Hegseth orders review of Pentagon support for military families who homeschool

"Ensuring that military-connected families receive strong educational support maintains morale and readiness, reinforcing the overall stability and effectiveness of our military communities," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.

By Natalia Mittelstadt

Published: May 28, 2025 4:12pm

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a review of the Pentagon's support for military families who home school their children.

In an order dated May 15 but released Tuesday, Hegseth called for officials to review “current support for homeschooling military-connected families, as well as best practices, including the feasibility of providing facilities or access to other resources for those students.”

He said in the memo that the review is part of a Jan. 29 executive order that "underscores the Administration's commitment to expanding educational choice for military-connected families."

Hegseth said that while the Defense Department is "currently reviewing options to support expanding educational choice for military-connected families" pursuant to the executive order, an additional review is necessary to "assess homeschooling support available to military-connected families across the world."

A Johns Hopkins University study released in March found that 12% of active-duty military families home-schooled their children in the 2023-24 school year, compared to 6% of civilians.