LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A recent study has placed Arkansas as fourth-ranked nationally as being best for homeschooling.

The study by Age of Learning ranked states based on the restrictiveness of homeschool options, laws and regulations, home school enrollment per capita and access to state sports and extra-curriculars. The ranking for Arkansas came from an 81 out of 100 score.

The highest-ranked states were Idaho and Indiana, both with an 83 out of 100. Utah’s 82 score gave it third in the ranking.

The study ranked the Natural State especially well in its lack of restrictions on home school options with the addition of a low regulatory burden.  Despite the high ranking in these categories, Arkansas ranked 15th nationally in home school students per capita.

The study’s authors pointed out that interest in home schooling continues to increase nationally.

Using Google search trend data, the authors showed that home school-related information searches has increased 48% since 2019. The authors broke the figures down to show that in Arkansas for the same period, home school information searches increased 38%.

The Arkansas Department of Education offers guidance to support home schooling. Its Division of Elementary and Secondary Education site maintains an information page for parents interested in the home school process.