Concerned parents in Scotland are withdrawing their children from the state education system in record numbers, opting to teach them at home instead. Newly released data points to a dramatic 58 per cent increase in home-school registrations over just five years, a trend unfolding against a backdrop of rising classroom violence and a severe truancy crisis.
A Dramatic Rise in Home Education
Official figures obtained through Freedom of Information requests show a sharp upward trajectory. In 2020, local councils registered 1,302 children as being home-schooled. By 2025, that number had surged to 2,062 – an increase of hundreds of families choosing an alternative path.
MSP Miles Briggs, the Scottish Conservative education spokesman, commented on the shift. While noting the exact reasons for each family's choice are unknown, he stated it "would not be surprising if the declining standards and increased classroom violence under the SNP played a part in their decision."
Violence and Behaviour Concerns in Classrooms
The decision to home-school coincides with growing alarm over safety and conduct in Scottish schools. The country's classrooms are now reported to be the most violent in Great Britain, with teaching unions consistently flagging incidents of serious misbehaviour, including attacks on staff and pupils.
A spokesman for the EIS teaching union indicated they would be "unsurprised" if parents pointed to specific issues within schools. These potential reasons include large class sizes, a lack of Additional Support Needs (ASN) provision, and increasing levels of violent, aggressive, and prejudice-based behaviours that disrupt learning.
A Parallel Crisis of School Attendance
This home-schooling surge exists alongside what has been termed a truancy 'crisis'. Separate official statistics reveal that at least 73,184 children had an attendance rate below 50 per cent between the 2019/20 and 2024/25 academic years. Furthermore, over 6,000 pupils did not attend school at all during this six-year period.
The overall attendance rate for 2024/25 was 91 per cent, a figure that has dropped from 93 per cent in 2018/19. The true scale of absenteeism is believed to be even greater, as half of Scotland's 32 local authorities could not supply complete data sets.
The Scottish Government has responded to the situation. A spokesman affirmed its commitment to ensuring children are "fully engaged in their learning," while acknowledging that parents choose home education for many reasons. On truancy, the spokesman emphasised it is "vitally important" that parents and carers ensure children attend school.
