CTC Math vs Teaching Textbooks: Which Online Math Program Fits?

CTC Math vs Teaching Textbooks: the short answer

Both are online, self-grading homeschool math programs that let a child learn without a parent at the whiteboard. The difference is in how they package and pace it.

CTC Math is an all-access subscription. One membership opens every grade from kindergarten to calculus, and lessons are short and to the point. Teaching Textbooks is a level-by-level course. You buy one level for one child for 12 months, and each lesson walks through the idea slowly, with a solution video for every problem.

If you have three kids, a kindergartner, or a student who needs to review old topics, CTC Math usually wins on value. If you have one 4th grader who gets anxious and wants every step talked through, Teaching Textbooks is often the better fit.

Teaching approach

CTC Math is built around one teacher, Australian educator Patrick Murray, who narrates every lesson. Each topic gets a single tutorial, then a set of questions that gets harder as your child goes. Retries pull fresh questions, so kids can't memorize answers. The focus is procedures, so many families add richer word problems.

Teaching Textbooks teaches with an animated lecture, then practice problems and a problem set. Every wrong answer can be retried, and a step-by-step solution is always one tap away. Roughly every seventh lesson is a quiz on earlier material. The series moves more gently than many programs, so a child who places into "Math 6" may be working on what other programs cover earlier.

What a lesson looks like

CTC Math: Your child watches a 4 to 9 minute video, answers interactive questions, and sees a score right away. A day takes about 15 to 30 minutes. Printable worksheets with worked solutions are there for paper practice, which matters for young kids.

Teaching Textbooks: One lesson a day. Your child watches the lecture, works a few practice problems, then the problem set. Each level has about 120 lessons and at least 100 hours of teaching, so one lesson per weekday finishes a course inside the 12-month enrollment. You can pause for up to 90 days total.

Price and value

As of October 2026, CTC Math's standard price is $39.90 a month or $257 a year for one student and $59.90 a month or $397 a year for a family. CTCMath has offered homeschoolers about half off through its homeschool sign-up page, so check that link before paying. Every plan carries a 365-day money-back promise.

Teaching Textbooks charges per student, per level, for 12 months: $48.95 for Math 3–5, $63.95 for Math 6–7, $79.95 for Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1 or Geometry, and $83.95 for Algebra 2 or Pre-Calculus. The Family Plan is $239.95 for 4 to 8 children in one household, one course each.

Example: two kids in Math 4 and Pre-Algebra cost $128.90 with Teaching Textbooks, versus $397 for a CTC family plan at standard rates (or less at the homeschool rate). Four kids tip the math toward CTC or the TT Family Plan.

Who should choose CTC Math

• Families with children in K–2, since Teaching Textbooks starts at Math 3
• Households with several kids at different levels
• Students who need to fill gaps from earlier grades or want to move ahead fast
• Kids who like short, no-frills lessons and quick feedback

Who should choose Teaching Textbooks

• Children in grade 3 and up who need every step explained
• Kids who get frustrated and benefit from a slower pace with heavy review
• Parents who want to try before buying: the first 15 lessons of every level are free
• Families who prefer a one-time purchase over a recurring subscription

Alternatives to both

• Math-U-See: video plus hands-on blocks, mastery pace.
• Saxon Math: print, incremental lessons and constant review.
• Math Academy: fast, adaptive and demanding for motivated grade 4+ students.
• IXL or Khan Academy: practice or free video lessons to supplement.

Browse the best homeschool math curriculum or the full list of math curriculum.

Can you use a scholarship for either?

Often, yes. CTCMath says it is an approved vendor in programs including the Arizona ESA, Utah Fits All, Texas EFA, North Carolina ESA+, Missouri MoScholars and Tennessee's ESA. Digital curriculum like Teaching Textbooks is commonly an allowable expense in programs such as Arizona's ESA and Florida's scholarships. Each program decides what it covers and how you buy. Save both to your wishlist, then apply once to the scholarships your family may qualify for.