Where in the World Do I Find Homeschool Curriculum?
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Getting Started
Simply put you can find homeschool curriculum in tons of places. But, in reality, when you are starting your homeschool journey, the number of decisions to make and things to “figure out” can be overwhelming. And, curriculum is just one of those many things. First, take a deep breath. You WILL get this.
So, where can you actually find curriculum? Some of the places I have found it include: Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, Mercari, Christianbook.com, Rainbowresource.com, as well as from friends or from individual company’s websites.
If you are lucky, you might find a curriculum store near you. Sadly, I have not ever been able to make it to one of those…they remain in the homeschool lore that I just dream of.
Another random place I discovered used curriculum (in fact, someone told me - I haven’t verified it myself) is at kids’ used clothing sales. I’m assuming this is not “everywhere” but it is certainly worth looking or asking about. And, finally there are the used book stores online - here are a few I recommend.
And, if there are homeschool groups, schools, or cover-groups in your area, you may be able to find out about a curriculum sale. They are probably open to the public.
If you got this far and realized you don’t even know what curriculum you should be looking for, you might want to stop and read this article first before returning to this page.
Now that we have a few suggestions, let’s go back through these and I’ll share what I have learned along the way about these different vendors.
Quick Fix
Khan Academy
If you pulled your kid from school on Friday and it’s Sunday night and you need something to do with them tomorrow, go to this website and create a free account. Khan Academy is a non-profit organization that provides FREE courses for grades 2-12. If your child is younger than that, check out the Khan Academy app for a tablet that has tons of educational games and activities for K-2. It is all legitimately free. “No ads and no subscriptions.” They will happily accept donations, but their “mission is to provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere.” I have used their program in the past for myself - to brush up on some rusty math skills before tutoring middle schoolers - and it was wonderful!!
New Curriculum
Where to buy curriculum that hasn’t been pre-owned.
Rainbowresource.com
This is probably my favorite place to order curriculum. They have very competitive prices and even provide free shipping on orders over $50. This is a huge benefit when you’re purchasing a couple subjects’ worth of books. Although I have never used their consultants, I just discovered this on their website and it looks like a fantastic resource for those who want some friendly help in their curriculum search. Here’s a link directly to that page.
I am not an affiliate of Rainbow Resource so I don’t make any money off this recommendation!! But, I LOVE this company and highly recommend them. You can also find videos about some of the curriculum on their website. Or, give one of their consultants a call. They also have a large selection of free resources for planning purposes, like their curriculum comparison guides. You can find those here.
Christianbook.com
I also love to purchase curriculum through Christian Book! They have far more than homeschool curriculum, BUT they have a dedicated section for homeschooling books and curricula. And, despite the name, they actually do sell many secular curricula as well.
One of my favorite things about Christian Book is their “free shipping over $30” texts that they send out frequently…if you sign up to get texts from them. They also run sales on various curriculum regularly. So, I always like to price-check against them before I order curriculum anywhere else.
Amazon.com
I love the convenience of Amazon. However I have only bought a SMALL amount of curriculum from here. I prefer Amazon for supplies like pencils, etc. I have often found that a dedicated curriculum site like RainbowResource.com or even ChristianBook.com tends to have better deals on the curriculum.
Nevertheless, I like to check Amazon to do price-comparisons and find things that aren’t available elsewhere. An example of one book I did purchase from Amazon is this fun handwriting curriculum.
Direct to Consumer
Unlike the 90’s when I was a homeschooled kid myself, there are SOOOO many curriculum options out there now. I cannot even begin to list them all.
But, as you start researching, you will see that many of these companies sell directly to you, the consumer. You don’t need the “middle man” to purchase their books.
AND - while many companies do sell directly to you, they often also will sell through vendors like rainbowresource.com and christianbook.com. So, just know you have options - and you can PRICE-CHECK and compare the various curriculum options from various sources.
Sometimes I will choose to purchase through one or the other based on their shipping fees, if their prices are the same. Just a heads-up for something to look for.
If you don’t know where to start with curriculum, I would recommend checking out cathyduffyreviews.com. Cathy has been around the homeschool world for decades and has a wealth of information collected on her website. You can sort through curriculum by various factors to create lists of potential options.
And, as I said above, RainbowResource.com has some really helpful resources for figuring out what curriculum you’d like to use - including FREE consultations with their specialists.
Used Options
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace, like any used resource, is very hit or miss. One of the benefits is that you can search by location if you don’t want to have to pay for shipping or if people are not offering shipping and only want to do local pick up.
Sometimes you can find great deals on here, and other times people are trying to resell a used curriculum for a very small discount off the original price - which in my opinion doesn’t make it worth my while. If I’m going to get somebody’s dog-eared copy then I really want to pay no more than 50% for the curriculum.
However, it’s not always used in the sense of actually consumed. Occasionally, you’ll find curriculum on there where somebody only wrote in a couple of the pages and then decided it wasn’t for them, or they never use the curriculum and it is actually “like-new.”
However, I have been burned before by accidentally buying the wrong edition of a book and thinking that it was a great deal before I realized that it was the older edition. So just keep your eyes out for things like that when you are buying from used sources And that applies to any used book source.
Mercari
Mercari is a lot smaller and may have less homeschool curriculum than FB Marketplace; however, sometimes you can find a really good deal on a used book or resource that you don’t want to pay full price for. Again, this is a used resource site so everything depends on the condition of the item and the seller you get.
If you’re willing to do some shopping around, I recommend checking Mercari just in case.
Ebay
Of course you know what Ebay is. But, did you know you can buy curriculum here? Again, it will probably be second-hand, and you will need to read the seller’s description carefully to ensure there are not expensive missing pieces that end up costing you more in the long-run. But, this is another potential place for cheaper used curriculum.
Library Used Bookstores
This is such a random place to look, but throughout the past 20 years or so I have found great deals on so many types of books from 25 cent picture books for my classroom to actual curriculum texts. In fact, I once purchased a book for pennies on the dollar and turned around and sold it for about 10x. (Just a side-hustle idea for someone out there.)
This one is probably the most hit-or-miss location on the list. But, if you have one in your area and happen to be at the library, you might want to check it out. It will probably be the cheapest option. They seem to be a way for the library to sell books that have been donated but that they don’t want (or have room) to put on their shelves.
If you aren’t sure whether your library has a store, check their website or ask at the front desk. They are often called “Friends of the Library” bookstores or something similar.
Sometimes libraries will even do a special book sale. Even if your local library doesn’t have a dedicated store for their “friends,” they might do sales once or twice a year. It’s a great way for them to get rid of their surplus or unwanted books while getting a few bucks in the process.
Homeschool Co-Op or “Cover Group” Sales
These sales can be a great place to find deals on used curriculum and you won’t have to worry about paying shipping!! If you don’t know of any homeschool groups in your area, either do an online search or look for a FB Group based in your area. From there you should be able to ask about curriculum sales.
Physical Used Book Stores
I think there are a few used book stores with physical locations still in existence. ;-) Seriously, although they are becoming less common with the booming online trade, see if you have any nearby and browse them for potential curriculum - or at least books for your kids to read!
2nd and Charles is a popular one with locations all across the US.
Online Used Book Stores
Although, like many of the used sources, these are very hit-or-miss, I like to check them out for deals when I’m searching for a curriculum to try. I especially like this option if I am not sure whether I really want the dive into the whole curriculum.
You might even just buy a single part of a curriculum for a few bucks and then use it to get a feel for what the curriculum is like. I’ve done this before!
Some examples of these stores are included on my list here.
Final Thoughts
I am just so grateful for the plethora of resources available for finding curriculum. As I said before, my mom’s generation had much more limited options - both in places to buy as well as the curriculum available.
I hope that these suggestions have given you some ideas that will help as you navigate this new journey of finding curriculum for your homeschool!
