Side-by-side comparison
Acellus Academy vs Power Homeschool
A side-by-side from International Academy of Science and International Academy of Science.
Acellus Academy and Power Homeschool generate more confusion than any other pair in online homeschooling, because they are not competitors. Both are programs of the International Academy of Science, a nonprofit, and both deliver the exact same Acellus video courseware. Same lessons, same teachers on screen, same platform. The difference is everything wrapped around the videos.
Acellus Academy is the accredited online school. Students enroll, and the school provides teacher support, official transcripts, an accredited diploma, and Standard and Honors graduation pathways. The credential stack is genuinely strong: WASC regional accreditation, College Board-audited AP courses, NCAA-approved core courses, and Tier I military enlistment status. Pricing runs $249 to $499 per month, or roughly $2,000 to $4,500 per year.
Power Homeschool strips the school away and sells the courseware alone. The parent is the teacher of record. There is no enrollment, no teacher support, no transcripts, and no diploma. Families using it are legally homeschooling under their own state's law and must handle their own recordkeeping and compliance. Pricing is $99 per month per student, or $79 with a scholarship.
One caveat applies to both equally: because the content is identical, the content concerns travel together. A 2020 Hawaii Department of Education review documented bias and inappropriate material in Acellus courses, the biology course teaches from a firmly evolutionary viewpoint, and writing instruction is thin across the library. Picking one over the other changes your credentials and your support, not what your child watches.
At a glance
The specifics
| Acellus Academy | Power Homeschool | |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher | International Academy of Science | International Academy of Science |
| Established | 2001 | 2001 |
| Price | $2000–$4500/year | $948–$1188/year |
| Grades | K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 | PreK, K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 |
| Subject | Math, Language Arts, Science, History, Foreign Language, Electives, Full Program | Math, Language Arts, Science, History, Foreign Language, Full Program |
| Method | Online Video | Online Video |
| Format | Digital, Video | Digital, Video |
| Worldview | Secular | Secular |
The verdict
How to choose
Choose Acellus Academy if you actually need the credentials: military families who need portable accredited records, NCAA-bound athletes, college-bound students who want audited AP courses, or families in situations where an accredited diploma is non-negotiable. You are paying roughly four times the price for accreditation, teacher support, and paperwork, and for these families it's worth it.
Choose Power Homeschool if you're already homeschooling legally under your state's requirements and you just want the video content. Keep your own records, build your own transcript, and save the difference. Whichever door you pick, preview the actual courses your child will use first; the 2020 content findings were never fully resolved, and the videos are the same on both sides.
Read the full reviews
Keep exploring
More comparisons
Picked one?
Track your curriculum with Homeschool Fox
Log activities by voice or text and stay compliant with your state's requirements automatically.
No credit card required.