The most shameful part of the pandemic may be the refusal of public schools around the country to reopen. The yearlong closures, however, have yielded one unintended benefit: Thousands of parents are leaving public schools in favor of homeschooling.

The number of students who homeschool more than doubled this past year, the U.S. Census Bureau found. During the first phase of the pandemic, from April to May, about 5.4% of U.S. households reported that they homeschooled. By the fall, that number had jumped to 11.1%.