Horizons (Alpha Omega Publications)

Horizons is a print curriculum line from Alpha Omega Publications (AOP). AOP's curriculum page describes it as spiral based, brightly illustrated, engaging workbooks with hands-on activities for early learners and enrichment, and its Horizons page describes it as parent-led. The subjects are math, phonics and reading, spelling and vocabulary, penmanship, health, and physical education, plus preschool sets.

Last updated: 2026-10-08 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Traditional workbook curriculum (Every Homeschool classification); AOP describes Horizons as spiral-based and parent-led
Worldview	Christian: AOP describes its curriculum as Christian, lists Christian Worldview among the Horizons features, and publishes a Statement of Faith
Grades	Primarily preschool through grade 8 per AOP. Subject ranges on AOP's Horizons page: math K-8, phonics and reading K-3, spelling and vocabulary 1-3, penmanship 1-6, health K-8 (including a 7th and 8th grade health box set), physical education preschool through grade 12
Formats	Print student workbooks and teacher's guides
Cost tier	Standard (Every Homeschool banding); see the cost section for AOP's prices, retrieved October 2026
Parent intensity	3 (AOP says Horizons requires active parental involvement)
ESA-common	Yes: AOP's funding page lists 23 states with a check mark for AOP Homeschool
Accredited	No. AOP says Horizons, LIFEPAC, and Monarch are not schools and cannot be accredited; its online school is Ignite Christian Academy
Established	Alpha Omega Publications was founded in 1977; AOP's archived 2001 history page says it started with LIFEPAC and later added Horizons
Website	aop.com/pages/horizons

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	4	In our assessment, a spiral design that revisits concepts as new ones are introduced, with math that runs through Algebra I in 8th grade
Ease of teaching	3	Parents deliver daily lessons from teacher's guides and grade with answer keys, which requires active presentation
Content quality	3	In our assessment, functional workbook content in a limited set of subjects; AOP says Horizons does not include all core subjects
Flexibility	4	Sold as complete grade sets for preschool through grade 3 and as single-subject sets
Value for money	3	Math Box Sets are $120 each and the 1st Grade Complete Grade Set is $424.50 (retrieved October 2026)
Worldview scope	3	AOP describes health as Bible-based and penmanship as Scripture-based; the Math Box Set description has no faith wording
Visual/design	3	AOP describes the workbooks as brightly illustrated; the score is our assessment of the page design
Support resources	3	Customer service line, curriculum-questions email, and a Horizons Facebook group; advisors; convention appearances

Who the publisher is

On its About page, Alpha Omega Publications says it was founded in 1977 and describes itself as a provider of PreK-12 Christian curriculum, educational resources, and services to Christian schools and homeschool families. The same page publishes a six-point Statement of Faith. The contact page lists a mailing address for AOP's Homeschool Division in Rock Rapids, Iowa.

AOP's home page lists four brands: Ignite Christian Academy, Monarch, LIFEPAC, and Horizons. AOP's Horizons page describes LIFEPAC as a mastery-based, student-paced curriculum for grades K-12, and AOP's curriculum page describes Monarch as self-paced online courses for grades 3-12 and Ignite Christian Academy as a fully accredited online academy. Switched-On Schoolhouse, an earlier AOP product, is no longer on that list; AOP's archived 2022 notice says it has been discontinued.

On the Horizons page, AOP says the line is primarily for grades PreK-8 and focuses on early literacy and numeracy. Its FAQ comparing Horizons and LIFEPAC lists math, phonics and reading, spelling and vocabulary, penmanship, health, and physical education, along with preschool sets for ages 3 and 4. AOP says Horizons does not include all core subjects, and the Horizons page says families can move to LIFEPAC or Monarch, which it says offer all core subjects plus electives through 12th grade.

Faith wording varies by product on AOP's pages. The Horizons page describes the health course as Bible-based, the penmanship course as Scripture-based, and physical education as taught from a Christian perspective. The Complete Grade Set pages describe the sets as Bible-based. The Math Box Set description covers lessons, topics, and materials and does not use Bible or faith wording.

The core pedagogy

AOP's Horizons FAQ defines spiral learning as learning a concept and then revisiting it repeatedly as new, related concepts or skills are introduced, and contrasts it with mastery-based learning, which focuses on one concept at a time until it is mastered. AOP says Horizons uses this approach in all subjects, particularly math and language arts. Its blog on spiral learning says the quick pace of a spiral curriculum often makes it slightly more advanced. AOP's March 2024 comparison with LIFEPAC says Horizons starts with more advanced preschool workbooks, so kindergarten content is more challenging than what is typically taught at that level. Its May 2024 post says that if rigor is a priority LIFEPAC may be a better fit, and that if additional learning support is a priority Horizons may be a better fit.

AOP describes Horizons as parent-led, with daily instruction in detailed teacher's guides and students completing the matching workbook activities. It says lessons are designed for daily engagement, typically one lesson per subject each day, paced for a typical nine-month school year. AOP's Math Box Sets show the structure most fully: the 3rd Grade Math Box Set has 160 lessons in two student books of 80 lessons each plus a teacher's guide with step-by-step daily lessons, learning goals, lesson materials, and answer keys. AOP's Horizons page calls Horizons Math its most popular curriculum.

Placement tools come from AOP: scope and sequence guides and sample lessons for every subject and grade, readiness evaluations for Horizons math, Pre-Algebra, and Algebra I, and a kindergarten readiness assessment. The math readiness evaluations are free downloads. A Horizons Preschool-6th Grade Scope & Sequence is sold for $3.75 (retrieved October 2026).

A day in the life

AOP does not publish a clock schedule or session length for Horizons. What it states is the structure. According to the Horizons FAQ, parents deliver the daily lesson from the teacher's guide, students complete the corresponding workbook activities, and parents check the work with the provided answer keys. AOP's September 2026 blog post says Horizons features colorful, teacher-guided lessons that require minimal prep.

Families can use one Horizons subject or several. AOP sells single-subject sets and, for preschool through grade 3, complete grade sets. AOP says Horizons can be used with multiple children, but each child needs a set of student workbooks and the parent may need time for individual instruction because the curriculum is teacher-led.

What they do exceptionally well

A math sequence from one publisher through Algebra I. AOP sells Math Box Sets for kindergarten and grades 1 through 6, a Pre-Algebra Box Set, and an Algebra I Box Set for 8th grade. In our assessment, this is the most complete part of the Horizons catalog.

Brightly illustrated workbooks. AOP describes the workbooks as brightly illustrated, and its product pages list colorful illustrations among the line's features. In our assessment, this suits children who respond to color and variety on the page.

Placement help and teacher support. AOP provides free math readiness evaluations, a kindergarten readiness assessment, scope and sequence guides, and sample lessons, and AOP says parents grade student work with the provided answer keys.

Purchase by subject. In our assessment, selling single-subject sets lets a family add one Horizons subject, such as math, to a program built from other publishers' materials.

What they do poorly

Parent presentation load. AOP says Horizons requires active parental involvement and describes LIFEPAC, not Horizons, as designed for independent learners. In our assessment, the daily teaching time adds up with each additional child, since each child needs a separate set of student workbooks and the parent teaches each lesson.

Not a full set of core subjects. AOP says Horizons does not include all core subjects. Its Complete Grade Sets cover preschool through grade 3; above grade 3, Horizons is sold by subject.

Subjects end by grade 8, except physical education. AOP says Horizons is primarily for grades PreK-8 and that math goes through 8th grade (Algebra I). Physical education has teacher's guides through grades 9-12. In our assessment, a family that wants more subjects after grade 8 would look to LIFEPAC, Monarch, or another publisher.

Faith content in several subjects. AOP describes Horizons as Christian curriculum and describes health (1st grade set), penmanship (1st grade set), spelling and vocabulary (1st grade set), and the Complete Grade Sets as Bible-based or Scripture-based. In our assessment, a family that wants a program without Bible-based or Scripture-based subjects would need to substitute or skip those products. AOP's Math Box Set description uses no faith wording.

Complete Grade Set cost. The Complete Grade Sets are $375.25 for kindergarten and $424.50 each for grades 1 through 3 (retrieved October 2026). In our assessment, that is a high one-time cost for a family that wants only one or two of the subjects, who can buy the subjects separately.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Horizons if: you want a print, parent-led curriculum that AOP describes as spiral-based and brightly illustrated; you are comfortable teaching each lesson from a teacher's guide and grading with answer keys; you want math from kindergarten through Algebra I from one publisher; you want a Christian curriculum in subjects AOP describes as Bible-based; you want to buy by subject.

• Skip Horizons if: you want mastery-based sequencing, which AOP describes LIFEPAC as providing; you want a program the student can run independently, since AOP says Horizons requires active parental involvement; you want all core subjects for grades 4 through 12 from Horizons, since AOP says it does not include them; you want a curriculum with no Bible-based or Scripture-based subjects; you want a complete grade set above grade 3, since AOP offers them only through grade 3.

Cost honest assessment

AOP prices as listed on aop.com, retrieved October 2026. None showed a sale price.

Product	Price
Kindergarten Complete Grade Set (math, phonics and reading, health)	$375.25
1st Grade Complete Grade Set (math, phonics and reading, spelling and vocabulary, penmanship, health)	$424.50
2nd Grade Complete Grade Set	$424.50
3rd Grade Complete Grade Set	$424.50
Math Box Sets: kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, grade 6, Pre-Algebra, and Algebra I	$120.00 each
Phonics & Reading Kindergarten Box Set	$228.00
Phonics & Reading Grade 1 Box Set (grades 2 and 3 are also $156.00)	$156.00
Spelling & Vocab Grade 1 Box Set	$72.00
Penmanship Grade 1 Box Set (grades 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are also $48.00)	$48.00
Health Grade 1 Box Set	$27.50
Physical Education Teacher's Guide, grades 6-8 (the PreK-2, 3-5, and 9-12 guides are the same price)	$51.25

Each kindergarten through grade 6 Math Box Set includes two student books and a teacher's guide, and the Student Worksheet Packet is sold separately ($16.25); the packet page says the same worksheets and their answer keys are included in the grade's teacher's guide. Individual math student books are $38.75 each and the math teacher's guide is $62.50. AOP says each child needs their own set of student workbooks.

For comparison within AOP, the LIFEPAC 2nd Grade Math Box Set is listed at $108.00 (retrieved October 2026).

ESA eligibility notes

AOP's state education funding page says AOP and Ignite Christian Academy are approved vendors in many states, and that families may be able to buy AOP products through a digital wallet's marketplace or through direct pay or reimbursement. Its chart lists 23 states with a check mark for AOP Homeschool: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The chart does not list Iowa or Texas. Its "School Choice Option" column names tax credits and deductions as well as education savings accounts (for example the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit and the Indiana Private School/Homeschool Deduction), so it is not a list of ESA programs only.

AOP's platform pages describe the purchase routes. The ClassWallet page says families using ClassWallet can buy Monarch, LIFEPAC, and Horizons through the marketplace, through Direct Pay (call customer service with the order and request an invoice to submit to ClassWallet, which releases payment to AOP), or by reimbursement. The MyScholarShop page covers Florida families using the EMA portal, by marketplace or reimbursement. The Student First Technologies page lists marketplace, TheoPay, and reimbursement, and the Odyssey page says Odyssey's marketplace includes only pre-approved vendors and that, in states where AOP is an approved vendor, families can search it for AOP products. AOP says state funding legislation and practices continually evolve and tells families to check their state's department of education website for current information, so confirm vendor status with your program before ordering.

Alternatives

• Math-U-See, a family would pick Math-U-See over Horizons Math for a program whose homepage describes a mastery approach with integrated manipulatives, in place of the spiral design AOP describes for Horizons.
• Math Mammoth, a family would pick Math Mammoth over Horizons Math for a program its page describes as mastery-oriented, available as digital downloads and printed versions.
• LIFEPAC, a family would pick AOP's own LIFEPAC over Horizons for a mastery-based, student-paced curriculum, which AOP says offers all core subjects through 12th grade.