BJU Press Heritage Studies

BJU Press Heritage Studies is the name the publisher gives its social studies line. It runs from an elementary line (Heritage Studies 1 to 5) to a middle and high school line that starts with Heritage Studies 6 and continues with titled courses through Economics. The publisher's stated vision is to apply a biblical worldview to history, government, geography, and economics.

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

At a glance

Method	Textbook-based: a Student Edition, Teacher Edition, Student Activities, and Assessments; video courses and textbook kits for each title on the homeschool site
Worldview	Christian; the publisher describes the line as applying a biblical worldview to history, government, geography, and economics. The publisher pages we reviewed do not name a denomination
Grades	Numbered Heritage Studies titles run from Heritage Studies 1 to Heritage Studies 6; the line continues with World Studies (grade 7), American Republic (grade 8), Cultural Geography (grade 9), World History (grade 10), United States History (grade 11), American Government (grade 12), and Economics (grade 12). No kindergarten Heritage Studies title is listed
Formats	Print components, with assessments in print and digital formats; homeschool video courses and textbook kits, with eTextbooks included in online options
Cost tier	Standard (Every Homeschool classification); current prices are on the publisher's homeschool store
Parent intensity	3 with print, 2 with video (Every Homeschool rating, 1 to 5)
ESA-common	Not stated by the publisher; the homeschool pages we reviewed do not mention education savings accounts
Accredited	The publisher says textbooks cannot be accredited and only schools can be
Editions	Current listings on bjupress.com include Heritage Studies 1, 4th edition, Heritage Studies 2, 4th edition, Heritage Studies 3, 4th edition, Heritage Studies 4, 4th edition, Heritage Studies 5, 5th edition (copyright 2026), and Heritage Studies 6, 4th edition
Website	bjupress.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	4	Our assessment. The publisher says its elementary lessons cover the social studies with academic rigor and that its secondary courses include primary and secondary source analysis
Ease of teaching	3	Our assessment. The publisher says its teacher editions include discussion topics, and the homeschool site lists a video course for each title
Content quality	4	Our assessment. Recent editions include Heritage Studies 5 (5th edition, copyright 2026) and World History (6th edition, copyright 2026)
Flexibility	3	Our assessment. The homeschool site sells video courses and textbook kits separately for each title, including combined Heritage Studies and Science courses for grades 1 to 3
Value for money	4	Our assessment; the publisher sells subject textbook kits with the student, teacher, activity, and assessment components together. See the cost section
Worldview scope	2	Written from one stated worldview: the publisher says the line applies a biblical worldview to its subjects
Visual/design	4	Our assessment. The publisher describes photos, artwork, maps, charts, and diagrams in its secondary textbooks
Support resources	4	The publisher offers a free course sample and a downloadable subject overview for its elementary and middle and high school lines, the Homeschool Hub, and video courses

Who the publisher is

Heritage Studies is published by BJU Press, which describes itself as producing Pre-K through grade 12 educational materials with a biblical worldview and lists a main address in Greenville, South Carolina. The World Studies product page lists the author as BJU Press.

The line is described in two parts. The elementary page lists Heritage Studies 1 through 5 and says the program builds a foundation in geography, economics, history, government, civics, and culture. The middle and high school page lists Heritage Studies 6, World Studies, American Republic, Cultural Geography, World History, United States History, American Government, and Economics. The publisher's sitemap titles the elementary courses Family and Community (1), Community and Government (2), World Regions (3), Our United States (4), and History of America (5), and calls Heritage Studies 6 Ancient Civilizations.

On the publisher's stated approach, the social studies page says the fields of social studies should be studied together with the people who made decisions, and that events of history, structures of society, and cultures of the world reveal God's providence. The secondary page says each course focuses on worldview themes, including justice, aesthetics, power, and four American core values: freedom, individualism, equality, and growth. The publisher pages we reviewed use the phrases biblical worldview and God's providence and do not name a denomination.

The core pedagogy

The elementary page says lessons are balanced between the social studies areas, that activities and skills sections in the Student Edition prepare students for social studies skills, and that every lesson focuses on reading for understanding, with comprehension strategies in both teacher and student editions. It says student editions include exercises where students examine historical information and organize events chronologically, practice reading maps and interpreting charts, graphs, and diagrams, and that teacher-led discussions connect graphics with text. In grade 4 it describes a state notebook lesson at the end of each chapter, which a student can use to build a notebook on one chosen state.

The elementary scope and sequence describes the sequence this way: Heritage Studies 1 covers family, community, jobs, land, and the United States; Heritage Studies 2 covers communities, government, buying and selling, people and places, and American culture; Heritage Studies 3 covers geography and, per the product page, eight world regions; Heritage Studies 4 is described as state and territorial history, and its product page describes an overview of the five regions of the United States; and Heritage Studies 5 covers American history. The Heritage Studies 5 product page describes a chronological American history from early Native cultures to the 2024 election. The Heritage Studies 6 product page describes ancient civilizations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

For middle and high school, the secondary page says each textbook uses guiding questions and regular section reviews, that teacher editions include optional activities that have students research a topic or work with primary and secondary sources, and that text boxes and selections in the Student Activities also use primary and secondary sources. It says students practice reading maps and creating timelines. The publisher's secondary scope and sequence describes American Republic as American history, Cultural Geography as physical and human geography across eight cultural regions, World History as a chronological survey, and United States History as running from European discovery to the present.

The materials list names the Student Edition, the Teacher Edition, Student Activities, and Assessments, with assessments available in print and digital formats. The same page lists the Activities as a separate material and asks whether a family needs them.

Signature mechanics: (1) A numbered elementary sequence, then titled courses. The publisher's own titles move from Heritage Studies 1 through 6 to World Studies, American Republic, and the high school courses. (2) Worldview themes in the secondary courses. The publisher names justice, aesthetics, power, and four American core values as themes. (3) Source work. The publisher says elementary activities highlight founding documents and other primary sources, and that secondary activities have students interact with primary and secondary sources. (4) Video courses and textbook kits for each title, per the homeschool Heritage Studies page.

A day in the life

In the elementary line, the publisher's elementary page says each lesson develops reading for understanding, that students work through exercises in the Student Edition, and that teachers lead discussions that connect graphics with text. In grade 4, the page says a state notebook lesson closes each chapter. In the middle and high school line, the secondary page says textbooks use guiding questions and section reviews, and that teachers can choose optional activities where students research a topic or work with primary and secondary sources.

On the homeschool site, each Heritage Studies title is sold as a video course and as a textbook kit. The publisher's Hub page describes a Day-at-a-Glance dashboard, a calendar, and a gradebook, and its comparison chart lists a schedule, a calendar, and a gradebook for textbook buyers.

What they do exceptionally well

A defined sequence with a stated scope for each course. The publisher lists scope and sequence entries for every Heritage Studies course on its elementary and middle and high school pages, and each page offers a free sample and a downloadable subject overview PDF. A family can see the course scope before buying.

Source work is part of the stated design. The elementary page says activities highlight founding documents and other primary sources, and the secondary page says activities focus on analysis of primary and secondary sources, including looking for evidence of opinion and bias in historical documents. In our assessment, families who want source analysis in a textbook-based course will find it described in the publisher's own design.

Video and textbook options for every title. The homeschool Heritage Studies page lists a video course and a textbook kit for each numbered title, and a video course with separate textbooks for American Government and Economics.

What they do poorly

One stated worldview throughout. The publisher says its vision is applying a biblical worldview to history, government, geography, and economics and that the events of history reveal God's providence. In our assessment, families who want a history program written from another worldview, or without a stated worldview, will be adapting the course rather than using it as designed.

Editions and course descriptions that need checking. bjupress.com lists both a 3rd edition (copyright 2012) and a 4th edition (copyright 2018) of the Heritage Studies 6 Student Text, and the publisher describes the start of World Studies differently on its product page and its secondary scope and sequence. Families should confirm the edition and the scope on the product page before ordering.

Student Activities are a separate component. The publisher's social studies page lists Student Activities as a separate material and asks whether a family needs them.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick BJU Press Heritage Studies if: you want a textbook-based history and social studies sequence from one publisher through grade 12; you want a biblical worldview stated as the framework for history, government, geography, and economics; you want the option of video courses for each title; you want to see a course sample and scope before buying.

• Skip BJU Press Heritage Studies if: you want a religiously neutral or secular history program; you prefer a literature-based or unit-study approach to history; you want a history program written from a different worldview; you want to mix many publishers and do not want to confirm editions and components; you want a stand-alone kindergarten social studies title; the publisher lists no kindergarten Heritage Studies title, though its K5 course, Focus on Fives, includes introductions to social studies.

Cost honest assessment

The homeschool site sells each Heritage Studies title as a video course and as a textbook kit. The publisher lists the Heritage Studies 5 Subject Textbook Kit, 5th edition as containing the Student Edition, Teacher Edition (2 volumes), Activities and Answer Key, Assessments and Answer Key, and optional digital versions. Every Homeschool does not quote prices for this publisher in this review; the current price of each kit is on the publisher's store. The product pages on bjupress.com, such as the World Studies Student Edition, serve Christian schools and label their prices as Christian School Pricing, so they are not homeschool prices.

The publisher's special offers page lists a multi-course discount for video course kits, a payment plan for larger orders, and free shipping within the 48 contiguous states, each with restrictions.

ESA eligibility notes

The publisher pages we reviewed do not state that BJU Press participates in any state education savings account program, and the shipping and purchasing FAQ lists personal checks, money orders, and Visa, MasterCard, and Discover cards as accepted payments. Because Heritage Studies is written from a stated biblical worldview, families should also confirm with their program administrator whether a religious curriculum is permitted and whether BJU Press is an approved vendor before ordering.

Alternatives

• Abeka, a family comparing textbook-based Christian history programs can read Abeka's own description on its Every Homeschool page.
• Notgrass (From Adam to Us, America the Beautiful), a family would pick Notgrass over Heritage Studies for courses that Notgrass describes as open-and-go with minimal parent prep and taught from a Christian worldview, with daily lessons that the child can read independently or the parent can read aloud.
• Story of the World, a family looking for a world history spine outside a textbook-and-activities format can compare it on its Every Homeschool page.