Math Without Borders

Math Without Borders is a high-school math and physics video series, the Home Study Companion courses, which pair whiteboard video lessons with published textbooks and, for geometry, with a different textbook that the geometry course includes in digital form.

Last updated: 2026-10-03 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Subject-specialist / video course paired with a published textbook
Worldview	No religious framing on the course pages reviewed
Grades	High school (site tagline: "Homeschool Highschool Math"); Algebra 1 through Calculus, plus Physics
Formats	Immediate digital download (shop page)
Cost tier	Standard: $129 per course, with textbooks bought separately for most courses
Parent intensity	3 (the Algebra 1 page recommends that parents be closely involved)
ESA-common	Not verified
Accredited	No
Established	The site's copyright notice begins in 2012
Website	mathwithoutborders.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	5	Built on Foerster's texts, which Cathy Duffy describes as long recognized among the best high-school math texts
Ease of teaching	4	Video lessons and video worked solutions, though the publisher recommends close parental involvement
Content quality	5	A video lesson for each textbook section and worked solutions for about half the problems
Flexibility	4	The pacing guidance allows Algebra 1 over one year or two
Value for money	4	$129 per course, plus a separately purchased textbook for most courses
Worldview scope	5	Math content with no religious framing on the pages reviewed
Visual/design	2	Whiteboard screen-capture lectures
Support resources	2	One instructor with no regular office staff; email contact and an optional tutoring product

Who the publisher is

Math Without Borders, Inc. is a one-instructor operation run by David Chandler of Denver, Colorado. The contact page states that he has no regular office staff and that email is the best way to reach him.

The publisher's mission statement is to make the strongest existing textbooks accessible for self-teaching in a homeschool environment. The catalog is the Home Study Companion series: Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 / Trigonometry, Precalculus, Calculus, and Physics. The Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Precalculus, and Calculus courses are based on Paul Foerster's textbooks, which students buy separately. The Geometry course is based on Geometry: A Guided Inquiry by Chakerian, Crabill, and Stein and, per the shop description, contains a complete digital copy of that textbook. The publisher's Prealgebra page states that it has no Prealgebra course of its own and recommends the Math Mammoth Grade 7 worktext.

Cathy Duffy's review places the series among her Top Picks and notes that most homeschool video courses use texts that are not as challenging as the ones used here.

The core pedagogy

Per the Algebra 1 course page, the lessons use screen-capture video that appears as whiteboard lectures, and there is a second video for each section showing worked-out solutions for the suggested assignment list, which is about half of the problems in the text and usually all of the even problems. The page states that the odd problems have answers in the back of the book and that a PDF solution manual with a Skills Practice workbook is sold separately.

The Algebra 2 / Trigonometry page states that the course uses GeoGebra in place of graphing calculators, that students also need a hand-held scientific calculator, and that programming problems are illustrated with spreadsheet programs (Excel or Libre Office Calc). The Calculus page states that the course is based on Foerster's Calculus: Concepts and Applications, 2nd Edition, and includes two videos per lesson, one lecture and one problem-solving video, along with spreadsheet programs and GeoGebra demonstrations. The Precalculus page states that its videos are based on the 3rd edition of Foerster's Precalculus with Trigonometry and that cross-reference tables are provided for the 2nd and 4th editions.

The Geometry shop listing states that the course contains an introductory video for each chapter, a PDF solution guide to the Central and Project problems, a video solution guide to the Review sections, and over 200 GeoGebra demonstrations. Cathy Duffy's review describes the textbook as starting each chapter with a "Central Problem" that is used to teach new material.

Signature mechanics: (1) Textbook-centered. The textbook is the course and the video is the teacher. (2) Worked solutions on video. Each Foerster-based course includes video solutions for the assigned problems. (3) Computer tools in place of graphing calculators. The Algebra 2 and Calculus pages describe GeoGebra and spreadsheet use. (4) Single instructor. One instructor narrates every course.

A day in the life

The Algebra 1 page states that textbooks generally assume one section per day, with extra days for testing and review, and that covering one section per day leaves 58 extra days in a 185-day school year. The page also notes that some schools offer Algebra 1 as a one-year or two-year course and that the pace should follow the student's level of understanding. A student following the course watches the lecture for a section, works the assigned problems in the textbook, and uses the solution video to check the work. The same page states that the publisher highly recommends parents be closely involved in the student's progress.

What they do exceptionally well

Textbook quality. The courses are built on Foerster's texts, which Cathy Duffy describes as long recognized among the best high-school math texts, and the publisher's mission is to make such texts accessible for self-teaching.

Worked solutions on video. The Algebra 1 page describes a solution video for the suggested assignment list in each section, so a student who is stuck can see the work.

Technology use. The courses teach students to use free tools such as GeoGebra and Libre Office Calc, which Cathy Duffy's review notes as good preparation for those continuing in higher math.

What they do poorly

Visual presentation. The lessons are whiteboard screen-capture lectures, per the course pages, and not polished animated production.

Textbooks are separate for most courses. Students must buy the Foerster text for Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Precalculus, and Calculus, and the Precalculus videos are based on the 3rd edition, so a family using another edition needs the cross-reference tables the publisher provides.

Limited support and no refunds. The Terms and Conditions page states that courseware purchases are non-refundable, that the license is non-transferable, that reuse with multiple students in the same immediate family is allowed, and that used copies should not be bought or sold. Support is by email from a single instructor.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Math Without Borders if: you want high-school math taught from a rigorous textbook with video lessons; you can be closely involved in the student's progress; you are comfortable with whiteboard-style video; you want one family-licensed course reusable across siblings.

• Skip Math Without Borders if: you want a platform with grade tracking and live teacher contact; the student needs polished animated instruction; you want a course that includes its own textbook (only Geometry does); you want a refund option after purchase.

Cost honest assessment

As of October 2026, the shop page lists each Home Study Companion course (Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 / Trigonometry, Precalculus, Calculus, and Physics) at $129.00, Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 / Trig ancillary materials at $20.00 each, the five-course math series at $516.00, and online tutoring at $40.00. Cathy Duffy's review lists $79 per course, but that review was last edited in 2016 and the current shop price is higher.

Textbooks add to the cost. Veritas Press lists the Foerster Algebra I student text at $69.00 and the Algebra II and Trigonometry student text at $69.00, and Kendall Hunt lists the Precalculus with Trigonometry 4th edition student one-year ebook license at $39.99. A family taking Algebra 2 with the print text would therefore pay $198 before shipping ($129 plus $69). Geometry includes its textbook in digital form.

For comparison, Thinkwell's home page listed most of its math video courses at $169.00 and its Calculus Companion at $199.00 as of October 2026.

ESA eligibility notes

Whether any state ESA marketplace lists Math Without Borders was not confirmed for this review. The product is a digital download with a non-refundable license, so families should ask their program administrator how it treats digital courseware and whether a separately purchased textbook and the course can be reimbursed before ordering.

Alternatives

• Thinkwell, a family would pick Thinkwell over Math Without Borders for a catalog of video courses that runs from pre-algebra through calculus, with additional courses in physics, economics, American government, and public speaking.
• Derek Owens, a family would pick Derek Owens for math and physics courses taught as online classes with flexible scheduling, which the site also offers as live classes in the Atlanta area.
• Mr. D Math, a family would pick Mr. D Math for live and self-paced courses, which the site states are accredited by WASC, across math and other subjects.