Mother of four Esther Keenan wears a lot of hats. The co-owner of multiple small businesses, including a printing service and a smokehouse, she spends her days homeschooling four children. She is also an admin of the Facebook group Illawarra Homeschoolers — a network of local families on a mission to normalise a different kind of education.

“We started the group before we even had Facebook,” recalls Keenan. “We used a Yahoo group back then — that was painful and hard to navigate.”

She began connecting with the local homeschooling community in 2009, two years before her oldest child reached school age.

“We knew we wanted to try homeschooling,” she says. “Our eldest was three when we started going to meet-ups, and our youngest was nine months old. There has definitely been a rise in homeschooling families since then.”

The numbers back that up. There has been a 4,422 per cent rise in homeschooling in the Illawarra since 2021, according to exclusive data provided to The Bugle by homeschool organisation Euka Future Learning.

The leading postcodes for homeschooling in the region are 2529, 2527, 2530 and 2500, covering Wollongong, Albion Park, Oak Flats and Shellharbour.

Former teacher Ellen Brown, founder of Euka, says they are seeing a surge in regional families joining their online homeschooling platform, which is aligned with the Australian Curriculum.

“We are seeing strong growth in regional and coastal communities, including places like Kiama, the South Coast, and other lifestyle-focused areas,” says Brown.

“Many families have moved out of major cities over the past few years, seeking a slower pace of life, more time outdoors and stronger family connections. Homeschooling fits naturally into that lifestyle because it allows education to be flexible and built around the family’s daily rhythm.”

The reasons families leave traditional schooling vary. Some want their children to spend more time in nature; others want flexibility to support a family business.

As a local family told The Bugle, the increasing sizes of local schools is a deterrent to sending shy or neurodivergent children. As young families move into the area, Kiama Public School had over 345 students spread across 14 classes in 2024 — the last annual report — and Minnamurra had 462 students across 18 classes.

“One of the most common reasons is mental health and wellbeing,” says Brown. “Many families come to homeschooling after a child has experienced anxiety, bullying or ongoing stress in a traditional school environment. Parents are looking for a calmer, more supportive way for their child to learn.”

In May, the NSW Department of Education took over homeschooling from the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). Just months later, a September Audit Office report into ‘alternative school settings’ warned the system is struggling to keep up with soaring demand.

Processing times for homeschooling registrations have blown out by 63 per cent — rising from 40 calendar days in 2019 to 65 days in 2024 — as applications climbed by approximately 125 per cent over the same period.

For some families, that has meant waiting an entire school term for approval.

Delays are frequently discussed in online groups like Illawarra Homeschooling, although most posts focus on fun excursions, family meet ups and shared resources.

On social media, the pros and cons of homeschooling are hotly debated. In recent years, there has been a rise in ‘homeschooling influencers’, singing the praises of unconventional schooling to millions of followers.

Others worry about gaps in curriculum; social opportunities and the pressures placed on parents to become full-time educators.

Keenan believes it is important to challenge common misconceptions — particularly the idea that homeschooled children are lonely or disconnected.

“For us, socialisation — the big-ticket item everyone seems to talk about — was never a concern,” she says. “Our concerns were about making the right decision for our children and family. But once we got the ball rolling and saw the children loving to learn and enjoying the freedom that came with homeschooling, we knew it was the best option for us.”

Her advice to families considering the move? Trust yourself.

“Who taught your child to walk, talk and brush their teeth? You did,” she says. “You can also teach them to read, write and learn how to learn.”