BJU vs Abeka: Which Christian Homeschool Curriculum Fits Your Family?

BJU vs Abeka: the short answer

Abeka and BJU Press are the two biggest names in Christian textbook curriculum, and both let a video teacher take the lead. They feel different in the classroom.

Abeka is traditional school at home: teacher-led lessons, lots of drill and memorization, and frequent quizzes and tests. Its early phonics is widely loved, and Abeka Academy offers an accredited track with a diploma.

BJU Press is also a full textbook program, but its video teachers spend more time explaining and discussing. The Homeschool Hub gives you a calendar, gradebook and transcripts, and tests are auto-graded in video courses from grade 5.

If you want maximum structure and repetition, choose Abeka. If you want a teacher who explains more and an easier record-keeping system, choose BJU.

Teaching approach

Abeka builds skills through repetition. Expect daily drills, memory work and regular tests in every subject, including Bible, penmanship and spelling in the elementary years. Parent-led kits schedule 170 days, so you open the book and follow the day. The worldview runs through every subject, with the KJV and young-earth creation.

BJU Press uses a teacher's edition that walks you through questions, activities and explanations, or a video teacher who does it for you. Lessons include more discussion and "why" questions. Science is taught from a young-earth, biblical viewpoint. A Grade 1 online kit schedules 180 days of phonics and English, reading, handwriting, math and spelling, plus 90 days each of heritage studies and science.

What a lesson looks like

Abeka Academy: Your child watches, by streaming or DVD, a lesson filmed in a real classroom of same-age students, then does the seatwork. Families commonly report three to four hours of video and seatwork a day in elementary, and longer in upper grades. On the accredited track, you grade work and mail it to Abeka every 6 to 9 weeks.

BJU Press video: Your child streams the lesson in the Homeschool Hub and works in the textbooks. BJU films on studio sets, with teachers speaking directly to a homeschool student. BJU estimates about 2 hours of video a day in K5, 2.5 to 3 hours in grades 1–6, and 3 to 3.5 hours in grades 7–12. From grade 5, video courses grade tests and quizzes for you.

Price and value

As of October 2026, Abeka Academy video runs about $720 to $1,890 a year on the 10-month plan, depending on grade and options. Parent-led book kits start at a few hundred dollars per grade. Video enrollments carry a 30-day money-back guarantee. Payment plans on product orders add a $50 (6-month) or $85 (10-month) fee.

BJU Press Grade 1 video kits run $979 to $1,209, and a complete Grade 1 textbook kit is about $1,073. A second student in the same grade needs another license. DVDs not returned on time are charged $100 a month, up to $500.

With video, the two land in a similar range per child, so price the exact grade and options you need. Book-only kits are the cheapest way into either publisher, and teacher materials can be reused for younger siblings.

Who should choose Abeka

• Families who want traditional, structured school at home
• Kids who thrive on drills, memory work and clear tests
• Parents starting phonics who want a proven K5 program
• High schoolers who want an accredited diploma through one provider

Who should choose BJU Press

• Families who want video teachers who explain and engage
• Parents who want online records, a gradebook and transcripts built in
• Students who do better with discussion than with drill
• Families who want accreditation as a separate add-on rather than a track

Alternatives to both

• The Good and the Beautiful: gentler, lower-cost Christian curriculum. See Abeka vs The Good and the Beautiful.
• Sonlight: Christian literature-based learning.
• Christian Light and Alpha Omega LIFEPAC: workbook-based and more independent.
• My Father's World and Master Books: faith-based with less screen time.

See the best Christian homeschool curriculum and accredited homeschool programs.

Can you use a scholarship for either?

Often, yes. Curriculum and accredited distance programs like these are commonly allowable expenses in education savings account programs such as the Arizona ESA and Florida's scholarships. Video courses and digital licenses may be treated differently from print books, and each program decides what it covers. Check your state's homeschool rules too. Save your pick to your wishlist and apply once to the scholarships your family may qualify for.