Free Homeschool Curriculum: what's actually complete

People search for a free homeschool curriculum and then find out the word “free” is doing several jobs. One site means a full year of lessons. Another means a book list. Another means math only, or a library of courses you still have to assemble.

This page puts six free programs side by side using the publishers’ own pages, checked October 22, 2026. It does not rank them, and it does not call any of them the best. Every card says researched. None of these programs is marked used. What those words mean.

On the table, Secular: yes means the publisher’s description does not present the program as faith-based. It is not a lesson-by-lesson audit. No means the publisher says the curriculum is Christian.

What “complete” means on this page

A program is treated as a full curriculum here only when the publisher describes a year of several subjects, not when a search result uses the word “complete.”

Three shapes show up in the six programs below:

• A packaged year. Easy Peasy says each grade level includes 180 days and names a long subject list. AmblesideOnline publishes schedules and book lists from kindergarten through Year 12, and it tells you that math, and the books, are separate.
• A free download library across subjects, up to a grade. Core Knowledge offers preschool through grade 8 files in language arts, history and geography, and science. Its curriculum page says math materials are in development, while the download library already lists some math units.
• One subject, or a course library you assemble. Khan Academy is a free course library and says it is not a school. Zearn is K–8 math. CK-12 is free textbooks and short lessons. The help pages read for this guide do not list every CK-12 book.

Florida’s parent FAQ, item 2, says that state’s law does not prescribe a curriculum, and that the parent provides the materials. The same item says the parent sends a letter of intent, keeps a portfolio, and files an annual evaluation. A free program can be the materials. It does not do that paperwork. New York still wants written notice and an individualized home instruction plan. Texas’s education agency does not register home schools, and it still describes a course of study that includes good citizenship. Start with your state page before you treat a login as the legal step. The first-month plan is the sequence for that paperwork.

At a glance

The visit button under each card goes to the publisher. None of these six is an affiliate link on this page. A later partnership would be marked on the button and would not change the price. How prices are handled.

The program cards

Easy Peasy

Easy Peasy’s homepage calls it “a complete, free online Christian homeschool curriculum.” The same page says each grade level and individual course includes 180 days of lessons. The subjects it names are reading, writing, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, math, history, social studies, geography, science, Spanish, Bible, computer, music, art, PE and health, and logic. It says the lessons use only free materials found on the internet.

Preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1 through 8 are on the main site. High school is on a sister site, All-in-One High School. The high-school welcome page says that site works in a similar way: you choose a course load, and My EP can assign the typical courses for a grade. It also says the sidebar “other courses” and “parent submitted” courses were not created by Easy Peasy, and that Lee Giles has not worked through them to check the content. Some of those shared courses are in a 180-day format and some are not. Treat that sidebar as a list other people contributed, not as the Easy Peasy courses.

What is free. The homepage says the reading materials are free and online. The FAQ says there is no enrollment, the courses can be used without registering, and My EP is an optional scheduler. My EP can hold a family account for up to ten students and show each day’s assignments. The FAQ says that login does not keep your child’s records.

What is not free, or is optional. The homepage says you still need paper, pencils, and some minor supplies if you do the experiments and art projects. It says offline courses for math, reading, and language arts, and printable workbooks, are sold in a store. It also mentions a suggested donation for My EP. That homepage does not print the donation amount or the store prices. Check the store linked from the homepage for current prices.

What it will not do for you. The FAQ says Easy Peasy is not a school, keeps no records, and does not provide report cards, completion certificates, or transcripts. It says the parent creates and keeps the records, and that in most homeschool situations the parent issues the diploma. That is Easy Peasy’s description of its own role. Your state’s rule for diplomas is on your state page.

Easy Peasy is the closest thing on this page to a full online year at $0, if a Christian curriculum is what you want, and if you are willing to supply paper and to skip or vet the parent-submitted high-school extras. It is a poor fit if you want a secular program. The secular column says no because Easy Peasy says Christian.

AmblesideOnline

AmblesideOnline’s homepage calls it a free homeschool curriculum built on Charlotte Mason’s principles. The menu runs from Year 0, marked as kindergarten, through Year 12. The FAQ says you do not pay AmblesideOnline anything to use the curriculum. The schedules and book lists are the free part.

Books are a separate bill. The FAQ says you have to find the books, and that can mean spending money. You can buy them, borrow them, or read them online when a copy is online. Some years include a short list of books to buy if you are on a strict budget. The FAQ says that short list is not every book for the year. AmblesideOnline’s homepage also says the site earns a commission on some bookstore links. This guide does not use those links. Use the book list, then your library or a bookstore you choose.

Math is not included. The FAQ’s math section is titled “How do I choose a math program?” You pick a math program. AmblesideOnline does not supply one on the pages read for this guide.

Science depends on the year. The FAQ says the early years use nature study: walks, a nature notebook, The Handbook of Nature Study, and field guides. Middle years use scheduled books. In high school, AmblesideOnline says it provides living science readings to supplement whatever high-school science program you choose. Those readings are not, on that page, a full lab science by themselves.

Placement and records. The FAQ says a child who is 6 and will turn 7 during the school year would generally be in Year 1, and that Year 1 is generally first grade. It also says there is no single right answer. Records, it says, are the parent’s choice and may depend on the state. It mentions saving the schedule, a journal, finished-book notes, written work, or subject notebooks. It does not file those for you.

It is Christian. The FAQ answers “Is AmblesideOnline a Christian curriculum?” with yes. It says families of other beliefs may use it and substitute books, and that the advisory will not find those substitutes for you.

AmblesideOnline is a full book-and-schedule curriculum if you will gather the books, add math, and, in high school, add a science program. It is not a free login that contains the reading. Budget time for the library, and money for the books you cannot borrow.

Core Knowledge

Core Knowledge’s download page says it provides open access to curriculum materials for preschool through grade 8, including the Curriculum Series. You filter by subject, grade, and language, then download a unit or a book. The curriculum page says the files need Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or newer, and that the reader is a free download on Adobe’s website.

What the subject pages describe. Language arts is reading, writing, listening, and speaking, free to download, preschool through grade 8. History and geography (CKHG) is described as a K–8 program, ages 5–13 and up, with civics, economics, and the arts worked in. Science is a K–5 curriculum, plus a grades 6–8 curriculum the page says is based on OpenSciEd and adds Core Knowledge reading. The pages read here do not describe the program as faith-based, which is why the secular column says yes.

Math is the gap to read carefully. The curriculum page says the Curriculum Series includes language arts, history and geography, and science, and that materials for math are in development. The mathematics section says the math curriculum offers comprehensive materials, and that units for grades 6–8 are being developed now. The download library, on the same date, already lists some math units, including a grade 1 unit. Do not assume a full math year is in the download until you open the grade you need and see the units.

Core Knowledge is a strong free option when you want files you can print or read for language arts, history, and science through grade 8, and you will check the math folder yourself. The download page describes open access for preschool through grade 8. Its grade filter also has a High School option, and the site lists Louisiana High School Civics and Louisiana High School U.S. History. High school is limited to those units. It is not a full high-school curriculum.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy’s homeschool help article, updated September 1, 2026, says the articles, videos, exercises, quizzes, and tests are free. Topics named on that page include science, English language arts, math, grammar, art history, computer programming, economics, AP prep, and SAT prep. Parent accounts are free. A child can work through a course, or you can assign items and read reports.

For a child under 7, or for foundational skills, the article points to Khan Academy Kids. It mentions weekly planners for ages 2–8, and it uses “Get Ready for 3rd Grade” as an example of a course challenge. It says neither Khan Academy nor Khan Academy Kids is an accredited school, and that work there does not count toward a formal diploma or degree.

The same article names Khanmigo, a separate AI tutor for learners and a set of parent tools. A price for Khanmigo was not on that page. Open the Khanmigo links from that help article and read the current price before you add it.

Khan Academy is a free course library with parent tools. It is not a 180-day package that names every subject of a school year. You choose the courses, you keep the records, and you still meet your state’s notice and evaluation rules. If you want the packaged-year shape for $0, Easy Peasy is the program on this page built that way. If you want one paid login for the core subjects, that comparison is in the online programs guide.

Zearn Math

Zearn is math, not a full homeschool. The digital-lessons page says Zearn is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and that instructional content is completely free and will always be free. It says Zearn Math offers daily digital lessons and teaching materials for every K–8 math objective. The same page says the lessons work alongside instruction, and that K–5 materials received a top rating from EdReports. That rating sentence is Zearn’s. This page did not re-score the lessons.

School accounts with premium features are a separate product. For a homeschool, Zearn’s help center says you can create an individual account and get the digital lessons, lesson-aligned student materials, teacher materials, and class reports. The account article says individual accounts are free and cover up to 35 students and one teacher. Paid school and district accounts are the ones with extra features.

Use Zearn when math is the hole, from kindergarten through 8th grade, and a parent or teacher will still be part of the instruction the way Zearn describes. It does not cover reading, history, or science. Pair it with another row on this page, or with a book list, for those subjects.

CK-12

CK-12’s help center says the resources are completely free for students, teachers, parents, homeschool families, and schools. It says CK-12 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Creating an account is free and adds saved progress, classes, personalization, and AI tools.

The homeschool article says parents can use the teacher tools, including a class of one, to assign work and track progress. It lists FlexBooks (customizable digital textbooks) in math, science, English, social studies, and more, plus practice, videos, simulations, and study guides. It also names Flexi, an AI tutor, and a teacher assistant that can draft lesson plans and worksheets. Those are CK-12’s descriptions of its own tools.

Grades. The FlexBooks overview uses one book, “Algebra Explorations, Pre-K through Grade 7,” as an example of how a textbook is organized. That sentence is an example, not a catalog of every grade CK-12 publishes. The help pages read for this guide do not list the whole library. Open the book for your child’s grade and read the table of contents before you treat it as the year’s text. The card says “catalog varies” for that reason.

Accounts for younger children. CK-12 says students under 13 cannot create their own accounts. A parent can create the account through the Classes tools.

What it will not issue. The homeschool article says CK-12 is not an accredited homeschool program. It does not issue diplomas, official transcripts, course credit, or certificates of completion. The family keeps the records and meets local requirements.

CK-12 is a free textbook-and-practice library, with more subjects named than Zearn and a less packaged year than Easy Peasy. It is a weak fit if you want one scope and sequence that already schedules every day.

What is still on you

Free on the publisher’s page is not a $0 year until you add the rows you will actually use. This table is that leftover, from the same pages. It is not a budget total. Library cards, printing, and co-op fees do not have one national price.

A curriculum-only year can start at $0 when the lessons are online and you already have paper and a way to get books. AmblesideOnline is the row most likely to add a book bill. Easy Peasy is the row most likely to add a supply list and, if you choose them, store prices. Neither publisher printed a single national “homeschool cost per year,” and this page does not invent one. The priced programs, with the dollar amounts that were on their pages, are in the first-month cost table and the online programs guide.

Questions to settle before you build a year on a free program

The first-month sequence, including how to price a year without inventing a national average, is in How to start homeschooling. Paid online programs are in Online homeschool programs compared.