Over the last few decades, homeschooling has become the preferred method many parents have selected to educate their children. With traditional schooling, these parents struggled to find an educational program that could adjust to their children’s specific needs.
Homeschooling became an option to change all that. With homeschool curriculums, parents can choose an educational method focusing on their children’s individual interests. It also offers a wide range of practices and resources that allow children to learn at their own pace.
The internet made things even easier for parents and students engaging in homeschooling. At first, it was a reliable source of information and reading material. Then, it took homeschooling to the next level as hundreds of interactive online platforms became available.
Choosing the best online homeschool programs can be as challenging for parents as any other decision regarding their children’s education. Here we will introduce you to the best homeschooling online programs and their main characteristics.
- Best Homeschooling Online Programs
- Benefits of Online Homeschool Learning
- Choosing an Online Homeschool Program Has Never Been Easier
Best Homeschooling Online Programs
With the wide variety of online homeschooling programs, the challenging task of educating your children at home has become more accessible. Many high-quality programs provide children with interactive lessons that can be accessed on desktops, laptops, and even smartphones.
If you’re looking for a user-friendly online homeschool program or one that would be in tune with your budget, there are many online options available for you to choose from. Here are our top choices.
K12 Online Private and Public Homeschool
K12 is an online public or private school where your children only need an internet connection to get a tuition-free education. However, the two options have a few differences, which will help you decide which is best for your children’s needs.
The main difference between public and private schools is, of course, the payment required. While the public school option is free, the private ones are tuition-based. Both online programs cover every subject in a non-religious curriculum, providing students with a high-quality educational experience.
What K12 Online Public Homeschool Includes
The full-time public homeschool student’s days are not limited to online lessons. The program includes the following:
- Activities that will engage students to interact with other students and teachers. These interactions will be either online or by phone.
- Certified teachers who instruct the curriculums and learning coaches are available to provide extra guidance. This will ensure students’ progress throughout the program. While this tuition-free program offers an excellent educational experience, parents won’t have control over the curriculum. The course selection is preset in advance, and the lessons are planned.
- K-12 online homeschool also provides independent offline activities students must do using textbooks and workbooks. K-12 provides all the materials needed.
- Available in over 30 states. You just need to choose the K-12 program available in your area.
The K-12 program is not homeschooling. This means that parents do not teach their children. Instead, they attend online lessons with certified teachers. However, parents’ support will be needed throughout the program.
What K12 Online Private Homeschool Includes
One of the main characteristics of K12 online private homeschooling is that it offers students and parents more flexibility. It also includes:
Individual lessons that ensure a certified teacher will focus on the student’s improvement throughout the program. This private method is committed to understanding students’ needs and creating a program to ensure they reach their potential.
Worldwide availability and flexible enrollment dates. It can be either full-time or part-time, depending on the student’s schedule.
Extra support in a subject if a student shows more interest in a particular area of study, individual supplemental courses, and summer school are available.
ABC Mouse Online Homeschool
Children from preschool to second grade can learn various subjects through online activities. ABC Mouse is a private program adapted for younger students with interactive learning to motivate them.
ABC Mouse Homeschool Main Characteristics
Let’s look at the advantages of the ABC Mouse program, as well as some downsides that parents need to consider:
- The ABC Mouse program covers a wide range of study areas. Reading goes from letter recognition to full-length book readings. Other areas included are social studies, music, math, and science. Arts include both drawing and painting.
- Every area of study is based on the level and age of the students. However, it’s not adapted for each student individually. Advanced students may find some subjects in the program are not challenging enough.
- The program uses a reward system planned to keep students motivated. When showing improvement, they will collect tickets exchangeable for virtual prizes.
- The lessons can be accessed on desktops, smartphones, or tablets. Small children will need their parent’s assistance in this area until they learn how to navigate the devices.
- The program is tuition-based yet budget-friendly.
As not all areas of study are covered, ABC Mouse is an excellent supplement to a homeschool curriculum.
Time 4 Learning
For parents looking for a more traditional educational setting, even if it’s online, Time 4 Learning is the right way to go. The tuition-based program is a 100% online curriculum for K-12 grades. One of the main characteristics of this program is that it offers a wide range of varied activities, from interactive lessons to offline activities.
Time 4 Learning Overview
Coverage of language arts, math, foreign languages, science, and social studies with a curriculum adjustable to each grade and the student’s needs.
Every lesson is taught through different approaches, including online activities, animated lessons, quizzes, and full-length tests. The program also includes offline activities with printable worksheets and hands-on activities.
Time 4 Learning offers additional resources, such as learning guides and lesson planning, that will allow you to track your children’s progress.
Tuition for this program is reasonably priced, with a monthly subscription of approximately $20 for PreK–8 students and $30 for high schoolers. On the downside, if you decide to close your account, you’ll lose access to your records.
CK-12 Foundation
CK-12 Foundation offers one of the best online programs for STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, math). However, other areas of study, such as history, social studies, and the arts, are also covered. This program is unique because it offers revolutionary approaches to learning. Teachers will use different practices to create a curriculum that adjusts to students’ grades and skills. Here’s what the program includes, as well as its limitations
CK-12 Foundation Characteristics
CK-12 Foundation is an unlimited source of educational practices. While it is essentially a digital textbook, it also includes multimedia content and interactive activities corresponding to each study area. Teachers may choose the activities according to the student’s profile, adjusting the practices based on the children’s improvement.
The program is 100% online and has different resources for teachers and students to interact. The assignments can be sent through the teachers’ dashboard, link sharing, or Google Classroom. Small children will need parents’ assistance in this area as the different platforms are not user-friendly for younger kids.
The primary resources are Play, Learn, Interact, Explore (PLIX) series, an online platform that teaches through graphics and games. In addition, you’ll find FlexBook, an online textbook that gradually allows students to understand complex concepts.
CK-12 Foundation is a free online platform where you can choose how deeply your children will be immersed in each study area.
Teachers and students have their own dashboards. Teachers can use theirs to organize the student’s lessons, and parents can use students’ dashboards to keep track of their children’s progress.
Khan Academy
Among the best online homeschool programs, you’ll find various tuition-free K-12 curriculums. Khan Academy is a nonprofit created with the primary goal of providing world-class free education. Let’s dig into the specific characteristics of this educational program.
Khan Academy Overview
It provides classes in different areas of study, including math, science, reading, and even life skills. The lessons are both auditory and visual; in the latter, a tutor calmly explains each topic using a black screen to write the main concepts.
This approach is an excellent resource for students needing extra practice or clarification on a specific concept.
It includes unique classes such as growth mindset, coding, and storytelling. This goal is to provide them with fundamental learning and life skills.
Teachers at Khan Academy have access to students’ reports, which will give them a better understanding of the study areas that need more work and the ones where the student is thriving.
The students learn through online videos that do not allow for interaction with the tutor. This resource may be convenient for some students, while others will struggle. Parents and teachers must monitor their children’s progress to determine if Khan Academy is the right choice for them.
BJU Homeschooling: Online Christian Education
If you’ve decided to homeschool your children and want them to get a Christian education, BJU is among the best online homeschool programs you may want to consider. BJU Homeschooling program teaches from a Biblical point of view.
BJU Homeschooling Program
The content is exceptionally organized. Parents can keep track of their children lessons, assignments, and grades.
Every online activity gets automatically graded and uploaded to the main dashboard. The parents must grade additional activities using the answer keys in the same section as the assignments.
The program is organized into daily lesson plans that allow students to work independently. It’s a very user-friendly platform for parents and children.
The program offers a degree of flexibility between three courses. In this way, children may advance in the lessons they quickly grasp or go back and review already-seen work.
Upon enrollment, the BJU program provides online access to video lessons and eBook editions of the additional workbooks. Physical editions of the workbooks must be purchased separately.
Connections Academy
Connections Academy is an online public school, tuition-free. It offers students various resources to learn all the standard subjects from grades K-12.
Connections Academy Overview
Choosing the best online homeschool programs is the goal of parents who have decided to homeschool their children. However, if you anticipate needing help in this endeavor, it might be wise to consider the Corrections Academy online curriculum due to the following:
- It covers every state’s educational standard subjects for elementary, middle, and high school students. The curriculum is available in 31 states.
- This educational program is 100% free of charge, meaning textbooks and any other required material will be provided.
- Parents are encouraged to be their children’s Learning Coaches and engage in live sessions and other online extracurricular activities. The benefit of this kind of practice is that children can bond with the community.
- Connection Academy provides the standard lessons and every other resource frequently offered by a traditional school. This may include career counseling, college prep advice, standardized prep tests, and guidance counselor lessons.
EdX Online Homeschool Program
The EdX curriculum is excellent for teenagers and adults who want an in-home education. This platform has partnered with some of the best universities worldwide, such as NYU, Harvard, and MIT, to provide the best courses available.
What the EdX Online Program Include
Parents and students can learn together by choosing standalone courses in various subjects. These include computer science, architecture, language law, arts and humanities, music, STEM field, and more.
If you or your children want a head start with their college education, the edX MicroBachelors program offers various courses with college transfer credit.
Most of the courses available are free. However, certifications of completion will have a fee that ranges from $50 to over $350.
The program has been designed with several learning alternatives. If you are a disciplined student, you can choose among the self-paced courses and schedule your classes around your working hours. On the other hand, if you struggle to concentrate on your studies unless you have supervision, you should choose one of the instructor-paced courses. These courses have a fixed schedule.
Before enrolling in any available courses, you need to check the prerequisites. Some courses are more advanced than others, and you’ll find in the description if there’s any previous knowledge or classes required. Most courses last 4 to 12 weeks. Once you’ve started, you’ll have a specified period for its completion.
Online Learning With Udemy
As children go through the standard homeschool curriculum, they may show a greater interest in and preference for some areas of study over others. It’s normal for children to struggle in some areas and thrive in the ones they like the most.
If your children are particularly interested in an area of study, you may want to consider online courses. It may encourage them to show their true potential in those areas they are passionate about.
Udemy offers thousands of online courses in every study area for children and teens. You can choose art, music, technology, entrepreneurship, and more. It’s a tuition-fee platform available worldwide.
Udemy Courses Overview
There is no prerequisite to enroll in these courses. If your children have shown enthusiasm for learning about programming or entrepreneurship, they can take a course that will start from the basics before digging into more profound concepts.
Follow-up courses are available if your children want to move into more advanced classes.
The lessons are presented via short videos, where animated characters provide the general concepts in a simple way that even the youngest children can understand.
The courses are self-paced. Once started, all videos in the program become available for your children to watch as many times as they need.
For every lesson, you’ll have fun activities that let you put into practice the concepts learned and that will monitor comprehension.
IXL Learning
Among the best homeschooling online programs, you’ll find alternatives focusing more on a specific study area than others. IXL Learning centers its curriculum around technology. It’s a tuition-based program designed to educate children from kindergarten to 12th grade. The main focus of this curriculum is using advanced technology in every study area.
What IXL Learning Program Includes
The core subjects, such as language, math, science, and social study, are included in the program. You can choose individual subjects or acquire the complete curriculum.
You can personalize the program as you deem necessary. Parents can constantly record their children’s progress and adapt the program according to their child’s strengths and weaknesses.
While this homeschooling program requires a monthly subscription, the rates are generally affordable. Depending on your subject load, the monthly cost can range from $9.95 to $19.95.
With a focus on technology, the platform includes hundreds of computer games, Quia books, quizzes, apps for kids, and special tools for teachers. Children will find everything they need online with no need for additional material.
Benefits of Online Homeschool Learning
Now that we’ve covered the best homeschooling online programs, let’s look into the benefits of online schooling.
Online homeschooling provides more flexibility than any other form of education. Attending a traditional school requires kids to wake up early, possibly disrupting their sleep patterns. A well-rested student can concentrate better and improve their grades. Flexible programs are also an excellent alternative for working students and adults, as you may coordinate your online schooling with your working schedule.
Online schooling eliminates the risk of bullying. Over the last few years, an increasing number of children have been victims of bullying at school. At-home education diminishes the risk of a child being bullied. Social media plays a role in bullying, but that aspect can be minimized by distancing the child from the network.
With online homeschooling, children can learn at their own pace. They can invest more time revisiting the concepts they struggle with that are part of a specific subject. At the same time, they can progress quickly through classes they find particularly easy. They can also do additional activities in a particular subject they have enjoyed.
Children can learn without the distractions typical of an in-person classroom. At-home education allows children to stay focused for extended periods with no disruptions from outside sources.
Even if your child takes online courses that can be done independently, you’ll have the chance to be more involved in their education. You can spend time with your children, participating in their lessons and learning with them. If they don’t understand a specific concept, they can quickly come to you for help. Some programs also provide dashboards and reports to help you monitor your children’s progress.
Choosing an Online Homeschool Program Has Never Been Easier
It’s never too early to dig into every possibility to find the best homeschool program suited for your family.
Online homeschool programs have a wide range of possibilities available. You can choose a public school that is tuition-free and that follows the same schedule and curriculum as traditional education.
On the other hand, you can pick a private school that offers schedule flexibility and programs adapted to each student according to their needs. These kinds of schools require a tuition fee.
Many online programs offer different curriculums you can choose from depending on your child’s areas of interest and skills. These programs could be either free or tuition-based. As we’ve mentioned, every program has its own characteristics that set it apart.
If you want to encourage your children to learn more about a particular area of study they are passionate about, you can choose Udemy online courses, for example. They provide online classes about many specific subjects, such as Python coding, programming, and entrepreneurship.
As we’ve shown, online homeschool programs offer many alternatives. Choose one that fits your educational, budgetary, and scheduling needs and the one you believe your children will benefit from the most, and start with their education at home.