What is the best secular homeschool curriculum?

For a complete program: Build Your Library or BookShark for literature-based families, Blossom and Root or Torchlight for the early years, Oak Meadow for a gentle accredited path, Moving Beyond the Page for project-based learners. Most secular families build their own from Real Science Odyssey, History Quest, a neutral math program and secular language arts.

What does secular homeschool curriculum mean?

Curriculum with no religious instruction, in which science is taught as mainstream science (evolution, deep time) and religion appears only as history or culture. It is distinct from neutral programs from religious publishers that contain no religious content in their lessons.

Is The Good and the Beautiful secular?

No. It is a Christian, non-denominational curriculum with faith woven throughout. Secular families use Build Your Library, Blossom and Root or Torchlight instead, or Logic of English and Brave Writer for language arts.

Is Saxon Math secular?

Saxon, Math-U-See, Handwriting Without Tears and IEW come from Christian-owned companies but contain no religious content in their lessons; secular families use them constantly. They are neutral.

Where can I find secular homeschool curriculum reviews?

SEA Homeschoolers (Secular, Eclectic, Academic) publishes vetted lists; the large secular homeschool Facebook groups review most publishers; Cathy Duffy's reviews note worldview for every program.

The Best Secular Homeschool Curriculum in 2026: Complete Programs and Subject Picks

Secular, neutral and faith-based

Secular programs teach mainstream science and treat religion as history; they are often also deliberately inclusive in literature and history. Neutral programs come from religious publishers but have no religious content in the lessons (Saxon, Math-U-See, Handwriting Without Tears, IEW, Story of the World in practice). Faith-based programs integrate a worldview (The Good and the Beautiful, Abeka, Apologia, Sonlight). The reliable check is a sample lesson from the science and history books, not the label.

1.Build Your Library

About $30–$60 per level (PDF), plus books

Best for: a literature-based K–12 schedule you assemble from real books

A day-by-day schedule around a history spine (Story of the World or History Quest), science, language arts and a rich read-aloud list, with an explicitly secular and inclusive lens. You borrow or buy the books, which keeps the cost low and the library card busy. Kindergarten to grade 12.

Suits: Charlotte Mason-leaning secular families who love books. Watch for: a lot of reading, and math is not included.

2.BookShark

About $500–$900 per year with books

Best for: a fully scheduled literature-based year in a box

Sonlight's secular sibling: the same instructor-guide structure and book-based history, readers and read-alouds, with no religious content. Science and language arts packages available. Everything arrives in the box.

Suits: families who want the year planned and the books supplied. Watch for: price and pace; the schedule can feel like a treadmill. Add your own math.

3.Blossom and Root

About $60–$120 per level (PDF)

Best for: gentle, nature-rich early years and elementary

Early Years through grade 5 (with more coming): literature, nature study, art, and gentle literacy and math woven into a weekly rhythm, plus a strong secular science strand (A River of Voices for US history is a highlight). Warm and low-pressure.

Suits: secular families who want a Charlotte Mason or Waldorf feel. Watch for: phonics and math are light; add programs for both.

4.Oak Meadow

About $300–$700 for materials; distance-learning enrollment more

Best for: Waldorf-flavoured, accredited K–12

Secular, arts-rich, gentle in the early years and rigorous in high school, with optional enrollment in its accredited distance-learning school for teachers, grading and transcripts. One publisher for the whole journey.

Suits: families who want a whole-child approach with an accreditation path. Watch for: slower early academics than some want; full enrollment is expensive.

5.Moving Beyond the Page

About $400–$900 per year

Best for: project-based, gifted and creative learners

Literature-based units that integrate science, social studies and language arts through projects, questions and hands-on work, ages 4–14. Designed with gifted and creative learners in mind; secular throughout.

Suits: children who learn by making and thinking; parents who enjoy projects. Watch for: parent-intensive, and math is separate.

6.Torchlight

About $60–$120 per level

Best for: secular, inclusive early elementary with a science emphasis

Levels from pre-K through the elementary years built around literature, science and social studies with an explicitly inclusive, secular and evidence-based stance. Uses BFSU (Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding) for science.

Suits: families who want diversity and science at the centre. Watch for: a lot of library requests; language arts and math added separately.

7.Secular picks by subject

Varies

Best for: building your own

Math: Math Mammoth, Singapore, Beast Academy, Right Start, Khan Academy. Reading: All About Reading, Logic of English, The Ordinary Parent's Guide. Writing: Brave Writer, Writing With Ease and Skill, Michael Clay Thompson. Science: Real Science Odyssey, Mystery Science, CK-12, BFSU, Science Mom. History: History Quest, Curiosity Chronicles, Joy Hakim's A History of US, Story of the World (neutral in practice). Geography: Evan-Moor, North Star Geography. Art and music: ARTistic Pursuits, Hoffman Academy, SQUILT.

8.Neutral programs secular families use

Varies

Best for: the best pedagogy regardless of publisher

Saxon Math, Math-U-See, Handwriting Without Tears, IEW (Structure and Style; the theme books vary), First Language Lessons, Story of the World and Elemental Science (elementary levels) come from Christian-owned or Christian-authored publishers and have no religious content in the lessons. Secular families use them without issue; check the sample if a specific book concerns you.

A secular year, assembled

For a 3rd grader: Math Mammoth 3, All About Reading Level 3 then a book list, Brave Writer Jot It Down, Real Science Odyssey Life Level 1, History Quest Early Times read aloud, Evan-Moor geography once a week, Hoffman Academy piano, and the library. About $350 in total, most of it reusable for the next child. Or one of the complete programs above and a math program. See the secular homeschool guide for how families combine them and how to vet a program you are unsure of.