Institute for Creation Research Science Curriculum

ICR publishes video-based science curricula for middle and high school homeschoolers built on young-earth creationist premises. The materials are aimed at families who want apologetics and science content in a single package.

Last updated: 2026-04-24 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Subject specialist; video course with supporting text
Worldview	Christian-evangelical; young-earth creationist (explicit institutional position)
Grades	6-12 (middle and high school supplement or elective)
Formats	Streaming video, DVDs, companion books
Cost tier	Standard
Parent intensity	2 (video-led; parent checks comprehension)
ESA-common	No
Accredited	No
Established	ICR founded 1970 (curriculum materials published on rolling basis)
Website	icr.org

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	3	Strong within its frame; depends on whether the student also learns mainstream scientific consensus
Ease of teaching	4	Video-led; parent role is minimal
Content quality	4	High production values, PhD-credentialed presenters, well-edited
Flexibility	3	Works as supplement or elective; not designed as stand-alone full-year science
Value for money	3	Per-series pricing is middle-of-market for video curriculum
Worldview scope	1	Explicitly and exclusively young-earth creationist
Visual/design	4	High-end cinematography; location filming and interviews
Support resources	3	Companion workbooks, teacher guides, and supplementary ICR articles

Who the publisher is

The Institute for Creation Research was founded in 1970 by Henry M. Morris, co-author of The Genesis Flood (1961) and one of the principal architects of the modern young-earth creationist movement. ICR is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, where it operates a research facility and a graduate-level science education program. Its About page describes the organization's mission as "equipping believers with evidence of the Bible's accuracy and authority through scientific research, educational programs, and media presentations."

ICR publishes a portfolio of homeschool science video curricula aimed primarily at middle and high school students, including Science of Origins, The Universe: A Journey Through God's Grand Design, Unlocking the Mysteries of Genesis, and Made in His Image. These series are typically used as dedicated apologetics electives or as semester-long supplements alongside a primary science textbook from another publisher. The materials are also sold into Christian schools and church adult-education programs, with the homeschool market one segment of a broader audience.

Theologically and scientifically, ICR's position is stated plainly throughout its materials: the earth is approximately six thousand to ten thousand years old, geological features are best explained by a global flood, and biological diversity traces to created "kinds" that diversified after the flood rather than to common ancestry over deep time. This is the institutional position of young-earth creationism, and ICR is one of its principal academic-adjacent proponents in North America. Families outside that position, including old-earth creationists, theistic evolutionists, Catholic families, and secular families, will find the materials argue against their view throughout.

The core pedagogy

ICR's curricula are built around documentary-style video content, typically 20-30 minutes per episode, supplemented by printed student workbooks and teacher guides. Each series covers a defined topic: Unlocking the Mysteries of Genesis works through the first eleven chapters of Genesis with geological, biological, and archaeological material; The Universe handles cosmology and astronomy; Made in His Image handles human anatomy and embryology; Science of Origins covers a broader survey of geology and biology.

The pedagogical posture is apologetic and persuasive rather than exploratory. Students are shown evidence, often field footage from locations like Mount St. Helens, the Grand Canyon, or fossil-bearing strata, and walked through ICR's interpretation of that evidence. Interviews with ICR-affiliated PhD scientists punctuate the episodes, arguing specific points (radiometric dating anomalies, soft tissue in dinosaur fossils, genetic entropy arguments against long evolutionary timescales). The student workbook then asks comprehension and application questions, and the teacher guide provides discussion prompts.

Signature mechanics: (1) Location-based cinematography. ICR invests in on-location filming at geological sites, which distinguishes the series visually from classroom-recorded science video. (2) PhD presenter model. Interviews with research scientists (from ICR and affiliated institutions) carry the scientific arguments, which families find either credibility-enhancing or narrowly sourced depending on how they view the broader creationist research community. (3) Apologetics integration. Scripture is cited throughout as both interpretive frame and evidentiary claim; students are expected to learn the argument for young-earth creationism, not merely survey competing views. (4) Semester-scale packaging. Most series run 10-13 episodes, which fits a one-semester elective or a supplementary unit alongside a standard-length science text.

A day in the life

A ninth-grader using Unlocking the Mysteries of Genesis as a supplement to Apologia Biology spends roughly three school days per week on the primary Biology text (lab work, chapter readings, quizzes) and one or two days on the ICR series. On an ICR day: the student watches the current episode (25-30 minutes), completes the workbook questions for that episode (15-20 minutes), and discusses two or three of the teacher-guide prompts with a parent (10-15 minutes). Total time per ICR session: roughly 60 minutes. The series completes across a semester if used at this cadence.

A student using ICR as a stand-alone elective, for example, a senior taking an apologetics course, runs two episodes per week with more writing expected: short response essays on the arguments presented, further reading in companion ICR books, and occasional field trips to geological sites or museums. This configuration resembles a semester course in Christian apologetics rather than a survey science course.

What they do exceptionally well

Production values. The video series are shot at actual field locations with professional cinematography, which is uncommon in homeschool science video. Students who find textbook science visually dry often engage more readily with the ICR footage of rock strata, caves, and fossil beds, a point families report consistently.

Clarity of argument. ICR's materials make their arguments plainly. A student who completes Unlocking the Mysteries of Genesis can articulate the young-earth creationist position on Genesis 1-11 with specificity, which is the pedagogical goal. For families that want their high schooler to understand this worldview in detail before college, the curriculum delivers.

PhD-credentialed presenters. ICR employs researchers with doctorates from accredited institutions (often in engineering, geology, or biology), and their on-camera presence carries weight with students who are motivated by credentials. Families should note, as ICR itself does, that mainstream academic institutions do not generally endorse young-earth conclusions; the credentials are real, the scientific consensus interpretation is distinct.

What they do poorly

Narrow scope as a primary text. None of the ICR series functions as a complete year of high school biology, chemistry, or physics. They are thematic, origins, cosmology, human body, and leave significant portions of standard high school science uncovered. Families using ICR as their sole science source will have gaps in cellular biology mechanics, chemistry fundamentals, and physics. A primary text from another publisher is nearly always required.

Methodology versus conclusions. The series are strong on conclusions (what ICR believes happened and why) and lighter on methodology (how experimental science is conducted, how hypotheses are falsified, how a student would actually do field geology or laboratory biology). Students preparing for college science programs benefit from additional instruction in scientific method, experimental design, and the mainstream interpretations they will encounter in secular classrooms; ICR materials do not provide this supplementary perspective.

Single-worldview framing. Families who want their student to understand both young-earth and old-earth creationist positions, or young-earth creationism and mainstream evolutionary biology, will need to pair ICR with additional sources. The series do not present competing interpretations neutrally; they argue a specific position.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick ICR if: your family holds a young-earth creationist position and wants high-production-value video curriculum that reinforces it; you want a semester-length elective for high school apologetics or worldview training; you are using a primary science text from another publisher and want a themed supplement; your student learns well from documentary-style video; you are already familiar with ICR's institutional positions and endorse them.

• Skip ICR if: you hold an old-earth creationist, theistic evolutionist, or mainstream scientific consensus position and do not want materials arguing against it; you need a complete year of high school biology, chemistry, or physics from a single source; you want your student trained in mainstream scientific methodology before engaging creationist arguments; your student is preparing for a secular college science program and needs grounding in consensus interpretations; you are secular or non-Christian and do not want apologetics integrated into science content.

Cost honest assessment

Individual ICR homeschool series are priced as complete packages (DVDs plus student workbook plus teacher guide) generally in the $90-$180 range per series as listed on the ICR store as of April 2026. Some series are also available as streaming-only purchases at lower prices, and ICR periodically runs discounted bundles for families acquiring multiple series.

Compared to Apologia (roughly $150-$200 for a full-year biology or chemistry with student text, tests, and solutions manual), Berean Builders (roughly $75-$100 for a year of elementary science, higher for high school), or Novare (roughly $65-$120 for a high school physical science or biology text), ICR is competitive on a per-unit basis for the semester-length elective it actually delivers. The math changes if the family buys multiple ICR series in a year, two or three can approach or exceed the cost of a full-year primary curriculum from another publisher. A realistic budget for one high-schooler using ICR as a semester elective alongside a primary science text: $150-$350 per year, depending on which series.

ESA eligibility notes

ICR materials are approved on some state ESA marketplaces and not on others; the pattern reflects each state's rules on religious apologetics content rather than science content specifically. Arizona's ClassWallet, Florida's Step Up For Students, and West Virginia's Hope Scholarship have in the past approved video curricula from faith-based publishers on a case-by-case basis. State ESA rules shift annually, and ICR does not publish a centralized ESA-approval list on its own site as of April 2026. ESA-funded families should verify eligibility within their specific state marketplace before ordering, and should be aware that some programs exclude explicitly religious or apologetic content from reimbursement.

Alternatives

• Apologia, a family would choose Apologia over ICR when they want a complete year-long high school science course from a young-earth creationist perspective with traditional textbook-and-lab format, rather than a video-based apologetics supplement.
• Answers in Genesis curriculum, a family would choose AiG when they want a similar young-earth worldview in a broader curriculum ecosystem, including elementary-level materials that ICR does not serve.
• Novare Science, a family would choose Novare when they want high school science from a Christian perspective but prefer the publisher's explicit commitment to mainstream scientific methodology and its openness to old-earth interpretations.

How we verified this

Our editorial team reviewed the ICR homeschool product line at icr.org/homeschool, the published series descriptions and sample lessons for Unlocking the Mysteries of Genesis, The Universe, and Made in His Image, and ICR's institutional About page and statement of faith. We cross-referenced against Cathy Duffy Reviews for independent assessment of the ICR homeschool product line. Prices and program details verified April 2026.