Ok, I’m finally going to do it. I’ve reviewed so many online homeschooling programs in the past few years and I think it’s finally time to let you know which I think are the worst programs out there. So today let me share with you the programs that I think are the worst homeschooling programs that I would never use in my homeschool.
And before we begin, I just want to remind you that this is just my opinion. All kids are different, and if you’re using one of these homeschooling programs and it’s working in your family, don’t let this review stop you. This is just my opinion on the programs that I would not use in my own homeschool.
Power Homeschool/Acellus Academy
Ok so first on our list of the worst online homeschooling programs is Power Homeschool. I have reviewed this program on my channel several times, so I’ve had some time to really see the program and how it all works. And it’s definitely not something I would use in my homeschool. And here’s why.
For one thing, the only instruction you’re going to get is through video lessons. They used to allow you to print the text versions of the lessons, but now with the new update those are only able to be viewed online. And so the format is just watch this video, answer the questions, watch another video, answer some more questions. So I just personally don’t think it’s a great idea to have a child’s entire education done in that method. It can get pretty boring and repetitive pretty quickly. I also don’t think the questions are all that challenging. It’s basically a quick check to make sure you understand what you saw in the video, but once you’re done with that lesson, how much of it you’re actually going to retain is questionable.
I also don’t like that there isn’t much customization at all offered with Power Homeschool. Most other online homeschooling programs will let you pick which lessons you want to do or skip, and start anywhere in the grade level that you want.
So for instance, with most homeschool programs, if you switch mid year, you can pick where to start in the new program based on what material your child already knows. With Power Homeschool, while you can pick different grade levels for each subject, you have to start at the beginning of the grade level, even if you already know the material. There’s absolutely no way to skip through any lessons. So that’s really a problem to me.
For an online school like Acellus Academy, it makes more sense, but for a homeschooling program there should be more customization for parents. In the past they did have something called Tutor Mode, but they got rid of it basically overnight without even warning parents about it, and many students lost all their progress. It was not handled well at all.
And the same honestly goes for Acellus Academy. I would not use that program either. It’s the exact same thing as Power Homeschool, you’re just paying more to get transcripts and a diploma. If you really want to enroll your child in an online school, there are much better options out there with more opportunity for personalization and in my opinion much better instruction. Acellus Academy may be the cheapest option for an online school, but in my opinion, you usually get what you pay for.
And lastly, I have heard some rather disturbing things about Roger Billings and the whole Acellus company. Is it really a cult? Should you be worried about the content of the curriculum? I actually received a message from someone who has personal experience with the company and they told me some pretty bizarre things.
Discovery K12 – Worst Online Homeschooling Programs
Next on my list of online homeschooling programs that I would absolutely not use is Discovery K12. I’ve never done a full review of this homeschool program, although I have mentioned it in some other posts. But the reason I’ve never done a full review is because honestly there isn’t much to review. In my opinion it’s more just a list of assignments rather than a homeschooling program. Each day you log on and see what the assignments are, and then check them off when you’ve completed them.
https://www.readarific.com/reading-comprehension-the-smart-and-easy-way/earn9
There may be YouTube videos to watch, there may be online articles to read, and there may be assignments to complete on your own. But Discovery K12 doesn’t have its own curriculum.
It is a free program, so I understand why a lot of families use it. And it’s certainly something you can make use of if you want to give your child some independent work. But there’s not any customization to it. You just pick a grade level and then just start on day one and keep going. You can click on any day you want but there isn’t really any reason to skip around. And even though it’s free, if you want any kind of tracking and reporting, you’ll have to pay $99 for a year access.
So this might be an ok resource to use in your homeschool, but I would just not recommend relying on this for your only homeschool curriculum for your children.
Abeka Academy
Next on my list of the worst online homeschooling programs is Abeka Academy. And it’s for a different reason than most of the other programs that I wouldn’t use. Instead of not being comprehensive enough, I find their curriculum to be just TOO much for most kids. And at least if you buy the books and teach it yourself, you can skip the parts you don’t need and tailor it to your individual child. But if you use the video lessons and have your child follow along and do the work in their books, it’s going to take up a LOT of time.
The videos are long, and they are also old fashioned and in my opinion kind of boring. Your child will be basically watching a video of an actual class. So the video is as long as a class would be for each subject.
It’s also quite expensive. While they have a video only option when you go to purchase it, don’t let that fool you. Your child will absolutely still need the books. They just have this option for families who already have the books at home, either because you already used them for a different child, or you found them used or got them from a friend. But if you aren’t lucky enough to have the books on hand already, you’ll be paying over $1000 for a year of this program per student. So that’s not really affordable for a lot of homeschooling families.
And in my opinion, one of the best things about homeschooling is how much extra time you get in your day. Homeschool kids can complete their work so much faster than kids in school simply because of the student teacher ratio, and the ability for your child to work at their own pace. But if you’re using a program like Abeka Academy, and having your child watch the entire video for each subject, it’s going to take a long long time.
Honestly, even if you teach it yourself, it’s a very intensive curriculum. When you are homeschooling, you absolutely do NOT have to try to recreate school at home. In fact, I really really suggest that you don’t do this. And with Abeka Academy, it really seems like just school at home. So I don’t recommend this program.
ABC Mouse
The next program on my list of online homeschooling program I would not use is ABC Mouse. And I actually did use this for my oldest when she was around 5 years old. I was much newer to homeschooling then and I had heard so much about it, I really thought it would be a great way to get her started on the basics of math and reading. But it didn’t end up teaching her much of anything at all.
If you try out the ABC Mouse program, or watch some reviews of it like the one I have on my YouTube channel, it honestly looks really great. There is so much content, and so much that kids can do, it really seems like you’re getting your money’s worth. And I suppose if you’re just looking for an educational app, something for your kids to do independently for a little while during the day, then this is fine. But if you’re actually hoping for it to teach your kids reading and math skills, I wouldn’t bet on it, unless you’re doing it with them. It’s just way way too busy and there are too many ways for your kids to waste time on it without learning much of anything.
When my daughter was using it, the only thing she really liked to do was play with the pets in the pet park. And while you do need to complete some of the lessons so you can get tickets to then get more pets and things like that, you don’t need to do that many in order to have fun. Even then, my daughter got bored of it pretty quickly. I don’t think we had it more than a couple of months.
Now again, I’m not saying that it’s bad as far as a kids app goes. I think it’s perfectly safe and fun for kids to use. But it’s just not great to use as a homeschooling program.
Sadly, Homeschool+, which was created by the same creators as ABC Mouse but was designed specifically for homeschoolers, is no longer accepting new subscribers. I’m not sure why, because when I tested it out I thought it was a really great program. So it’s too bad that you can’t get that anymore. But if you’re looking for an early learning program to use in your homeschool, I think Hooked on Phonics is probably a much better choice than ABC Mouse. You get phonics and reading plus math and spelling all included for once price. And there isn’t anything else included to distract from the main learning program.
So those are the online homeschooling programs that I would definitely not recommend. As I said earlier, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t work for your family. All families and kids are different, but overall, I just can’t recommend these programs as something you should use in your homeschool. I think there are just much better options out there. Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments what you think are the worst homeschooling programs.
