Curated guide

Best Middle School Homeschool Curriculum (Grades 6-8)

6 curricula in this guide

Middle school is the transition from elementary basics to high-school-level rigor. Curricula at this level introduce pre-algebra, more complex writing assignments, and laboratory science. Many families also begin transitioning to independent learning during these years.

Our top picks support that transition. Teaching Textbooks lets math-anxious tweens learn independently with video lessons and auto-grading. IEW builds the structured writing skills they'll need for high school essays. Apologia introduces conversational, college-prep science. Consider also starting a foreign language at this stage — most colleges expect 2-4 years of one language.

Editor's selection

Our picks

Teaching Textbooks

Self-teaching digital math curriculum with video instruction and automatic grading. Designed for maximum student independence — minimal parent involvement required.

3–5 6–8 9–12

$49–$84/year

IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing)

Institute for Excellence in Writing

Structured writing curriculum using the Structure and Style method with engaging video instruction. Teaches reluctant writers to produce organized, stylistic prose through nine structural models.

3–5 6–8 9–12

$169–$289/grade

Apologia Science

Apologia Educational Ministries

Rigorous college-prep science curriculum written from a young-earth Christian perspective. Conversational writing style with notebook-based learning and strong lab components.

PreK K–2 3–5 6–8 9–12

$42–$93/grade

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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

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

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

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

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

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