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Secular Homeschool Curriculum: The Complete Guide for Non-Religious Families

Curiosity Harbor Foundation · · 5 min read

Secular Homeschool Curriculum: The Complete Guide for Non-Religious Families

Homeschooling has a long and diverse history. Families homeschool for many reasons — religious conviction, educational philosophy, health needs, dissatisfaction with local schools, a desire for family closeness, and more. Among those families are many who do not hold religious beliefs, and they are a growing and thriving part of the homeschool community.

This guide is written specifically for secular families: those who want a rigorous, high-quality education grounded in evidence-based science, history that does not filter through a particular theological lens, and literature that is selected for quality and breadth rather than moral instruction.

We want to be clear upfront: this guide does not disparage faith-based curriculum. Religious homeschool families have built a rich ecosystem of resources over decades, and many of those resources are excellent. This guide simply helps secular families find and evaluate resources that match their own values.

Why Secular Families Sometimes Struggle

The homeschool market developed largely within religious communities, particularly conservative Christian communities in the United States, beginning in the 1970s and 1980s. As a result, many of the most established and widely reviewed curriculum options reflect a Christian worldview — sometimes subtly, sometimes thoroughly.

This is not a problem with those curricula. It is simply a reflection of who built them and for whom. The practical consequence for secular families is that the most prominent resources at homeschool conventions and on popular review sites may not work for them, and figuring out which resources are truly secular requires more research than it should.

Common situations secular families encounter:

  • A science curriculum that presents young-earth creationism alongside or instead of evolutionary biology.
  • A history curriculum that frames world events through a providential narrative — the idea that history is the unfolding of God's plan.
  • Language arts readers and read-alouds where a significant portion of the literature is explicitly Christian in theme.
  • Math programs that include Bible verses in lesson introductions or problem sets.

None of these are hidden or deceptive; they are intentional features for their intended audience. The task for secular families is simply to identify which programs are genuinely content-neutral and which are not.

How to Evaluate Whether a Curriculum Is Truly Secular

Before purchasing any curriculum, use this checklist:

Check the publisher's stated philosophy. Most publishers are transparent about their worldview. If a curriculum explicitly states it is "written from a Christian worldview" or "Bible-integrated," take that at face value.

Look at the sample pages. Most publishers offer free sample chapters or lesson plans. Read them — not just for content, but for framing. How is history described? Does science use the language of scientific consensus?

Search for secular reviews specifically. The secular homeschool community maintains several review sites and Facebook groups where families have already done the evaluation work. The Secular Homeschool Community (secularhomeschool.com), Secular, Eclectic, Academic Homeschoolers (SEAHS) on Facebook, and Rainbow Resource's secular filter are good starting points.

Check science specifically. For many secular families, the most critical test is biology. Does the curriculum teach evolution as the scientific consensus? Does it present an accurate age of the earth? A curriculum that fails on these points is not appropriate for secular families regardless of its other merits.

Note the difference between "non-religious" and "anti-religious." A secular curriculum does not need to disparage religion. It simply teaches the academic subjects without a religious framework. Most secular families want their children to understand religion as a significant human phenomenon studied through history, literature, and culture — not to be shielded from it.

Secular Curriculum Options by Subject

Mathematics

Math is generally the easiest subject to find secular options for, since numbers do not carry religious content. However, some programs (Saxon, for example) have editions that include biblical references in problem sets or introductions. It is worth checking, but most math programs are functionally secular.

Top secular math choices:

  • Singapore Math / Dimensions Math — Genuinely secular, internationally developed, conceptually strong.
  • Khan Academy — Free, secular, no religious content.
  • Teaching Textbooks — Secular, independent, subscription-based.
  • Beast Academy — Secular, for advanced students grades 2–5.
  • Art of Problem Solving — Secular, rigorous, for middle/high school.

Science

Science is where the secular/religious divide matters most. A science curriculum that presents creationism as science, or that undermines the age of the earth, is teaching factually incorrect content regardless of its other qualities.

Top secular science choices:

Real Science Odyssey (RSO) | K–8 Real Science Odyssey is explicitly secular and one of the most commonly recommended science programs in secular homeschool communities. It covers biology, chemistry, physics, and earth/space science in age-appropriate levels. The approach is hands-on, inquiry-based, and written by credentialed scientists. This is a first recommendation for elementary and middle school science.

Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding (BFSU) | K–8 BFSU by Bernard Nebel takes a conceptual, discussion-based approach that builds scientific thinking from the ground up. It is secular, rigorous, and relatively affordable. It requires more parent preparation than RSO but produces deep understanding. Nebel has a background in ecology and biological sciences, and the program reflects that depth.

OpenStax | High school and college level As mentioned in our free curriculum guide, OpenStax offers peer-reviewed, college-level textbooks for biology, chemistry, physics, and more — completely free. These are the gold standard for secular high school science.

CK-12 | Grades 6–12 CK-12 is secular, free, and covers all major science subjects. It is a strong option for middle school and a solid supplement at the high school level.

Elemental Science | K–8 Elemental Science offers a secular line alongside its classical-based line. The secular versions use standard scientific content without any religious framing. The program is affordable and well-organized.

History and Social Studies

History curriculum is the other area where worldview integration is common. Providential history — the interpretation that historical events reflect God's guidance — is a feature of many popular history programs (including Tapestry of Grace, Mystery of History, and Story of the World in its original edition's some religious editorial moments).

Note: Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer is largely secular in its narrative approach and is used successfully by many secular families. Some editions and supplements contain more religious content than others; the main spine is generally considered usable.

Top secular history choices:

Sonlight History / BookShark — BookShark's history program is explicitly secular and literature-rich. BookShark is among the best secular history options for families who love living books.

A History of US (Joy Hakim) — A ten-volume American history series written as narrative history for young readers. It is secular, engaging, and genuinely well-written. Widely used by secular homeschoolers for middle school US history.

Story of the World (Volume 1–4) by Susan Wise Bauer — The narrative spine of many classical homeschool approaches. Secular in tone and content, though some families supplement the activity books with their own materials. Strong for grades 1–6.

Curiosity Chronicles and similar — Various secular living books and narrative histories are available; the secular homeschool community regularly curates updated recommendations.

Library of Congress Primary Sources — See our free curriculum guide. Primary source analysis is by definition secular and rigorous.

Crash Course History (YouTube) — Free, secular, engaging for grades 7–12.

Language Arts and Literature

Top secular language arts choices:

All About Reading / All About Spelling — Secular phonics and spelling programs. See our reading curriculum guide for full details.

Logic of English — Secular, thorough phonics and spelling.

BookShark Language Arts — Literature-based, secular, well-curated booklists.

Writing with Ease / Writing with Skill — Secular classical writing instruction by Susan Wise Bauer.

Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) — IEW has both a secular version and a Christian version of its materials. The secular version is the same instructional content without the faith integration. IEW's method for teaching structured writing is well-regarded.

Secular Homeschool Communities and Co-ops

Finding community as a secular homeschooler used to be harder than it is now. The secular homeschool community has grown substantially and organized effectively.

Online Communities:

  • Secular Homeschool Community (secularhomeschool.com) — Forums, curriculum reviews, and community discussions.
  • SEAHS (Secular, Eclectic, Academic Homeschoolers) on Facebook — Active and well-moderated.
  • Homeschool Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Families (Facebook) — Supportive community for families without religious belief.

Secular Co-ops: Many secular families have founded explicitly secular co-ops in their communities. To find one, ask in the online communities listed above and specify your geographic area. If none exists locally, the process of starting one is worth considering — see our guide to starting a homeschool co-op.

Hybrid Schools and Micro-Schools: The growth of hybrid homeschool programs (part-time schools that supplement home instruction) has included secular options in many urban and suburban areas. Search for "secular hybrid school" or "secular micro-school" plus your city.

A Balanced Perspective

The secular homeschool community is sometimes described — inaccurately — as anti-religion. Most secular homeschool parents are not trying to shield their children from knowledge of religion. They want their children to understand religion as a significant part of human history, literature, and culture, while not being taught that any particular religion's claims are scientific or historical fact.

This is a reasonable and internally consistent educational position. It is also, in terms of academic content, well-served by the programs listed here.

Homeschooling is fundamentally about taking responsibility for your child's education and shaping it according to your family's values. Secular families are doing exactly that — and the resources available to them have never been better.