Every time I send an email or post in social media, sharing about all of the options offered at SchoolhouseTeachers.com, I get really good questions back. People often can’t wrap their minds around something a veteran homeschool mom of 13 years would refer to as “the best deal in homeschooling” (my own little tagline for this curriculum membership site).
I know how overwhelming it can be to quickly explore a site like this and make a decision about whether or not it’s worth spending a chunk of your homeschool budget. Trust me, there likely are few homeschool moms out there that have experienced more buyers remorse than I. So, I thought I would take a moment to answer in one blog post some of the most common questions I receive. That way I can easily refer to it the next time I get a social media private message or email. And you can bookmark it for later, if/when you have questions or are seriously considering taking the plunge.
The Best Deal in Homeschooling: A Q&A about SchoolhouseTeachers.com
Before we get started, some of you are confused and have no idea what I’m talking about. So your first question might be, “What is SchoolhouseTeachers.com?” The short answer is that it’s basically an online homeschool curriculum membership site for grades Pre-K to 12.
I think you’ll learn more as you read through the following list of questions and answers. However, I want to offer you the opportunity to ask your own questions. If you don’t find the help you need here, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via social media or through my email contact form. You’ll find links for all of those at the top of this page.
Here we go, in no particular order . . .
Question 1: I’m overwhelmed! What’s the best way to see what courses are offered for my children?
Let me help you break it down in the easiest way I’ve found.
With this many courses to choose from, it really can seem a daunting task to figure it all out, but they have made navigating the site super simple. You can either search for classes by subject or grade level (or both). The best way to navigate in my opinion is to use the navigation bar at the top.
What I do is choose the subject I need a class for, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the grade level I desire. This will show me every class for my chosen subject at the grade level I need. So for example, when I choose “history” under the Subjects tab, and then scroll down to click on “High School,” 27 courses are revealed. I can then explore each course (or have my high schooler do that) and decide which course will fit best.
I would suggest letting your children pick their courses right alongside you as often as possible—they can take as many as they want, and having a say in which courses they take will help them take ownership of the course. Plus, everyone prefers learning about topics in which they are most interested! Should your student find the course he chose isn’t a good fit after all, no problem – he can just choose another one!
Question 2: Are there any other costs associated with membership? For example, do I have to buy textbooks?
This answer is easy. NO! You don’t have to buy any textbooks, there are NO per-child fees, and there are NO limits on how many courses your kids can take. As a matter of fact, there are NO added costs anywhere.
Question 3: Is the cost per child?
Let’s clear up the cost issue, because this is one of the most important features of SchoolhouseTeachers.com. Whether you have one child or twenty, you will pay just one membership fee. One price for ALL of your children. For example, right now you can purchase the Ultimate One Year Membership for $139. This means you will pay only $139 and that one price will cover all 450+ courses for all of your students for a whole year.
Question 4: Can I try before I buy? Is there a free month offer?
No, unfortunately, there is not a free month offer. People seem surprised when I say this. But it makes me wonder how often they are able to have curriculum delivered to their home free of charge just to try?
On a positive not, there is a $5 trial month option with the code: TRIAL. However, please note that if you do use that code, you are locked into the non-sale price ($224.97/yr or $24.97/month after your trial is up. No one wants to do that. So my suggestion if you are not willing to risk paying up front, is to instead use the code: BENANDME and get my special promo of $10.95/month on the Ultimate Monthly Membership. If you don’t like it (and truthfully, I would be shocked if that was the case), you’re only out $10.95 because you are able to cancel at any time. Yes, it’s more than the $5 trial price, but in the end, if you keep the membership, you will save a bundle over the course of the life of your membership.
Question 5: Does SchoolhouseTeachers.com tell me what to teach for each year?
Yes and no. There is a scope and sequence and a planning tool to help you plan your student’s courses. But most of the courses are suggested for a range of grades. For example, Adventures in Writing found under Elementary Language Arts, is suggested for grades 2-5. Similarly, All About Maps found under Middle School Geography is recommended for grades grades K-8.
That may sound complicated, but using the navigation bar at the top of the site, you can filter courses first by grade and then by subject to see all courses that are suggested for your child’s grade level. The flexibility of this means you can often teach several children, in different grades, the same course. That’s a huge time saver for you, mom!
If you need help with ideas for what to teach when, the scope and sequence is useful for that. And so is their customer service chat feature. Seriously, if you have ANY questions, hit that chat button and let them help you. They’re amazing.
Question 6: Are the classes live?
Classes are no lie. They are archived, mostly in PDF format, making them conveniently self-paced and available at any time. In this same vein, many have asked if there is video instruction. While some classes do have a video component, not all do. There is a key listed with each course letting you know what components are included.
Question 7: Is Can my high school student get credit for classes on his transcript?
Absolutely! My son’s transcript is filled with credits from courses at SchoolhouseTeachers.com. There are both full credit and half-credit courses offered. You’ll find all of that information in the course description to make it easy to plan your high schooler’s course of study.
Question 8: Is SchoolhouseTeachers.com a full curriculum?
I’m excited to finally be able to say, “YES!” to this question. For the first 7 years or so it was not. But now, this membership site has the designation as a complete curriculum for all grades. THIS is why this is THE BEST DEAL in homeschooling! Where else can you educate all of your children for about $200 a year (even less if you watch for their awesome sales, of which there are many).
Question 9: Is this curriculum secular?
No, and this important to note for any homeschool family where worldview is an important consideration. The courses at SchoolhouseTeachers.com are taught with a biblical (Christian) worldview. There are secular components (such as the membership to World Book), but you won’t find any coursework here that conflicts with a Christian worldview.
Question 10: Is SchoolhouseTeachers.com Common Core aligned?
No. The mission of SchoolhouseTeachers.com is provide a product that far exceeds these standards and allows students to work and progress at their own pace and achieve their highest potential.
One Final Note
I’m adding this because people don’t always know to ask about “extras.” But it’s exciting for most to learn that membership also includes online courses for homeschool moms, attendance record keeping, report card generation, quizzes/test, answer keys, certificates of achievement, hundreds of streaming videos, a membership to World Book, and a subscription to the print issues of The Old Schoolhouse magazine.
My suggestion is for you to go visit SchoolhouseTeachers.com for yourself. Simply click on the Quick Links tab at the top to scroll through all 450+ courses that are waiting for you and your children, or begin searching by grade level or subject. Have fun exploring which courses are perfect for your family. I think you’ll be inspired and amazed at everything offered for such a low price.
This really is THE BEST DEAL in homeschooling, even at the regular price and one of our personal favorite homeschool resources. It fits well for many homeschool styles, including Charlotte Mason, classical, unit study, delight-directed, or more traditional. And the high school elective offerings cannot be beaten anywhere.
Current Promo
I will try to do my best to leave information about current promos for SchoolhouseTeachers.com here at the bottom of this post. If what you see is expired, go ahead and click over to see what special they may have going on. They have them frequently, sometimes for a few days or a week, sometimes for an entire month. But as I mentioned above, you can always use my special code: BENANDME for a great price on the Ultimate Monthly Membership (a savings of over 50%). That never expires.
The current promo ending January 31,2021 is the their most popular of the year. There are two options for the Fresh Start Sale.
Promo Code: START139 – Purchase a One Year Ultimate Membership at the discounted rate of $139. As a bonus, you’ll also receive Mama Bear tote bag.
Promo Code: START16 – Purchase a Monthly Membership at the discounted rate of $16/month.
The really great news is that your discounted rate will be locked in for the lifetime of your membership! Shop here
