The data as of July 1st 2025 has been published on Education Counts.
Summary
As at 1 July 2025, there were 11,010* homeschooled students. These students belong to 6,518 families and represent 1.3% of total school enrolments.
Out of the 11,010 homeschoolers 61.7% were aged 12 or under, 75.1% had been home-schooled for less than 5 years, and only 3.7% had been home-schooled for 10 years or more.
European/Pākehā students are more likely to be homeschooled than any other ethnic group with 71.1% of all homeschoolers, compared to 40.3% of the total school population (this is based on prioritised ethnicity statistics). Only 16% of homeschoolers identify as Māori compared to 24.6% of the total school population, 3.5% of homeschoolers identify as Pacific compared to 10% of the total school population, and 3.3% of homeschoolers identify as Asian compared to 20.1% of the total school population. The ethnicity of 0.6% of homeschoolers is unknown.
* This is the highest number of home educated students ever recorded in New Zealand.
Summary
As at 1 July 2025, there were 11,010* homeschooled students. These students belong to 6,518 families and represent 1.3% of total school enrolments.
Out of the 11,010 homeschoolers 61.7% were aged 12 or under, 75.1% had been home-schooled for less than 5 years, and only 3.7% had been home-schooled for 10 years or more.
European/Pākehā students are more likely to be homeschooled than any other ethnic group with 71.1% of all homeschoolers, compared to 40.3% of the total school population (this is based on prioritised ethnicity statistics). Only 16% of homeschoolers identify as Māori compared to 24.6% of the total school population, 3.5% of homeschoolers identify as Pacific compared to 10% of the total school population, and 3.3% of homeschoolers identify as Asian compared to 20.1% of the total school population. The ethnicity of 0.6% of homeschoolers is unknown.
* This is the highest number of home educated students ever recorded in New Zealand.
Homeschooling turnover
Between 1 July 2024 and 1 July 2025 there was an overall net increase of 253 students; 2,025 students entered into homeschooling and 1,772 students finished homeschooling.
The most common age at entry (the mode) was 6, with 39.4% of those starting being 6 years old. The mean average age at entry was 9 years old, with 64.1% aged 9 or under, and 1.0% were aged 16 or above.
Of the students entering homeschooling during the year ending 1 July 2025, 66.4% identified as European/Pākehā (down from 73.8% in 2015), 18.1% identified as Māori (up from 9.9% in 2015), 4.3% identified as Pacific peoples (up from 3.3% in 2015), and 4.5% identified as Asian (up from 2.9% in 2015). Ethnicity is unknown for 0.2% of homeschoolers.
The most common age at finishing (the mode) was 15, with 16.8% of those finishing being 15 years old. The mean average age at finishing was 12.9 years old, with 66.5% aged 12 or over, and 23.6% were aged 16 or above.
Of the students finishing homeschooling during the year ending 1 July 2025, 24.3% had been in homeschooling less than a year, 52.5% had been in homeschooling for 1 to 5 years, and 9.9% had been in homeschooling for 10 years or more.
Between 1 July 2024 and 1 July 2025 there was an overall net increase of 253 students; 2,025 students entered into homeschooling and 1,772 students finished homeschooling.
The most common age at entry (the mode) was 6, with 39.4% of those starting being 6 years old. The mean average age at entry was 9 years old, with 64.1% aged 9 or under, and 1.0% were aged 16 or above.
Of the students entering homeschooling during the year ending 1 July 2025, 66.4% identified as European/Pākehā (down from 73.8% in 2015), 18.1% identified as Māori (up from 9.9% in 2015), 4.3% identified as Pacific peoples (up from 3.3% in 2015), and 4.5% identified as Asian (up from 2.9% in 2015). Ethnicity is unknown for 0.2% of homeschoolers.
The most common age at finishing (the mode) was 15, with 16.8% of those finishing being 15 years old. The mean average age at finishing was 12.9 years old, with 66.5% aged 12 or over, and 23.6% were aged 16 or above.
Of the students finishing homeschooling during the year ending 1 July 2025, 24.3% had been in homeschooling less than a year, 52.5% had been in homeschooling for 1 to 5 years, and 9.9% had been in homeschooling for 10 years or more.
The above information is taken from Education Counts, where you can also download spreadsheets of homeschool data from 1998 to the present.
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