DE PERE, Wis. (NBC 26) -- Students were forced to learn virtually when the pandemic hit last year.
And for some local school districts, it stayed that way for many months.
"There was no doubt at that point that we would be shifting to home school," Denmark parent Kristie Heeg-Pieper said.
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Along with over 30,000 other Wisconsinites, Heeg-Pieper's kids aren't learning in a traditional classroom.
"Essentially, masks for us was a 'no,'" she said. "We were just firm on no masks."
According to the Department of Public Instruction, the state added more than 10,000 new homeschoolers last fall. And throughout the COVID pandemic, Heeg-Pieper says her two sons are sticking with it this upcoming semester.
"If we do not have parental choice, it's just out of the question," she said. "We won't be returning to school until we have that choice."
This past school year, more than three percent of Wisconsin's students were homeschooled. It's an upward trend some locals believe will only grow.
"So long as that parental choice is not there, I believe absolutely homeschooling will become much more normal," Heeg-Pieper said.
"I think the parents now being home with their kiddos have thought 'well, we could do this,'" homeschooling advocate Jenny Tetzner said. "This seems pretty cool."
Tetzner is a former parent-teacher herself. Back in May, she opened a resource center in De Pere called The Homeschool Loft.
"Every day, people come in every day," Tetzner said. "They call us. They text us. ... I can promise you at this year's homeschool convention in Cincinnati, there will be thousands upon thousands of new homeschooling parents."
And while hundreds of Northeast Wisconsin families have converted their homes into the classroom, Tetzner says it'll probably stay that way.
"You're the best teacher for your children," she said. "There's nobody else. You know your child the best. It's literally that simple."
When it comes to the local numbers this past school year for the 2020-21 term, within the Green Bay Area District, 663 students were homeschooled.
In the Appleton Area District, there were 511. Oshkosh saw 447 kids learning at home, while Manitowoc and the Neenah Joint District housed over 200 each.
