Curated guide

Best Secular Homeschool Science Curriculum

10 curricula in this guide

Science is the subject where worldview matters most to secular families. Many of the best-known homeschool science programs teach from a young-earth creationist framework, and finding a program that presents evolution, deep time, and standard scientific consensus without edits takes real digging. Every program below teaches mainstream science.

Our picks cover different ages and teaching styles. Mystery Science makes elementary science nearly open-and-go with video-led lessons and simple experiments. Generation Genius pairs short videos with hands-on activities through middle school. Build Your Library weaves secular science into a literature-based program, and BookShark packages a full lab-based science sequence with scheduled lesson plans. The full list of secular science options in our directory is below.

Editor's selection

Our picks

Mystery Science

Inquiry-based elementary science with engaging video lessons and hands-on investigations using household materials. NGSS-aligned, zero prep required.

PreK K–2 3–5

$199–$259/year

Build Your Library

Secular, literature-based curriculum following a historical timeline with Charlotte Mason methods. Teacher's guide PDFs are affordable; books purchased separately.

PreK K–2 3–5 6–8 9–12

$30–$60/grade

Generation Genius

NGSS-aligned K-8 science and Common Core math video lessons with kid hosts, paired with lesson plans, worksheets, and hands-on activity guides. Top secular science supplement.

K–2 3–5 6–8

$163–$325/year

BookShark

Secular literature-based curriculum adapted from the Sonlight model. One of the few non-religious, book-rich options for families who love reading together.

K–2 3–5 6–8

$500–$1045/year

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BrainPOP

Animated explainer videos with Tim and Moby covering 800+ topics in science, social studies, ELA, math, and arts. Strong supplement for visual learners and topic intros.

K–2 3–5 6–8

$295–$430/year

Generation Genius

NGSS-aligned K-8 science and Common Core math video lessons with kid hosts, paired with lesson plans, worksheets, and hands-on activity guides. Top secular science supplement.

K–2 3–5 6–8

$163–$325/year

Khan Academy

Featured

Free, nonprofit, mastery-based online learning platform spanning PreK through college. Short video lessons paired with adaptive practice and unit tests, especially strong in math and SAT prep.

PreK K–2 3–5 6–8 9–12

Acellus Academy

International Academy of Science

Fully accredited online K-12 school with WASC accreditation, AP courses, NCAA-approved cores, and military Tier I status. Same video content as Power Homeschool but with diploma, transcripts, and teacher support.

K–2 3–5 6–8 9–12

$2000–$4500/year

IXL Learning

Adaptive skill-by-skill practice platform with over 17,000 standards-aligned skills across math, language arts, science, social studies, and Spanish. Strongest as practice and diagnostic, not initial instruction.

PreK K–2 3–5 6–8 9–12

$79–$159/year

Khanmigo

Khan Academy

Khan Academy's GPT-4-powered Socratic AI tutor. Guides students to answers rather than giving them. Integrates with Khan content across math, science, humanities, AP, and SAT prep. $44/yr covers up to 10 children.

3–5 6–8 9–12

$44/year

Oak Meadow

Waldorf-inspired secular curriculum emphasizing creativity, nature, and hands-on learning. Offers both independent homeschool materials and an accredited distance-learning school option.

K–2 3–5 6–8 9–12

$120–$2500/year

Outschool

Marketplace of independent teachers offering 140,000+ live small-group video classes, 1:1 tutoring, and self-paced courses for ages 3-18. Supplemental enrichment, not a full curriculum.

PreK K–2 3–5 6–8 9–12

$480–$2880/year

Power Homeschool

International Academy of Science

Self-paced video curriculum sharing identical content with Acellus Academy but without enrollment, accreditation, or teacher support. Significant 2025 price increase from ~$31/mo to $99/mo.

PreK K–2 3–5 6–8 9–12

$948–$1188/year

Time4Learning

Secular self-paced PreK-12 full curriculum with animated lessons, automated grading, and recordkeeping. Most popular secular all-subjects digital subscription.

PreK K–2 3–5 6–8 9–12

$335–$479/year

Common questions

Frequently asked

What makes a science curriculum secular?

It teaches mainstream scientific consensus, including evolution, deep time, and standard geology, without a theological framework. This is the subject where the secular and faith-based divide is largest and most substantive, since the disagreement is about content rather than presentation.

Are secular science programs aligned to standards?

Many state alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards or similar frameworks, though homeschoolers are not required to follow them. Alignment is mainly useful as a signal of scope and sequence, and as reassurance if your student may return to public school or take standardized science tests.

Can I use a faith-based science program and just skip the origins content?

In biology and earth science, usually not cleanly, because the framework shapes how the content is presented throughout rather than sitting in one chapter. Chemistry and physics are far easier to use across worldviews. Read the actual biology and geology chapters before deciding.

What about high school biology for college admission?

Colleges do not filter on the publisher's worldview, but they do expect the standard content, and standardized tests including the SAT, ACT, and AP exams test mainstream consensus. If your student is aiming at a science major or will take those exams, make sure the course covers evolution and standard geology substantively.

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