About
Notgrass History publishes homeschool curriculum in history, geography, civics, government, and economics for grades 1 through 12. Its About page states that the company began developing homeschool curriculum in 1999 and that it exists to produce materials centered in God's Word that help parents train their children to honor God with heart, soul, and mind. The curriculum page groups courses into elementary (grades 1 to 4), middle school (grades 5 to 8), and high school (grades 9 to 12) and says each course stands alone and is complete in itself.
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Notgrass History publishes homeschool courses written from a clearly Christian perspective in history, geography, civics and government, and economics, with separate courses for grades one through four, five through eight, and nine through twelve.
Last updated: 2026-10-06 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team
At a glance
| Method | Subject-specialist (history, geography, civics and government, economics, per the curriculum page); the publisher says its curriculum uses narrative lessons, original source documents, literature, and hands-on activities (About page) |
| Worldview | Christian; the publisher states that all of its curriculum is written from a clearly Christian perspective and that it has no formal statement of faith and no denominational bias or agenda |
| Grades | 1 through 12: elementary courses for grades 1-4, middle school courses for grades 5-8, and high school courses for grades 9-12 (curriculum page) |
| Formats | Printed books, with digital downloads sold for some courses and audio supplements sold for some courses, including Our 50 States and From Adam to Us |
| Cost tier | Standard (prices are listed in the cost section below, read October 5, 2026) |
| Parent intensity | 3 (the publisher states that each lesson includes the text to read and the assignments for that day, and that a focused student in middle school or high school can direct his or her own study, with the parent offering as much interaction as needed) |
| ESA-common | Yes (the publisher lists purchasing details for programs in 15 states) |
| Accredited | Not stated on the publisher's pages |
| Publication history | Curriculum development began in 1999 (About page) |
| Website | notgrass.com |
Our scoreboard (1-5)
Who the publisher is
Notgrass History states its purpose as glorifying God by producing materials centered in His Word that help parents train their children to honor God with heart, soul, and mind. The About page's Our Story passage, signed Ray and Charlene Notgrass, says that in 1999 they began to combine their homeschool experience with a love of history to develop Bible-based, easy-to-use homeschool curriculum.
The same About page names Seth Dunham as CEO of Notgrass History; Ray Notgrass as president of the publishing company and a lead curriculum author; Charlene Notgrass as overseeing curriculum development and a lead curriculum author; John Notgrass as overseeing business planning, managing the finances, and administering the website; and Mary Evelyn McCurdy as primarily working in graphic design and curriculum development. It describes a team of homeschool parents and graduates who ship orders, answer customer questions, make videos, design graphics, attend conferences, and help to develop curriculum. The Contact page gives a mailing address in Cookeville, Tennessee.
Authorship is credited course by course on the shop's pages. The course descriptions credit the text of each high school course to Ray Notgrass: Exploring America, Exploring World History, Exploring Government, Exploring Economics, and Exploring World Geography. The Part 1 title page of the Exploring World History sample reads Ray Notgrass with Charlene Notgrass and John Notgrass. For the other courses, the America the Beautiful video walkthrough page names author Charlene Notgrass, and the From Adam to Us Digital Download page says the course is by Ray and Charlene Notgrass; the Part 1 title pages credit America the Beautiful to Charlene Notgrass and From Adam to Us to Ray and Charlene Notgrass. The video walkthrough pages are presented by the authors named on them: Ray and Charlene Notgrass for Uncle Sam and You, Charlene Notgrass and Mary Evelyn McCurdy for Our Star-Spangled Story, and Mary Evelyn McCurdy for Our 50 States and Our Great Big World.
The curriculum page lists elementary courses (Our 50 States, Our Great Big World, Our Star-Spangled Story), middle school courses (America the Beautiful, From Adam to Us, Uncle Sam and You), and high school courses (Exploring America, Exploring World History, Exploring World Geography, Exploring Government, Exploring Economics). The shop's bonus downloads page for Exploring America states that the first edition of that course was published in 2002 and lists a 5th edition released in 2026.
On faith, the publisher states that it has no formal statement of faith and promotes no particular creed or confession, that it believes in the inspiration and authority of the Bible, and that it has no denominational bias or agenda. It says it generally quotes the New American Standard Bible and that families may use the translation of their choice for activities and assignments.
The core pedagogy
Each course is organized as lessons. The publisher states that the instructions and assignments are in the lesson book, so a parent does not go back and forth to a teacher's guide. The same page states that the year-long middle school and high school courses have 150 lessons each, done at one lesson per day, five days per week, for thirty weeks; that Exploring Government and Exploring Economics are half-year courses of 75 lessons; and that the year-long elementary courses have three or four lessons per week.
The Exploring America page describes the high school U.S. history course as divided into 30 units of five lessons. Each unit has an introduction with a summary, a list of lessons, Bible memory work, the books used in the unit, and suggested writing assignments and hands-on projects, and each lesson has a list of assignments. The Bundle combines a Curriculum Package (Part 1 and Part 2 of 75 lessons each, and American Voices, the assigned primary source readings), a Student Review Pack (the Student Review, the Quiz and Exam Book, and the Guide for Parents and Answer Key), and a Literature Package of 12 titles. Used as written, the course carries one year of credit each in American History, English, and Bible, and the publisher posts transcript course titles and descriptions for each.
Each high school course has its own volume of original sources: American Voices for Exploring America, In Their Words for Exploring World History, We Hold These Truths for Exploring Government, Making Choices for Exploring Economics, and the Gazetteer, which holds maps, flags, and details about the countries of the world along with primary source documents and photo essays, for Exploring World Geography.
Bible study is part of the structure. Each Exploring America unit includes a Bible study highlighting spiritual issues related to history, and the publisher says the Bible component of Exploring America, Exploring World Geography, and Exploring World History is tightly integrated with the curriculum. The Exploring World Geography course page names its third credit Worldview.
On format, the course pages link a video walkthrough of each course, the shop sells audio supplements, such as the From Adam to Us download and the Our 50 States digital version, and the publisher's mobile web app includes videos and other supplemental resources for each curriculum.
What they do exceptionally well
Original sources inside the course. Each high school course includes a volume of original sources, and the Exploring America history credit involves reading the primary source documents in American Voices, taking a history quiz every unit, and taking a history exam every five units.
Literature tied to the credits. The Exploring America English credit involves a project for each unit, the poems and short stories in American Voices, the assigned literature with literary analysis and questions on each book, and a literature exam every five units. The page says a different book can be substituted if the student has already read one of the assigned titles. The 12-title Literature Package on the same page includes The Scarlet Letter, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
Lessons a student can follow independently. The Exploring America page says the student can read the daily lessons and follow the instructions independently, and that the parent can be involved as much or as little as desired. The publisher states that all assignments are included in the text.
What they do poorly
Not built to a standards or AP framework. The publisher states that it has not adapted its curriculum to the standards of public education, including the Common Core State Standards, and that its courses are not officially designated as honors or AP courses.
Bible content is integrated rather than separable. The publisher states that it has been encouraged to produce versions of its curriculum without its Bible emphasis for public schools and has not done so. It says that families who already have an English curriculum can drop the English component, and that students who do not need a Bible credit can choose whether to complete the Bible assignments.
A complete bundle costs more than the Curriculum Package alone. The Exploring America Curriculum Package is listed at $125, the Literature Package at $141, and the Bundle at $275.
A new edition and a backorder. The publisher states that the 5th edition books of Exploring America are not compatible with previous editions. As of October 5, 2026, the Bundle page and the Curriculum Package page say the item is backordered and should ship by the middle of November.
Who it fits / who it doesn't
Pick Notgrass if: you want a course written from a Christian perspective; you want the instructions and assignments inside the lesson book; you want one course to carry credit in history, English, and Bible, as the Exploring America page describes; you plan to use a course with one child or with several children together, which the same page says is possible; you have a student who can follow daily instructions independently.
Skip Notgrass if: you want curriculum written from a perspective other than Christian, since the publisher states that all of its curriculum is written from a clearly Christian perspective; you want courses with an official honors or AP designation; you want curriculum adapted to public-education standards.
Cost honest assessment
The prices below are the selling prices shown on the shop's product pages, read October 5, 2026. Each course's How It Works page describes its Bundle as providing everything needed to complete the course; for Exploring America, the Bundle combines the Curriculum Package, the Student Review Pack, and the Literature Package.
| Course | Grades | Curriculum Package | Bundle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our 50 States | 1-4 | $75 | $120 |
| Our Great Big World | 1-4 | $85 | $140 |
| Our Star-Spangled Story | 1-4 | $95 | $150 |
| America the Beautiful | 5-8 | $125 | $221 |
| From Adam to Us | 5-8 | $125 | $246 |
| Uncle Sam and You | 5-8 | $110 | $199 |
| Exploring America | 9-12 | $125 | $275 |
| Exploring World History | 9-12 | $125 | $263 |
| Exploring World Geography | 9-12 | $125 | $265 |
| Exploring Government | 9-12 | $70 | $155 |
| Exploring Economics | 9-12 | $70 | $123 |
A digital download of Exploring America is listed at $145. The publisher states that it keeps its prices low all year so that customers do not have to worry about missing a sale and often has scratch-and-dent copies or older editions available at a discount. It also offers a full money-back guarantee on its curriculum; its refund policy says refunds are not available on digital products or clearance products and that the buyer pays return shipping. Prices change; re-check the product pages before ordering.
ESA eligibility notes
The publisher's State Funding for Homeschool Curriculum page says the company takes no position for or against these programs and lists purchasing details for programs in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The pages for Alabama CHOOSE, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida Step Up for Students, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah each state that Notgrass History is registered as a vendor. The Idaho page adds that the program is closed and no longer accepting applications. The Montana page describes a reimbursement process, and the West Virginia page describes shopping on the Notgrass site with the TheoPay browser extension. ESA-funded families should confirm with their program administrator which products are approved for their state.
Alternatives
- Mystery of History, a family would pick it for a world history curriculum that its home page describes as written from a biblical worldview and designed for the whole family, with age-appropriate activities.
- Sonlight, a family would pick it for History / Bible / Literature programs that its shop lists for ages 3 through 18.
- Tapestry of Grace, a family would pick it for what its home page describes as a Christian, classical homeschool curriculum for the whole family.
Signature products
- Elementary, grades 1-4: Our 50 States (U.S. geography), Our Great Big World (world geography), Our Star-Spangled Story (U.S. history)
- Middle school, grades 5-8: America the Beautiful (U.S. history), From Adam to Us (world history), Uncle Sam and You (civics and government)
- High school, grades 9-12: Exploring America, Exploring World History, Exploring World Geography, Exploring Government, Exploring Economics
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