

The figures were being presented Monday at the monthly Education Board meeting.

State records show that in 1986, 572 students were home-schooled in Arkansas. By 1992, the number was 3,140, and by 2002, 12,497 students were being taught at home.

The 16,405 children home-schooled last academic year is equal to 3.5 percent of the state’s 468,000 public school students.

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