Apologia Educational Ministries

Apologia Educational Ministries describes itself as a family-owned corporation that provides creation-based, K-12 homeschool curriculum, with live online classes for middle and high school students. Its science line runs from preschool through high school, and the shop menu on its home page also lists Bible, Language Arts, and Math.

Last updated: 2026-10-15 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Textbooks written to the student in a conversational tone with hands-on experiments; the publisher says the Young Explorer elementary series is written in a Charlotte Mason style
Worldview	Christian. The publisher says its textbooks are Christ-centered, creation-based, and adhere to a biblical worldview, and that its owners, management, and staff are Christians who come from many different traditions and denominational backgrounds. Its Our Approach page says the Bible teaches that God created the heavens and the earth in six days and that scientific evidence points to the earth being young
Grades	The Our Story page describes K-12 curriculum. Preschool Science is listed for PreK-Kindergarten, the Young Explorer series for grades K-6, ages 5-11, middle and high school science courses carry a recommended grade on each product page, and Live Classes are for grades 6-12
Formats	The shop menu on the home page lists textbooks, notebooks, video, audiobooks, AutoGrade+, eBooks, and lab equipment, alongside Self-Paced Courses and Live Classes; the home page says Apologia offers "print, digital, and live class formats"
Cost tier	Standard (Every Homeschool classification); current prices are on the publisher's store
Parent intensity	3 (Every Homeschool rating, 1 to 5)
ESA-common	Yes. Apologia lists itself as an approved provider in 16 states as of October 2026
Accredited	No. The publisher says its Live Classes are not accredited and that it does not issue transcripts, report grades, or send proof of completion to schools or colleges for any of its products or services
Publication history	The Our Story page says that since "the early 1990s" Apologia has been a leading publisher of creation-based homeschool curricula
Website	apologia.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	4	Our assessment. The publisher describes its textbooks as academically sound, rigorous, and college-prep and says its science textbooks teach the scientific method
Ease of teaching	3	Our assessment. The publisher says its textbooks serve as the teacher, and it recommends that parents grade tests; the Biology labs include microscope and dissection types that need a microscope, slides, and a dissection kit
Content quality	4	Our assessment. The high school science page says the Biology course contains student instruction, study questions, laboratory exercises, and module study guides, and the product pages name the authors
Flexibility	4	Courses are sold as Build-Your-Own sets in which the textbook is the base and other components are chosen separately, and the publisher says the Young Explorer titles can be completed in any order
Value for money	3	Our assessment. Textbooks, notebooks, tests, video lessons, audiobooks, and lab equipment are separate items on the Biology set page, and Live Classes are charged per class; see the cost section
Worldview scope	1	Written from one stated worldview: the publisher says every academic subject can and should be taught from a biblical worldview
Visual/design	3	Our assessment. The publisher describes the elementary textbooks as having vivid photos and the Biology course as having color photos and illustrations
Support resources	4	The publisher runs a Support Center, says each textbook unlocks Book Extras, offers instructor-led Live Classes, and links a Facebook group

Who the publisher is

The Our Story page calls the company Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. and describes it as a family-owned corporation, with Davis and Rachael Carman serving as the stewards since 2008. Under "The History of Apologia," the page says that since the early 1990s the company has been "a leading publisher of creation-based homeschool curricula." The mission page states the mission as helping homeschooling families "learn, live, and defend the Christian faith."

Apologia's pages describe more than science. The Our Story page says the company provides creation-based, K-12 homeschool curriculum and that its Live Online Classes offer courses with a live instructor in science, math, Bible, worldview, apologetics, Latin, Spanish, history, and more for middle and high school students. The shop's subject menu on the home page lists Science, Bible, Language Arts, and Math. Separate Every Homeschool pages cover the What We Believe worldview series, the Live Classes, and Writers in Residence.

The publisher's statement of faith lists fourteen beliefs, including that God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing in six days, and says its owners, management, and staff are Christians who come from many different traditions and denominational backgrounds. The Our Approach page says Apologia concludes that scientific evidence points to the earth being young, "thousands rather than millions of years old." The same page says the publisher understands and respects that biblically committed believers hold a different view of the earth's age, and that its science textbooks teach the scientific method of evaluating evidence and testing hypotheses and theories.

Authors are named on each product page rather than under one name for the whole line. The pages credit Jeannie Fulbright as an author of seven of the eight Young Explorer titles, with co-authors named on Astronomy and Human Anatomy and Physiology, and the Earth Science, 2nd Edition page names Rachael Yunis. In the high school line, the Biology page names Vicki Dincher, the Chemistry page names Kristy Plourde, and the Physics page names Jay Wile.

The core pedagogy

The publisher's Our Approach page says its textbooks "serve as the teacher" and are written to the student in a conversational tone, and that they talk "to" the student, not "at" the student. The same page describes two kinds of laboratory exercises in the science textbooks: controlled experiments, which teach formulating a hypothesis and data collection, and descriptive experiments such as microscopy, field studies, and dissections. It says most of the exercises use common household items, and that each math lesson begins with an activity.

At the elementary level, the science page says the eight Young Explorer titles are written in a Charlotte Mason style and have a separate notebooking journal. The elementary science page describes the series as written for grades K-6, designed for multi-age family learning, and completable in any order, and lists the titles: Astronomy, Botany, Zoology 1 (Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day), Zoology 2 (Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day), Zoology 3 (Land Animals of the Sixth Day), Earth Science, Human Anatomy and Physiology, and Chemistry and Physics. The page says students are asked to retell or narrate what they have studied and that every lesson contains hands-on projects, activities, and experiments. The publisher's support center says the series has no tests because Apologia follows the Charlotte Mason method for science and Bible, which involves journaling instead of testing.

At the middle school level, the Curriculum Path page places General Science in 7th grade and Physical Science in 8th, and the support center says General Science, 3rd Edition and Physical Science, 4th Edition are the courses it recommends for those grades. For high school, the same path lists Biology in 9th grade, Chemistry in 10th, Physics or Marine Biology in 11th, and an advanced course in 12th, and says parents can choose a different path. The high school science page lists Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Marine Biology as core courses, Advanced Biology, Advanced Chemistry, and Advanced Physics as advanced courses, and Health and Nutrition and High School Astronomy as electives. The Chemistry page recommends proficiency in algebra, and the Physics page lists Algebra 1 and Geometry as prerequisites.

The Curriculum Path page says each student notebook includes a suggested schedule, a study guide follows every module, and a test follows each module. It says Apologia recommends that tests be graded by a parent, who can then let the student use notes and textbooks to correct missed answers, with half credit given for the corrected responses. The Self-Paced Courses page lists General Science, Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Marine Biology, and Advanced Biology with video lessons, an audio reader, and AutoGrade+ testing, and the Live Classes page describes instructor-led classes for grades 6-12 in which the instructors do the grading.

Signature mechanics: (1) Conversational textbook voice. The publisher describes its textbooks as written to the student. (2) Hands-on experiments. The publisher describes controlled and descriptive experiments in the science courses and lists the equipment each lab type needs. (3) Young Explorer topic studies. Each elementary title covers one topic, and the publisher says the titles can be completed in any order. (4) Build-Your-Own course sets. The textbook is the base, and notebooks, tests, video lessons, audiobooks, and lab equipment are added as needed.

How the publisher describes the schedule

Apologia describes the pace of its courses in several places. For the elementary series, the elementary science page offers a suggested schedule of 2 days per week, and the support center says each Young Explorer title has 14 lessons, with about two weeks per lesson, two days a week, so a course takes about 28 weeks. The Physical Science page says a typical week requires about 1 hour a day for 4 days, and the Biology page says that course is designed to be done 5 days a week, with a suggested daily schedule in the student notebook that includes study days for test preparation. The Curriculum Path page says the suggested schedule allows a textbook to be completed in approximately two weeks of work per module.

For Biology, the publisher says lab equipment is required to earn lab science credit, that students complete over 30 hands-on experiments across household, dissection, and microscope labs, and that it recommends completing at least two of the three lab types.

What they do exceptionally well

A student-directed textbook voice. In our assessment, the conversational voice is the program's defining design choice. The publisher says its textbooks are written so that students can work through them on their own.

Specific lab requirements. The publisher spells out what each lab needs. The Biology page names three lab types and what the microscope and dissection labs require, the Physics page says no special equipment is necessary, and the Young Explorer lab kit article says most elementary activities use common household items and that each textbook lists the items needed. In our assessment, this makes it easier to plan a year's supplies before buying.

More than one way to take a course. The Self-Paced Courses page lists General Science, Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Marine Biology, and Advanced Biology, and the Live Classes page lists classes in science, math, language arts, history and government, foreign languages, and apologetics and worldview. The shop also sells video lessons and an audiobook as options on the Biology set. Not every course is offered in every format.

What they do poorly

One stated worldview and one stated position on the age of the earth. The publisher says its curriculum is written from a biblical worldview and states a conclusion that the earth is young. In our assessment, families who want science without a stated worldview position, or who hold a different view of the earth's age, will be adapting the materials rather than using them as designed. The publisher says it respects believers who hold a different view.

Grading and records stay with the family. The publisher recommends that parents grade the textbook tests, and it says it does not issue transcripts, report grades, or send proof of completion to schools or colleges for any of its products or services. Families keep the records themselves.

Lab equipment adds setup. The Biology set page lists a microscope, slides, and a dissection set with specimens as separate lab equipment items. The Chemistry page lists a glassware set and an optional MicroCHEM kit, the Advanced Chemistry page lists a lab set, and the Forensics Lab Kit page lists a kit for that course.

Not every component fits every edition. The publisher's support center says 1st edition lab kits are not compatible with the 2nd edition Young Explorer titles, so a family buying used or older materials should check the edition before ordering.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Apologia if: you want Christian science written from a stated biblical worldview and the publisher's stated conclusion that the earth is young; you want textbooks written to the student that a middle or high school student can work through largely on their own; you want the option of video lessons, a Self-Paced Course, or a Live Class for some courses; you are willing to grade tests and keep your own transcripts.

• Skip Apologia if: you want secular or worldview-neutral science; you want a science program that does not state a position on the age of the earth; you need the publisher to issue transcripts or report grades; you want accredited classes, since the publisher says its Live Classes are not accredited; you want a program with minimal lab setup for Biology.

Cost honest assessment

Apologia's product pages sell courses as Build-Your-Own sets. The textbook is the base, and the Biology set requires a testing option, either AutoGrade+ or the Solutions Manual with tests, while the student notebook, video lessons, and audiobook are optional and lab equipment is added separately; the set page says lab equipment is required to earn lab science credit. Current and sale prices are on the publisher's store.

Live Classes are charged per class. The publisher's support center says required texts and other materials are not included in tuition and that families on a payment plan pay a $35 non-refundable registration fee per class seat (retrieved October 2026). Its military discount article, updated May 1, 2025, describes a 40% discount on books and media for active U.S. military families and disabled veterans, and lists Live Classes, lab equipment, and eBooks among the exclusions.

ESA eligibility notes

Apologia's Educational Savings Accounts page lists the company as an approved provider in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming (as of October 2026). The support center says, in an article updated May 12, 2026, that Apologia is an ESA approved provider only for the states listed there. It also says that only Florida and Arizona have approved ESA funds for Live Classes (article updated November 5, 2025), that all products are approved by the Texas Education Freedom Account program except audiobooks (article updated July 16, 2026), and, in its Live Class terms, that it cannot guarantee that state ESAs will reimburse Live Classes. Families should confirm the specific product and format with their state program administrator before ordering.

Alternatives

• Berean Builders Science, a family comparing science programs can compare it on its Every Homeschool page.
• BJU Press, a family comparing science programs can compare it on its Every Homeschool page.
• Novare Science, a family comparing science programs can compare it on its Every Homeschool page.