Video-based 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 29, 2026. Open a card for the strengths, the watch-outs and who it fits.
What this list holds
Video-based programs have a teacher on video doing the main teaching, often with a workbook beside it.
At a glance
- All 4 show a price on the publisher's site. For one child and one year of the main package they run from $189 to $1,188.
- How the child works: 4 video lessons.
- 1 of the 4 has a placement test or level guide on the publisher's site, linked on each card.
- Grades: all reach pre-K or kindergarten, all reach the elementary grades, 3 reach middle school and 2 reach high school.
| Program | Subjects | Grades | Method | Format | Cost a year | Faith label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generation GeniusGeneration Genius (part of Newsela) | Science, Math | K–8 | Traditional | Video lessons | $250 | Secular |
| Institute for Excellence in WritingInstitute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) | Language arts | K–12 | Classical | Video lessons | $189 | Not labelled |
| Mystery ScienceMystery.org (part of Discovery Education) | Science | K–5 | Traditional | Video lessons | $199 | Secular |
| Power HomeschoolPower Homeschool LLC (Acellus courses) | All subjects | Pre-K–12 | Mastery | Video lessons | $1,188 | Secular |
Each program in a line
- Generation Genius: A family that wants ready-made, video-led science or math lessons with hands-on activities for the elementary and middle school years.
- Institute for Excellence in Writing: A family that wants a structured, step-by-step writing course taught on video, with checklists the parent can use to grade the work.
- Mystery Science: A family with children in kindergarten to 5th grade who wants short, ready-made science lessons with a video to start and a hands-on activity to follow.
- Power Homeschool: A family that wants video teaching in every subject with grading and records done for them, and a child who can work on a screen while a parent checks in.
Before you buy
Check the length of the videos, whether they stream or come on disc, and how long access lasts.
Most publishers post samples and a placement test; each card links the placement test where the publisher has one.
Side by side
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.