Homeschooling and Compulsory Education Worldwide
FAQ on compulsory education & homeschoolingAre there countries without compulsory education?Yes, there are countries where schooling is not compulsory. According to Unesco data, these are the following countries in 2024:
Without the overseas territories of certain countries, this means that there is no compulsory education in 4 countries in Oceania, 4 countries in Africa and 2 countries in Asia. If the overseas territories are included, there is also no compulsory education in 2 European countries, one North American country and one other Oceanic country. Where is homeschooling allowed in Europe and worldwide?An overview of homeschooling regulations worldwide can be found on the world map of the reputable research institute International Centres for Home Education Research (ICHER). What exactly does compulsory education mean?Compulsory education is, on the one hand, the obligation to obtain education from and up to a certain age. However, it can also be the obligation to go to a certain place to learn, usually a school. "In discussions about education, the so-called 'compulsory schooling' and the compulsory school attendance that exists in Germany are often equated" (Edel 2008: 14). This is not the case in some other countries in Europe and worldwide. In these countries, compulsory education is primarily understood to mean an obligation to get educated - regardless of the place of education and the teacher. What does homeschooling or home education mean?Homeschooling or home education is usually understood as learning from home, with parents usually being the teachers. The extent to which children who are homeschooled are integrated into the regular education system through tests etc. can vary from country to country. |
We have compiled further important information on the topics of homeschooling and compulsory education for you under the following categories:
Regulations, Statistics & Reports
EBSCO Research Starters: Homeschooling 
international
The EBSCO Research Starters are summaries of articles on common research topics. They are intended to provide the basic context of a topic. Some Research Starters are freely accessible, such as the article on homeschooling. The article provides a brief historical outline, a current overview of the topic and a short bibliography. [...]
World Homeschooling Regulations (ICHER)
international
This page of the International Center for Home Education Research (ICHER) provides information on the regulations of international countries regarding homeschooling (home education) on a world map. [Abstract: Editors of Education Worldwide]
Legal - International: Homeschooling in Your Country (HSLDA)
international
The "Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)" offers a world map of homeschooling regulations in countries around the world. Please note that the texts may be biased, as the HSLDA is a pro-homeschooling interest group (example: families would flee Germany because homeschooling is not permitted there). For a [...]
The Legal Situation of Home Education in Europe.
Chapter 16.
"Home education in Europe presents a fragmented picture, according to an analysis of regulations and practices in a sample of fourteen European countries. In ten of these, home education is a legal right. But regulatory, inspection, and monitoring regimes vary considerably. In other countries home education is not mentioned in law, but is still tolerated. The discussion [...]
"Compulsory education in Europe" from 2007 onwards (Eurydice Comparative Reports)
Europe
The following link provides a list of publications from Eurydice, the information network on education in Europe, on the topic of compulsory education. The main publication since 2007 has been the comparative report "Compulsory Education in Europe."
[Abstract: Editors of Education Worldwide]
Duration of compulsory education (Our World in Data / Unesco)
international
Similar to the World Bank, the non-profit organization Global Change Data Lab has created a world map of compulsory schooling duration in countries around the world using data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. The data is available from 1975 onwards. Unlike the World Bank map, this map more clearly distinguishes between [...]
Compulsory education, duration (years) (World Bank / Unesco)
international
Using data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the World Bank has created a world map on the duration of compulsory schooling in countries around the world. The duration of compulsory education can also be displayed as a list.
[Abstract: Editors of Education Worldwide]
Research Institutions
International Center for Home Education Research (ICHER)
international
ICHER conducts international research on homeschooling. What sets ICHER apart, according to its own statement, "from most national and international homeschool organizations is that we are not an advocacy group" - that is, ICHER is neither for nor against homeschooling. The institute's website offers, among other things, an [...]
National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI)
United States of America (USA); international
The US-based NHERI describes itself as a leading research institute in the field of homeschooling. However, its neutrality is often questioned. In particular, its president and leading NHERI researcher, Brian Ray, is a committed pro-homeschooling activist (among other things, he is a [...]
Interest Organisations & Interest Groups
Homeschool Organizations and Support Groups
international
Website of the Practical Homeschooling Magazine, which, in addition to its paid publication, also maintains a list of homeschooling organisations and self-help groups worldwide. The list is sorted by country and, in the case of the US, by state. Groups and organisations can register upon request. [Abstract: Editors of Education [...]
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
international; United States of America (USA)
The Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is one of the most well-known US organisations advocating for the right to homeschool. Founded in 1983, the organisation played a key role in the legalisation of homeschooling in the United States; it wasn't until 1992 that homeschooling was [...]
Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE)
United States of America (USA)
The Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE) wants to counteract problems in homeschooling, which in their opinion are related to "lack of homeschool accountability and the absence of a policy agenda", i.e. a legal framework for homeschooling. The aim is to ensure the protection and rights of children in [...]
Home Education Advisory Service (HEAS)
United Kingdom
"HEAS is a national home education charity based in the United Kingdom. It is dedicated to the provision of advice and practical support for families who wish to educate their children at home in preference to sending them to school." The website offers fee-based publications, some internet resources and up-to-date information [...]
National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI)
United States of America (USA); international
The US-based NHERI describes itself as a leading research institute in the field of homeschooling. However, its neutrality is often questioned. In particular, its president and leading NHERI researcher, Brian Ray, is a committed pro-homeschooling activist (among other things, he is a [...]
Freely accessible academic literature
Homeschooling, Home Education
Homeschooling: An Updated Comprehensive Survey of the Research (2020)
Updated version of the article of 2013
In: Other Education: The Journal of Educational Alternatives, 9(1): 253-336.
Robert Kunzman & Milton GaitherA systematic review of the empirical research on selected aspects of homeschooling as a school choice (2017)
In: Journal of School Choice, 11(4): 604–621
Brian D. Ray (NHERI)Data or Ideology: What is Driving Homeschooling Policy Around the World, and Why? (2024)
With examples from Europe, the USA, South Africa, Canada, and Brazil.
In: Journal of School Choice, 18(4): 683–696
Michael DonnellyThe Importance and Relevance of Home Education: Global Trends and Insights from the United States (2022) [pdf]
Paper commissioned as part of the GEM Report Fellowship Programme in 2022.
Danqing YinSpecial Issue: Home Education (2024)
With the exception of one article, the special issue covers exclusively the USA, but includes articles on homeschooling among various minorities.
Journal of School Choice, 18(4)Revisiting the Common Myths about Homeschooling (2006)
In: The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 79(3): 125–129
Michael H. RomanowskiInspection of Home Education in European Countries (2011)
In: European Journal of Education 46(1): 138-152
Henk Blok & Sjoerd Karsten
Criticism of Homeschooling
Reframing human rights: the global network of moral conservative homeschooling activists (2020/21)
In: Global Networks, a journal of transnational affairs, 21(4): 681-702
Julia Mourão Permoser & Kristina StoecklHomeschooling: Parent Rights Absolutism vs. Child Rights to Education & Protection (2019/2020)
In: Arizona Law Review 62(1) & Harvard Public Law Working Paper No. 19-23
Elizabeth BartholetHSLDA Responds: Harvard Professor Bartholet’s Law Review Article (series) (2020- )
The series of responses to Prof. Bartholet's criticism of homeschooling is not scientific literature, but has been included here for the sake of completeness.
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)Your home is not a school: The limits of homeschooling as a political practice (2025)
In: Politics, Philosophy & Economics, 0(0)
Sonia Maria Pavel & Jeremy Kingston Cynamon
Compulsory Education
Compulsory Education: National and International Perspective (1975) [pdf]
In: Educational Leadership, 32(4): 278-82
M. Nawaz & S.A. TanveerComparative Perspectives on School Attendance, Absenteeism, and Preventive Measures in Europe and Beyond (2023)
In: European Education, 55(3–4): 137–147
Susanne Kreitz-Sandberg & Ulf Fredriksson- Schulpflicht und Bildungsfreiheit in Europa (2008) [pdf]
Compulsory Education and Freedom of Education in Europe [courtesy translation]
In: Unerzogen-Magazin, 3
Jan Edel
Wikipedia articles on compulsory education & homeschooling
News worldwide
- Due to the current situation: Summer camps in the USA
- New dossier from Education Worldwide on homeschooling and compulsory education in an international perspective
- How educational technologists support schools in Estonia (Dt. Schulportal23.06.25) [courtesy translation]
- Commentary: Palestine - Rebuilding Gaza’s higher education: Lessons from the void (Uni World News 28.05.25)
