Skip to the content
Peabody HomeschoolEvery homeschool law, plan, record and tool, free

Secular print-and-online homeschool curricula, compared

4 programs, listed alphabetically, each with its grades, method, format and cost a year as the publisher’s own site showed them on October 31, 2026. Open a card for the strengths, the watch-outs and who it fits.

What this list holds

We label a program secular when the publisher's own pages call it secular, or describe the program and the publisher without any faith terms.

Print-and-online programs are sold with both a large print part and a large screen part as standard.

At a glance

  • 3 of the 4 show a price on the publisher's site. For one child and one year of the main package they run from $160 to $479.88.
  • How the child works: 4 books and screen.
  • 1 of the 4 has a placement test or level guide on the publisher's site, linked on each card.
  • Grades: 3 reach pre-K or kindergarten, all reach the elementary grades, 2 reach middle school and 1 reaches high school.

Grades each program covers

Beast Academy
  1. PK
  2. K
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
Hooked on Phonics
  1. PK
  2. K
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
MEL Science
  1. PK
  2. K
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
Schoolio
  1. PK
  2. K
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
Alphabetical, as the table below. Each row lights the grades the publisher states.
Which grades are you shopping for?

3 of the 4 reach pre-K or kindergarten:

  • Hooked on Phonics Ages 3 to 8, Pre-K to 2nd grade
  • MEL Science From age 5 (STEM) up to 14 and over (Medicine); Physics and Math from 8, Chemistry from 10
  • Schoolio Kindergarten to 8th grade; no high school

All 4 reach the elementary grades:

  • Beast Academy Levels 1 to 5 for ages 6 to 13, covering 1st to 5th grade topics
  • Hooked on Phonics Ages 3 to 8, Pre-K to 2nd grade
  • MEL Science From age 5 (STEM) up to 14 and over (Medicine); Physics and Math from 8, Chemistry from 10
  • Schoolio Kindergarten to 8th grade; no high school

2 of the 4 reach middle school:

  • MEL Science From age 5 (STEM) up to 14 and over (Medicine); Physics and Math from 8, Chemistry from 10
  • Schoolio Kindergarten to 8th grade; no high school

1 of the 4 reaches high school:

  • MEL Science From age 5 (STEM) up to 14 and over (Medicine); Physics and Math from 8, Chemistry from 10
Alphabetical. We never rank programs, and none pays to appear.
ProgramSubjectsGradesMethodFormatCost a yearFaith label
Beast AcademyArt of Problem Solving (AoPS)Math1–5MasteryBooks and screen$160Secular
Hooked on PhonicsHooked & CompanyReading and phonicsPre-K–2MasteryBooks and screen$287.52Secular
MEL ScienceMEL ScienceScienceK–9TraditionalBooks and screenNot shownSecular
SchoolioSchoolio Learning Corp.All subjectsK–8MasteryBooks and screen$479.88Secular

Each program in a line

  • Beast Academy: A child who enjoys puzzles and hard problems, with a parent who is happy to let them wrestle with a question before stepping in.
  • Hooked on Phonics: A family with a child aged 3 to 8 who wants short app lessons that plan themselves, with real books and workbooks arriving by mail.
  • MEL Science: A family with a child who loves doing real experiments and wants a fresh one arriving every month.
  • Schoolio: A family in the US or Canada that wants all four core subjects in one plan, with video lessons and the freedom to mix grade levels in math.

Before you buy

That label is the only thing these pages say about religion. If it matters to you, read the publisher's own pages.

Check whether you can buy only one half, and what each half costs.

Most publishers post samples and a placement test; each card links the placement test where the publisher has one.

Related lists

How we label

Every fact on a card was read on the publisher's own website on the date shown, and the page it came from is linked. A fact we could not confirm there is left out. Costs are for one child and one year of the main package, as the publisher's page showed them that day; prices and sales change. Method and format are the publisher's own description where it gives one. The only thing we say about religion is one label, secular or faith-based, given by the rule above; where the publisher's pages don't settle it, the card has no label.

No affiliate links, no sponsored places, no ranking. Something wrong or out of date? Send a correction; publishers can send corrections, never money.