(NewsNation) — More Americans have shifted to homeschooling their children rather than putting them in public education since the coronavirus pandemic.

Homeschooling rose nationally by about 6% during the 2020-2021 school year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

That number skyrocketed for several states, with Alaska being the highest at 18%, Florida rising by 13%, and Oklahoma and Vermont spiking by 12%.

Stephanie Lambert, executive director for the Texas Homeschool Coalition, said COVID restrictions and safety issues, academics and family values are among the reasons parents are deciding to homeschool.

“I think one reason parents are saying is just academics in general. So homeschooled students tend to score above their public school peers, into 30 percentile points. So parents are recognizing that their involvement in their child’s education actually can make a big difference for them academically,” she explained.

Lambert also parents have also cited religious and moral instructions as reasons to homeschool.

“Parents want to be able to give their kids their own values. And even in the Black community, you’re seeing a lot of people actually say racism in the public schools is something that is driving them to homeschool,” she said.

Meanwhile, more than a million K-12 students have dropped out of public school from fall 2019 to fall 2020, according to 2020 data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Specifically, about 400,000 5- and 6-year-olds were not enrolled in public school by the end of 2020.

Illinois, New York and most of New England saw the most significant drop in enrollment between 2009 and 2020. However, over the same years, enrollment grew by 10 percent in Florida, the Carolinas and Texas.

Enrollment declined as school districts also grappled with widespread teacher and staff shortages. This resulted in some students falling behind and frustrated parents pulling their students out.