While Connecticut maintains minimal oversight of homeschooled children, a 2025 report by the state’s Child Advocate found that as many as 23% of those aged 7 to 11 lived in families with a history of involvement with child protective services.
The report, released in May, sought in part to determine how often the families of homeschooled children have contact with the state Department of Children and Families. Its authors found a high prevalence of DCF involvement in the families of homeschooled kids.
The Office of the Child Advocate randomly selected 774 homeschooled children between the ages of 7 and 11 and cross referenced their records with those of DCF. Of that sample, 177 (22.9%) had at least one accepted referral to DCF. Meanwhile, nearly 8% had been referred to the agency four or more times, the report found.
The Child Advocate concluded that the report highlighted systemic issues in Connecticut that “must be addressed by policymakers.”
“[S]ome parents and guardians withdraw their children from school, isolate their children, shield themselves from reports to our child welfare agency, and neglect or abuse their children,” the Office of the Child Advocate wrote. “We, as a state, have enabled this to occur through our lack of statutory requirements and regulations.”
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In its report, the Office of the Child Advocate included several recommendations for policy changes to better protect Connecticut children who have been removed from the systemic oversight provided by enrollment in schools staffed by mandated reporters.
Those recommendations included requiring school districts to assess families when they announce plans to homeschool, including reviewing whether the school had previously filed abuse or neglect reports and determining if the withdrawal itself raises reasonable suspicion that should be reported to DCF.
The Child Advocate also recommended that DCF update its definition of educational neglect and provide caseworkers with training on how to assess whether a child is genuinely being homeschooled or being isolated and potentially abused.
The OCA concluded its report by stressing that parents have the right to direct the education of their children and that many families successfully homeschool their kids, providing them positive educational experiences that prepare them to thrive later in life.
“Homeschooled children can be found on college campuses across the country and are represented in all professions,” the OCA wrote. “Nothing in this report is a general criticism of homeschooling nor a suggestion that children should not be homeschooled. Nonetheless, not every parent who withdraws their child for the stated purpose of homeschooling is, in fact, providing their children with an education. Worse, some take advantage of Connecticut’s complete lack of oversight to isolate children and abuse them. Once a child is withdrawn from school, children are removed from regular contact with mandated reporters. It is this ability to isolate a child that results in the greatest risk. Connecticut must grapple with that reality.”
By Hugh McQuaid