About

Angela R. Watson is an associate research professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Education, a senior research fellow at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, and the director of the Johns Hopkins Homeschool Research Lab. She is the creator of the Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub, the first comprehensive repository of U.S. homeschool data.

Building the Foundation of a Research Field

When Dr. Watson began researching homeschooling in 2016, she discovered something surprising: the topic was essentially a data void. Basic questions about how many homeschooling families existed, what they looked like demographically, and what educational approaches they used had rarely been systematically studied. The prevailing stereotype focused primarily on white, religious families with distrust of public education — and had seldom been questioned or tested with rigorous research.

Then came COVID lockdowns. Suddenly, almost every student was, to some degree, being schooled from home, and Watson found herself studying a rapidly growing educational approach and filling a critical knowledge gap. An urgent need for data led to the creation of the Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub — a comprehensive online catalog of U.S. homeschooling information — and subsequently the Johns Hopkins Homeschool Research Lab, which Watson now directs.

Findings, Insights, & Impact

Dr. Watson's research is steadily contributing to a more nuanced understanding of school choice patterns and family educational decisions. For one, by identifying patterns of "switching" (students moving between education sectors) and "mixing" (families choosing different sectors for different children), her work has revealed that few children today actually receive their entire education within a single sector.

Her research has also revealed new insights around diversity within homeschooling communities. Additionally, her collaborative efforts supported the publication of the first-ever academic study on Hispanic homeschooling, which challenged stereotypes and helped document the variety of families who choose alternative education paths. Collective findings have also shown that as many as 40% of homeschooled children since the pandemic spike are BIPOC, far more diverse than previously thought.

The most common reason families cite for homeschooling, Watson has said, is feeling unsafe in schools — whether due to concerns about gun violence, bullying, or other safety issues. Furthermore, up to 40% of homeschooled children have left conventional education because of special learning needs.

These research insights have important implications for education policy and ultimately a more holistic understanding of the modern American education landscape. Watson’s work and the work of her team, alongside guidance from her newly created Community Advisory Panel, will undoubtedly continue to improve outcomes for all students, including the growing number of homeschooled students.