TOPSHAM — As schools struggle to offer safe options for students to return to learning during the coronavirus pandemic, more local families choosing to homeschool.

The Brunswick School Department reported 80 home-schoolers this school year, up from 60 in 2019-20.

Maine School Administrative District 75, which serves Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Harpswell and Topsham, reported last week that as many as 26 students in the district were switching to home school this year. Regional School Unit 1, serving Bath, Woolwich, Phippsburg and Arrowsic, has had 70 home-school applications this year compared to 50 students homeschooled last year.

Seventh-grader Brady Knight of Lisbon does online homeschooling at home Thursday. Photo courtesy of Lindsay Knight

Lisbon reported as of Monday 56 new home-schoolers this year and a total student enrollment of only 1,151, compared to 1,276 students in March.

Maine Department of Education spokeswoman Kelli Deveaux said the state is hearing anecdotally from some superintendents that have seen an increase in their school districts, though “we are not certain how that will translate statewide.”

Kathy Green is a founder of Homeschoolers of Maine, a nonprofit helping family within the Maine home-school community. She estimates interest in independent homeschooling this year is about 15% higher than last year based on a spike in social media followers and newsletter subscribers. The organization’s website states homeschooling growth since 2005 has averaged about 3% per year.

Brunswick Superintendent Phil Potenziano said he believes the increase is because “parents are concerned with the state of COVID-19 in the classrooms and are apprehensive to send their students back in-person to classrooms.”

He said if conditions become more normal, he expects many home-schoolers will return to the classroom.

Darcie Moore / The Times Record

Lisbon parent Lindsay Knight said she decided to turn to homeschooling in large part because she felt it would be counterproductive for her 12-year-old to sit in class all day wearing a face mask — a requirement that many districts have in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Knight also is worried about the disruption to that education if the school has to suddenly switch to online-only learning.

Homeschooling, she said, “at least this is reliable.”

Topsham parent Catie Meier opted to homeschool all four of her children, who normally attend MSAD 75 school.

While MSAD 75 allowed students to learn via remote-only or through a mix of in-person and remote learning, Meier said homeschooling was the best option for her family.

One of the best tools she’s turned to is Topsham Public Library. Meier’s home-schooling program requires her children to read a lot of books. Instead of buying all the books, Meier said her children will check out books from Topsham Public Library.

“Going to the library, picking up books, doing that whole routine and coming home and have it be the curriculum in my eyes, it gives my little ones ownership in their education,” Meier said Monday.

Mariah Sewall, the children’s librarian for Topsham Public Library, said she’s already had new groups of homeschoolers in the library already in the last two weeks. The library can offer many resources to families who are homeschooling, and she can help find or order books they need.

“What I really want people to know is I’m here,” Sewall said. “I want to hear from families.”

MSAD 75 Superintendent Shawn Chabot told school board members last week that there were 26 students switching to homeschooling.

“That’s concerning because every one of those students is somebody that we would much rather have in our schools or part of our school community,” he said. “We look forward to the day when those homeschooling students … are welcomed back into our school community.”