Where to Buy Homeschool Curriculum: Best Deals and Discounts (2026-2027)

Updated for the 2026-2027 school year

Homeschool curriculum is expensive. A complete set of new textbooks and materials from a major publisher can easily run $500 to $1,000 per child per year. Multiply that by two or three kids over several years and the numbers add up fast.

But here is something experienced homeschool families know: you almost never need to pay full price. Between discount retailers, used curriculum sales, free resources, and seasonal deals, smart shoppers can cut their curriculum costs by 30 to 70 percent without sacrificing quality.

This guide covers every major way to save on homeschool curriculum, from the best retailers to the best times to buy.

Christianbook.com — Best Overall Retailer

Christianbook.com is the single best place to buy new homeschool curriculum, period. They carry nearly every major publisher — Abeka, BJU Press, Saxon Math, Math-U-See, All About Reading, Sonlight materials, and hundreds more — and their prices are consistently lower than buying directly from the publishers.

Why Christianbook Beats Direct Pricing

Most curriculum publishers sell their materials at list price on their own websites. Christianbook.com negotiates volume discounts and passes the savings along, typically offering 15 to 30 percent off list price. On a $500 curriculum order, that is $75 to $150 in savings — real money that adds up over a homeschool career.

They also run regular sales throughout the year, offer a rewards program for returning customers, and provide free shipping on orders over a certain amount. Their customer service is excellent and their return policy is reasonable.

What to Buy on Christianbook

• Complete curriculum sets — this is where the savings are biggest. Buying a full grade set from Abeka or BJU Press through Christianbook saves significantly over buying direct.
• Subject-specific programs — Saxon Math, Math-U-See, and All About Reading are all available at discounted prices
• Supplemental materials — workbooks, readers, teacher guides, and test materials
• New editions — when publishers release updated editions, Christianbook often has the best price from day one

BookShark — Best Package Deals for Literature-Based Families

If you prefer a literature-based approach, BookShark offers complete curriculum packages that bundle language arts, history, and science together at a better price than buying each component separately. Their packages include all the real books your child will read for the year, instructor guides, and activity sheets. Buying the full package typically saves 15 to 20 percent compared to piecing together individual items.

Buying Used Curriculum

Used curriculum is the single fastest way to slash your homeschool budget. Most homeschool materials are used gently — workbooks may have writing in them, but textbooks and teacher manuals are usually in excellent condition. Here is where to find the best used deals:

Homeschool Classifieds

Homeschool Classifieds (homeschoolclassifieds.com) is a dedicated marketplace for buying and selling used homeschool materials. Prices are typically 40 to 70 percent off retail, and the selection is enormous. You can search by publisher, grade level, or specific product.

Facebook Homeschool Resale Groups

There are hundreds of Facebook groups dedicated to buying and selling used curriculum. Search for groups specific to the publisher you want (there are dedicated Saxon Math resale groups, Abeka resale groups, Sonlight resale groups, etc.) as well as general homeschool curriculum swap groups. These tend to have the best prices because sellers are motivated to clear out materials they no longer need.

Homeschool Convention Used Book Sales

If you attend a homeschool convention, the used book sale area is where the real deals are. Families bring their gently used curriculum to sell, and prices are rock bottom. Arrive early on the first day for the best selection — popular items go fast.

Library Book Sales

Public library book sales are not specifically homeschool-focused, but they often have a surprising amount of educational material at pennies on the dollar. Science books, history readers, classic literature, reference books, and even textbooks show up regularly. Most library sales price books at $0.50 to $2 each.

eBay and Amazon Marketplace

Both platforms have extensive selections of used homeschool curriculum. eBay often has complete sets sold by families who finished homeschooling. Amazon Marketplace sellers offer individual books at steep discounts. Always check seller ratings and read the condition descriptions carefully.

Free and Nearly Free Curriculum

You can build a complete homeschool education without spending a dime if you are willing to use free resources. These are not watered-down bargain options — several of the best homeschool programs available are completely free.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy offers free video lessons and practice problems for math (preschool through calculus and beyond), science, computing, economics, and more. The platform is used by millions of students worldwide and provides a genuinely excellent education at no cost. For younger children, Khan Academy Kids covers ages 2 through 8 with reading, math, and creative activities.

CK-12

CK-12 provides free textbooks, interactive simulations, and practice problems for math and science from elementary through high school. Their FlexBooks are customizable digital textbooks that you can tailor to your curriculum. The quality is on par with commercial textbooks.

Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool

Easy Peasy is a complete, free online curriculum covering every subject from preschool through high school. It is built around free online resources, videos, and readings organized into daily lessons. Tens of thousands of families use it as their primary curriculum.

Ambleside Online

Ambleside Online provides a free Charlotte Mason-style curriculum using public domain books and free online resources. It covers all subjects from Year 1 through Year 12 and is particularly strong in literature, history, and nature study. Most of the required books are available free through Project Gutenberg or your local library.

The Good and the Beautiful

The Good and the Beautiful offers free PDF downloads of their language arts program (their most popular product). Printed materials are available at cost. Their math program and other courses are affordably priced but not free.

Affordable Supplemental Tools

Beyond core curriculum, a few low-cost supplemental tools can round out your homeschool program without stretching your budget:

• Prodigy Game — free basic math practice for grades 1 through 8, premium adds parent tools for $9.95/month. Use code HOMESCHOOL26 for 25% off an annual membership. See our complete guide to educational apps.
• CuriosityStream — documentary streaming for $5.99/month ($42/year) covering science, history, and nature. One of the best educational values available. See our streaming services comparison.
• Your local library — free books, audiobooks, DVDs, and often free digital access to platforms like Kanopy, Hoopla, and Libby
• PBS — free educational content, especially strong for younger learners
• Duolingo — free foreign language learning

When to Buy: Seasonal Sales Calendar

Timing your curriculum purchases around seasonal sales can save you an additional 10 to 25 percent on top of already discounted prices. Here is when the best deals happen:

January through February: New Year Sales

Many retailers run New Year clearance sales to move out old inventory. This is a great time to pick up supplemental materials, used curriculum, and anything you need for the current school year's second semester.

March through May: Spring Convention Season

Homeschool conventions happen across the country every spring, and both the conventions themselves and online retailers run associated sales. Publishers often offer convention-exclusive pricing both in-person and online. The used book sales at conventions are some of the best deals of the year.

June through July: Back-to-Homeschool Sales

This is the biggest sale season for homeschool curriculum. Christianbook.com runs their major homeschool sale during this period, and most publishers offer their deepest discounts. If you can plan ahead and know what you need for the upcoming school year, this is the time to buy.

August through September: Last-Chance Deals

Retailers discount remaining inventory from the summer rush. Selection may be limited, but prices are excellent on what is left. This is also when many families sell their previous year's curriculum at steep discounts.

November through December: Holiday Sales

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become significant for homeschool deals. Many online retailers and publishers participate with meaningful discounts. This is a good time to buy supplemental tools, apps, and subscriptions as gifts that double as school resources.

Smart Shopping Checklist

Use this checklist every time you sit down to buy curriculum. It will save you money and prevent impulse purchases:

1. Make a complete list first. Write down exactly what you need for each child and each subject before you start shopping. Browsing without a list leads to overspending.
2. Check the free options. Before buying anything, ask yourself whether a free resource could serve the same purpose. Khan Academy, CK-12, Easy Peasy, Ambleside Online, and your local library cover an enormous amount of ground.
3. Search for used copies. For textbooks, teacher manuals, and non-consumable materials, used copies save 40 to 70 percent. Check Facebook resale groups, Homeschool Classifieds, and eBay.
4. Compare retailer prices. Check Christianbook.com, the publisher's direct site, and Amazon. Christianbook usually wins, but not always.
5. Wait for the right season. If it is not urgent, wait for the next sale cycle. June and July back-to-homeschool sales offer the best deals of the year.
6. Buy consumables new, everything else used. Workbooks and test booklets need to be new. Textbooks, teacher manuals, and readers work perfectly used.
7. Set a budget and stick to it. Decide your total curriculum budget before you start shopping. Write it down. Do not exceed it.
8. Do not buy for multiple years at once. Buy only what you need for the upcoming year. Your child's needs and your curriculum preferences will change — buying ahead often leads to unused materials.
9. Sell what you are done with. After you finish a level, sell the non-consumable materials in the same resale groups where you buy. This offsets next year's costs and keeps materials circulating to other families.

Estimated Savings by Strategy

Here is what a typical family spending $700 per year on curriculum could save using each strategy:

Most experienced homeschool families fall in the middle — using a mix of discounted new materials, used curriculum, and free resources. A realistic first-year target for a family willing to shop smart is $200 to $400 per child, compared to $600 to $1,000 for families who buy everything new at retail.

The Bottom Line

Homeschool curriculum does not have to break the bank. The combination of Christianbook.com for discounted new materials, used curriculum resale groups for textbooks and teacher guides, and free platforms like Khan Academy and Easy Peasy means you can provide a high-quality education at a fraction of what most families assume it costs.

The smartest approach is to start with free resources for everything they can cover, buy used for anything you need in physical form, and only buy new from a discount retailer like Christianbook for consumable workbooks and materials where you want the latest edition. That simple three-tier strategy will save you hundreds of dollars every single year.

Not sure which curriculum to buy? Start with our Complete Curriculum Guide or our Homeschool Starter Kit for first-year families. Follow us on Pinterest for weekly homeschool tips and deal alerts.