Curated guide

Best Secular Homeschool Curriculum

11 curricula in this guide

Finding quality secular homeschool curriculum has gotten easier in recent years, but it's still harder than it should be. Many of the most popular programs integrate Christian content — which is fine for families who want that, but leaves secular, interfaith, and worldview-neutral families with fewer options.

We've compiled every secular and worldview-neutral curriculum in our directory below. These programs teach subjects without religious content, making them suitable for families of any background. Our editorial picks highlight the strongest options across subjects.

Editor's selection

Our picks

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

Beast Academy

Art of Problem Solving

Advanced problem-solving math for gifted elementary students, presented through comic-book-style Guide Books and an interactive online platform.

K–2 3–5

$100–$192/year

Math Mammoth

Affordable, conceptual mastery math curriculum with self-teaching worktexts. Strong on mental math and number sense. Available as printable PDFs.

K–2 3–5 6–8

$30–$40/grade

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

Browse

All options

11 shown

Refine 1

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

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

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

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

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 counts as a secular homeschool curriculum?

Programs that teach the subject without religious content. Worth distinguishing from neutral: a neutral program simply does not raise religion, while an explicitly secular program is written to teach mainstream scientific and historical consensus. For math and language arts the distinction rarely matters. For science and history it usually does.

Why is secular curriculum harder to find?

Because the homeschool publishing market grew out of the faith-based homeschool movement, and many of the best known programs integrate Christian content. That has changed a lot in the last decade, and the secular options now include some of the strongest programs available, but you still have to filter rather than picking from the front shelf.

Can I use a faith-based program and skip the religious parts?

In math and often language arts, yes, since the religious content is usually limited to word problems and reading passages. In science and history it is generally not practical, because the worldview shapes the actual content rather than sitting on top of it. Check a sample before assuming you can edit around it.

Are secular programs accepted by umbrella schools and ESA programs?

Usually yes, though it depends on the specific umbrella school or state program. Umbrella schools with a religious mission may require faith-based materials. State ESA and scholarship programs generally approve vendors on educational rather than religious criteria. Confirm with your specific program before purchasing.

New curriculum reviews, as we publish them

We add and re-check reviews across the curriculum directory year-round. Get the updates by email — unsubscribe anytime.

Once you've picked

Track your curriculum with Homeschool Fox

Log activities by voice or text and stay compliant with your state's requirements automatically.

Start free trial

No credit card required.