BJU Press

BJU Press is the curriculum publishing arm of Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, and it is Abeka's most direct competitor, similar theological posture, different pedagogical temperament. BJU is generally the calmer, more classroom-methodologically-serious of the two.

Last updated: 2026-04-20 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Traditional / textbook-based, with stronger integration of Socratic and inductive elements than Abeka
Worldview	Christian-evangelical (Baptist-leaning, young-earth creationist)
Grades	PreK-12
Formats	Print textbooks, BJU Press Homeschool Hub video streaming, Distance Learning Online
Cost tier	Standard to Premium
Parent intensity	3 (with video) / 4 (print only)
ESA-common	Yes
Accredited	Yes (Distance Learning Online accredited through SACS CASI)
Established	1973 (BJU Press); Bob Jones University founded 1927
Website	bjupresshomeschool.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	4	Strong high school program; heritage studies and literature are genuinely thoughtful
Ease of teaching	4	Homeschool Hub video makes parent prep minimal; print-only is heavier
Content quality	4	Generally more analytically serious than Abeka, with better-developed argumentation
Flexibility	3	More mix-and-matchable than Abeka; less so than truly eclectic publishers
Value for money	3	Subscription model is fair; print-only kits are pricey
Worldview scope	1	Narrow: Christian-evangelical, young-earth, fundamentalist heritage
Visual/design	4	Cleaner and more modern than Abeka; photography-heavy textbooks
Support resources	4	Homeschool Hub, customer service, convention presence

Who the publisher is

BJU Press began in 1973 as the textbook publishing arm of Bob Jones University, founded in 1927 in Greenville, South Carolina. The university itself is theologically fundamentalist, historically more stringent than the broader evangelical world, but BJU Press was designed from the start to serve the broader Christian school and homeschool market, not only institutions aligned with the university. In practice this means the curriculum presents a consistent evangelical, young-earth, Baptist-leaning worldview without the distinctive cultural edges of the parent university.

The homeschool market became a significant part of BJU Press's business in the 1990s, and the publisher's major strategic move in the last fifteen years was the development of Homeschool Hub (formerly BJU Press Distance Learning), a streaming video platform that lets a homeschool family watch a BJU teacher teach the lesson. Today, our editorial estimate is that BJU Press is the second-most-used Christian homeschool textbook publisher after Abeka, with a user base that overlaps significantly, many families use both, typically picking BJU for subjects where they want a more analytical treatment (heritage studies, literature) and Abeka for subjects where they want drill (phonics, arithmetic).

Distance Learning Online, BJU's fully-accredited remote school product, is a smaller but growing part of the business, and serves families who want an actual accredited diploma rather than a parent-generated one. Transcripts from BJU Press Distance Learning are widely accepted, including by secular colleges, though college admissions officers vary in how they treat the theological content.

The core pedagogy

BJU Press sits pedagogically between Abeka's scripted drill tradition and the inductive, discussion-based tradition of classical or Charlotte Mason programs. The BJU textbook is structured more like a conventional Christian day school textbook circa 2010, clearly-organized chapters, frequent comprehension questions, well-developed sidebars, and a strong emphasis on "why" alongside "what." Teacher's editions prompt Socratic questions rather than script verbatim teacher speech. Parents using BJU Press feel less like they are reading a stage play and more like they are using a well-designed curriculum guide.

Scope and sequence is traditional, phonics-first in early grades, spiral in math through elementary, systematic grammar and composition, chronological history. What distinguishes BJU is the heritage and literature programs at the high school level. BJU's "Heritage Studies" (the publisher's term for what other programs call "history" or "social studies") takes a narrative, analytical approach with real primary-source readings. BJU's high school literature anthologies are respectable, Shakespeare taught as Shakespeare, not as a cultural-problem-to-manage.

Signature mechanics: (1) Homeschool Hub video integration, the central distinguishing feature versus Abeka. A parent buys a subscription, the child watches a teacher teach each lesson via streaming video, and the parent manages the schedule and grading. This shifts the parent's time commitment dramatically. (2) Teacher's editions that teach. BJU's teacher's manuals, even without the video, are generally considered better-designed than Abeka's for a parent who wants to do the teaching themselves. They explain not only what to say but why. (3) Inductive Bible study in upper grades. BJU's Bible curriculum at the middle and high school levels uses genuine inductive study methods rather than memorized catechism answers.

High school science is, as with Abeka, a known trade-off. BJU's biology, chemistry, and physics texts are young-earth creationist and present theistic evolution or old-earth positions as incompatible with Scripture. Where BJU differs from Abeka is in the level of engagement with the mainstream scientific position. BJU's texts generally present the position more fully before refuting it, which some families prefer and others find only marginally better.

A day in the life

A third-grader using BJU Press with the Homeschool Hub subscription starts the morning with the parent logging them into the Homeschool Hub platform. The child watches Bible (15-20 minutes of video), Math (25-30 minutes of video + workbook page), and English (25-30 minutes of video + workbook page). The parent oversees, checks work, and answers questions; the child does not need the parent to present any of the lessons. Around 11 AM, depending on pace, the child moves to Heritage Studies and Science (30-40 minutes of video each, typically alternating days). Reading is independent. The total school day is roughly 3 to 4 hours of combined video and work, and the parent's hands-on time is usually 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, largely spent grading, discussing, and administering tests.

A ninth-grader on BJU Press Homeschool Hub runs the same model on a heavier load. Algebra 1 video, English 9 video, World History video, Biology video (including virtual lab demonstrations), and Bible 9 video. The student typically watches 4-5 hours of video, does 2-3 hours of reading and workbook completion, and the week's tests are delivered and graded within the platform. Parent involvement is most often administrative and relational, checking progress, discussing content, and handling the subjects the family wants to supplement.

What they do exceptionally well

Homeschool Hub video production. BJU's video lessons are well-filmed, well-paced, and taught by actual career teachers rather than camera-shy parents or stiff on-camera readers. High school science lab demonstrations are a particular strength, most homeschool families cannot replicate a well-equipped lab bench, and BJU's videos take the sting out of that limitation. The platform's reliability and user experience are good, which is not trivial; several competitors have struggled with video infrastructure.

Heritage Studies and literature. BJU treats history and literature with a seriousness that Abeka does not fully match. American history at the middle and high school levels includes real primary-source excerpts, not just summaries. World literature at the high school level includes works the student actually has to wrestle with. A student who completes BJU's high school literature sequence has engaged with Shakespeare, major British and American novels, and some foundational classical texts, not in the depth of a classical program like Memoria Press, but more thoroughly than at Abeka.

Teacher's edition quality for print users. Even without video, BJU's print teacher's manuals are, in our editorial view, the best of the major Christian textbook publishers. They explain pedagogy, not just scripts. A parent who wants to understand why a lesson is structured as it is, not just what to say, will get more out of BJU than out of Abeka.

What they do poorly

High school science, same structural issue as Abeka. BJU's biology, chemistry, and physics remain young-earth creationist and treat mainstream scientific consensus primarily as a position to be argued against. A student bound for a secular college biology or geology program will face a transition period. BJU handles this marginally better than Abeka, but the underlying trade-off is the same.

The Homeschool Hub subscription cost compounds. A family with three children using BJU Press on full video for the full school year is spending real money, several thousand dollars annually for the video subscriptions alone. The per-child, per-year cost of Homeschool Hub is reasonable in isolation but becomes significant in a large family. Families who expected Homeschool Hub to feel like Netflix (one subscription, whole family watches) are disappointed to learn the pricing model is per-student.

Limited flexibility below the high school level. BJU Press, like Abeka, is designed to be used as a whole program. Mixing BJU Math with non-BJU English and a non-BJU Bible works, but the scope-and-sequence assumes BJU in the adjacent subjects. A family that wants a classical literature program alongside BJU Math will do more reconciliation work than they expected.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick BJU Press if: you want a complete Christian-evangelical program with strong video support; you value a more analytical and less drill-heavy approach than Abeka; you want a BJU Press Distance Learning accredited diploma option; your child learns well from video teachers; you have one or two students rather than five or six (cost).

• Skip BJU Press if: you are secular, Catholic, or theologically broad; you need the absolute cheapest option available; you have a large family and Homeschool Hub per-student costs become prohibitive; you want full flexibility to mix across publishers; you want science teaching that engages mainstream scientific methodology as methodology.

Cost honest assessment

A full third-grade BJU Press print kit runs approximately $500-$650 for all subjects. Adding Homeschool Hub video streaming for third grade adds approximately $800-$1,000 per student per year, bringing a video-supported third grade to $1,300-$1,650.

High school with Homeschool Hub runs approximately $1,100-$1,400 per grade per student when including text materials and video subscriptions. BJU Press Distance Learning Online (the fully-accredited diploma-granting program) is priced more like a private school, approximately $2,000-$2,800 per grade for full enrollment.

Compared to Abeka (roughly equivalent pricing at equivalent subscription levels) and to Sonlight (roughly $800-$1,100 for a core-only elementary program without video), BJU Press sits in the same upper-middle tier as its main competitor. The honest take: BJU is priced like a mid-tier private school delivered into your home, which is approximately what it is.

ESA eligibility notes

BJU Press is approved on most state ESA marketplaces where Christian curricula are permitted, including Arizona ESA (ClassWallet), Florida Step Up For Students, West Virginia Hope Scholarship, Iowa Student First Scholarship, Utah Fits All, and Arkansas LEARNS. BJU's own website has an ESA-friendly ordering process. Homeschool Hub video subscriptions are ESA-eligible in most marketplaces, though some states still restrict streaming-service curriculum. BJU Press Distance Learning Online, the accredited diploma-granting enrollment, is typically treated as enrollment in a private school for ESA purposes and has its own eligibility pathway.

Alternatives

• Abeka, a family would choose Abeka over BJU because Abeka's phonics and elementary arithmetic are stronger, the daily drill rhythm works for some children, and Abeka's convention presence is broader.
• Christian Light Education, a family would choose CLE over BJU because CLE is cheaper, more Mennonite/plain in tone, and uses a self-paced workbook model rather than a video-teacher model.
• Memoria Press, a family would choose Memoria over BJU because Memoria is classical rather than traditional and teaches Latin and classical literature in a way BJU does not attempt.

How we verified this

Our editorial team reviewed BJU Press's scope and sequence documents at bjupresshomeschool.com, the Homeschool Hub demonstration lessons, and sample chapters from the third-grade and ninth-grade textbook kits available on the publisher site. We cross-referenced against Cathy Duffy's published review of BJU Press and HSLDA's publisher profile.