National Home Education Research Institute

What National Home Education Research Institute does

The National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) is a Salem, Oregon-based nonprofit research institute and think tank founded in 1991 that conducts and publishes fact-based homeschooling research. It maintains the largest collection of homeschool studies in the field, used by researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public. Its core products are research publications rather than software: the peer-reviewed Home School Researcher Journal; a Home Centered Learning Annotated Bibliography with over 1,800 references organized by author, topic, keyword, date, and publication type; Homeschool Fast Facts; U.S. state-specific data on homeschool laws, demographics, and trends; an International Bibliography; and systematic research reviews — most notably a 2025-2026 update covering 45 years of homeschool studies published in the Peabody Journal of Education.

NHERI operates with a headcount of 1-10 employees under founder-affiliated scholar Brian Ray and editor/research associate Douglas Pietersma, distributing all content for free through its website (nheri.org) and amplifying it via Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, RSS, and email newsletters. There are no paid product tiers, no enterprise licenses, and no disclosed revenue figures. The organization is funded almost entirely by donations and supporter contributions, as evidenced by prominent Donate and Support NHERI calls-to-action on the site.

The business model is a donation-supported, community-led research mission rather than a commercial venture: there are no funding rounds, no parent company, no subsidiaries, no M&A activity, and no disclosed partnerships. Growth and reach are pursued through content output, citation in academic and policy discourse, and speaking engagements, rather than through pricing, sales motions, or expansion into adjacent product markets.

Name

National Home Education Research Institute

Legal name

National Home Education Research Institute

Website

https://nheri.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NHERI is a 501(c)-style nonprofit research institute founded in 1991 that publishes fact-based homeschooling research — including a peer-reviewed journal, an 1,800+ reference bibliography, and systematic reviews — for parents, academics, policymakers, and media.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Research

NAICS

Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Research & Pedagogy Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Access Academic Publishing (MPAJABAG)

Keywords

• Homeschool research publications
• Education policy research
• Academic research journals
• Homeschool demographic data
• Education research think tank

Headquarters

HQ city

Salem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Support: NHERI operates as a nonprofit think tank that relies on donations and support from individuals who believe in their mission. The website includes a 'Donate' button and 'Support NHERI' page, indicating donation-based funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NHERI is a nonprofit research institute that conducts and publishes homeschooling research, maintaining the largest collection of homeschool studies in the field. It publishes the peer-reviewed Home School Researcher journal, curates a bibliography database of over 1,800 references, provides state-specific homeschool data, and produces comprehensive systematic reviews on academic outcomes, socialization, and long-term results of homeschool students.

Product overview

The National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) operates as a research institute and think tank rather than a software product company. Its core offerings consist of research publications, academic journals, and data repositories focused on homeschooling. The main products include the Home School Researcher Journal (a peer-reviewed publication), the Bibliography & Reference Database (containing 1,800+ research references), Homeschool Fast Facts (key statistics), State Data & Research (state-specific information), International Bibliography (global research), and Systematic Research Reviews. These products serve researchers, policymakers, homeschool parents, and media professionals seeking evidence-based information on homeschooling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Home School Researcher Journal: A peer-reviewed research journal published by NHERI covering home education studies.

Products and services

• Home School Researcher Journal A peer-reviewed academic journal publishing research on home education, released quarterly with archived volumes available online. Targeted at academic researchers studying homeschooling, education policy, and child development.
• Bibliography & Reference Database A searchable database containing over 1,800 homeschooling research references, organized by author, topic, keywords, date, and publication type. Serves academic researchers and policy analysts needing comprehensive, organized research databases.
• Homeschool Fast Facts Key homeschool research findings and statistics providing quick access to essential data for parents, researchers, and policymakers.
• State Data & Research State-specific homeschool data including laws, demographics, trends, regulations, and research findings for each U.S. state.
• International Bibliography Global homeschool research and studies from international sources, expanding research beyond U.S. borders.
• Systematic Research Review on Homeschooling 2017-2026 Comprehensive peer-reviewed synthesis of homeschool research, covering academic achievement, social development, and long-term outcomes over 45 years of studies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Homeschooled students perform better than others in academic achievement in 62% of studies reviewed
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Coalition for Responsible Home Education: Nonprofit that conducts and publishes research on homeschooling outcomes with perspectives critical of current homeschool policy and practice. Directly comparable to NHERI as it operates in the same niche of homeschooling-focused empirical research and policy advocacy, and is explicitly named as a counterpart in NHERI's rebuttal articles.
• Home School Legal Defense Association: Long-established homeschool advocacy organization that produces state law summaries, research summaries, and member services for the U.S. homeschool community. Comparable to NHERI as a leading homeschool-focused organization providing research and policy resources to parents and lawmakers, with overlapping donor base and state-data offerings.
• National Home Education Network: Homeschool support and advocacy network providing state-level resources, community connection, and policy engagement for homeschooling families. Comparable to NHERI as a homeschool-focused organization producing state-specific information and serving as a national reference point for the homeschool community.

Broad incumbents

• EdChoice: Education policy think tank focused on school choice, including homeschooling, charter schools, and voucher programs. Comparable to NHERI as a research and policy organization producing publicly accessible reports, polling, and state-level data used by legislators and media, but at broader scope covering all school choice modalities.
• RAND Corporation (Education Division): Major nonprofit research institution with a dedicated education division producing large-scale empirical studies on K–12 policy and outcomes. Comparable to NHERI as a producer of peer-reviewed education research cited by policymakers, though with substantially broader scope and much larger research staff and budget.
• Brookings Institution (Center for Universal Education): Established think tank publishing influential K–12 and international education policy research. Comparable to NHERI as a producer of policy-oriented education research and commentary consumed by legislators and media, though operating at much broader scope and significantly greater scale.
• American Institutes for Research: Large nonprofit behavioral and social science research organization with extensive K–12 education evaluation and policy work. Comparable to NHERI as a producer of peer-reviewed education research, but operating at much larger scale and broader topic coverage across formal schooling rather than homeschooling specifically.

Others

• National Center for Education Statistics: U.S. federal statistical agency that collects and publishes education data, including homeschool-related statistics. Comparable to NHERI as a source of authoritative education data and policy-relevant statistics, but with much broader scope and government backing rather than nonprofit donation funding.
• Pew Research Center: Nonpartisan fact tank publishing public opinion research and social trend analysis, including surveys on parenting and schooling patterns. Comparable to NHERI as a non-commercial, donation-supported research organization producing widely cited reports consumed by media and policymakers, though focused on social trends broadly.
• Cato Institute (Center for Educational Freedom): Libertarian think tank publishing policy research on school choice, parental rights, and education deregulation. Comparable to NHERI as a think tank producing advocacy-informed policy research on education freedom, though with broader economic and political framing across all K–12 and higher education topics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nheri2010
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NHERI
• Facebookfacebook.com/NHERI.Homeschool.Research
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nheri

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Home Education Research Institute