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A catalog-and-online retailer serving homeschool families, offering a broad inventory of curriculum with product reviews. Not a publisher, a retailer that shapes purchasing through its breadth, pricing, and editorial guidance.
Last updated: 2026-10-29 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team
At a glance
| Method | Retailer, sells products from 400+ publishers |
| Worldview | Retailer-neutral; sells across religious and secular traditions |
| Grades | PreK-12 (comprehensive across curriculum) |
| Formats | Physical books and materials; some digital; print catalog + website |
| Cost tier | Pass-through publisher pricing; competitive across most products |
| Parent intensity | N/A (retailer) |
| ESA-common | Rainbow Resource Center appears on the Step Up For Students vendor and product list and the Arkansas Participating Service Providers list (both retrieved October 2026) |
| Accredited | N/A (retailer) |
| Website | rainbowresource.com |
Our scoreboard (1-5)
| Criterion | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Academic rigor | N/A | Retailer, not applicable |
| Ease of purchase | 4 | Strong website and catalog |
| Content quality | 5 | Curated selection, substantive reviews |
| Flexibility | 5 | Thousands of products across publishers |
| Value for money | 4 | Competitive on most; not always lowest |
| Worldview scope | 5 | Stocks across religious and secular traditions |
| Catalog/website | 4 | Comprehensive, sometimes dated UX |
| Support resources | 5 | Helpful customer service |
Who Rainbow Resource is
Rainbow Resource operates a substantial warehouse, employs dozens of staff, and maintains a catalog running 1,500+ pages printed annually with a comprehensive e-commerce website.
Rainbow Resource is not a curriculum publisher. It is a retailer, a reseller of curriculum from 400+ publishers including Sonlight, Apologia, BJU Press, Abeka, My Father's World, Master Books, Singapore, Saxon, Math-U-See, IEW, and hundreds of others. The company's business is sourcing, stocking, and selling these products to homeschool families.
In our assessment, what makes Rainbow Resource distinctive as a retailer, and worthy of inclusion in a curriculum review, is the depth of curation and review integrated into its catalog and website. Rainbow Resource employees write substantive product reviews (typically 300-1000 words per product) that appear in the catalog and on product pages.
In our assessment, the annual printed catalog functions as both a shopping resource and a kind of homeschool encyclopedia.
Rainbow Resource stocks secular curricula, Jewish curricula, Catholic curricula, progressive curricula, and traditional Protestant curricula without discrimination. The retailer is religious-friendly but not religiously exclusive.
How the retailer functions
Rainbow Resource's business is essentially logistical: stock a vast inventory of curriculum products, maintain competitive pricing (often not the absolute lowest, but competitive), provide substantive product information, and ship orders efficiently to homeschool families. The retailer's scale allows it to stock products that smaller retailers cannot, including obscure publishers, out-of-print items, and specialty materials.
Pricing is generally competitive. Rainbow Resource does not discount aggressively on every product, but prices are typically reasonable and sometimes better than publisher direct. For bundled packages and boxed curricula (like BookShark, Sonlight, or Abeka), Rainbow Resource often offers competitive pricing with the advantage of direct consolidated shipping.
In our assessment, the catalog's review depth is unusual. Rainbow Resource staff read products and write detailed reviews that discuss strengths, limitations, and best-fit scenarios. For a retailer, we consider this investment in editorial content exceptional.
Customer service is helpful. Rainbow Resource staff answer questions about products, help families find materials for specific needs, and handle order issues with care.
The annual printed catalog (with regular smaller supplements) remains relevant despite e-commerce. The physical catalog's curatorial function, organizing products by subject, age range, and pedagogy, provides navigation that web search alone doesn't replicate.
Rainbow Resource's website supports searching by publisher, subject, grade, and product type. Reviews appear on product pages, and staff picks and bundle recommendations help guide decisions. The UX is functional but sometimes dated; search and filtering are adequate without being best-in-class.
A purchase journey
Most Rainbow Resource orders ship from the warehouse within one to three business days. Shipping costs are reasonable; families ordering substantial curriculum boxes pay calculated shipping based on weight and distance.
Post-purchase, the retailer handles returns (within policy windows) and addresses problems with unusual care, damaged items are replaced; incorrectly shipped items are corrected promptly.
Rainbow Resource Center appears on the Step Up For Students vendor and product list and the Arkansas Participating Service Providers list (both retrieved October 2026). Families using an ESA or scholarship program should ask the program administrator how an order must be placed before buying.
What Rainbow Resource does exceptionally well
In our assessment, inventory breadth is Rainbow Resource's defining feature.
Editorial review quality is genuinely unusual for a retailer. Staff reviews are substantive, informed by actual product use, and honest about both strengths and limitations. Families planning purchases can make informed decisions based on evaluative content, not just marketing copy.
Customer service consistency is a competitive strength.
In our assessment, the retailer's religious neutrality in product selection is admirable. The product line includes secular and progressive curricula without apology. Families across religious traditions can use Rainbow Resource without feeling excluded.
Shipping logistics work reliably. Consolidated curriculum orders (dozens of items in one shipment) arrive intact and complete, which matters when a family is starting the school year.
What Rainbow Resource does poorly
Pricing is not always the absolute lowest. Some publishers sell direct at better prices than Rainbow Resource, and specialty retailers sometimes offer deeper discounts on specific products. Families hunting for absolute lowest prices must comparison-shop beyond Rainbow Resource.
Website UX shows its age. Search filtering could be better; product comparison is less supported than at modern e-commerce sites; and mobile experience is functional rather than optimized.
Shipping costs for small orders can be disproportionate. A single book shipment may cost $5-$10 in shipping.
The catalog's volume can overwhelm new homeschool families. 1,500 pages of product and review content is rich for experienced families but can paralyze newer families unsure of what they need.
Rainbow Resource does not publish its own curriculum, which means families depending on Rainbow Resource are ultimately depending on the publishers whose products Rainbow Resource sells. For publisher-specific issues (poor curriculum quality, delayed publication, etc.), Rainbow Resource is not the party accountable.
Who it fits / who it doesn't
- Pick Rainbow Resource for your purchases if: You want one consolidated retailer for most curriculum; you value substantive editorial reviews before purchasing; you appreciate consistent customer service; you want religious neutrality in product selection.
- Consider alternatives if: Absolute lowest price is the primary priority; you are purchasing mostly a single publisher's products (publisher direct may be better); you prefer modern e-commerce UX above all else.
Cost honest assessment
Rainbow Resource prices are generally competitive but not always lowest. Typical pricing runs at or slightly below publisher-direct MSRP, with occasional sales, bundle discounts, and clearance opportunities.
Shipping costs are calculated based on weight and distance. Typical curriculum shipments (boxed curricula for a grade) run $15-$35 in shipping. Small orders have proportionally higher shipping costs.
In our assessment, purchasing across multiple publishers through Rainbow Resource saves consolidation effort and shipping costs versus purchasing from individual publishers. For single-publisher purchases, buying direct from the publisher sometimes saves a few dollars.
Rainbow Resource Center appears on the Step Up For Students vendor and product list and the Arkansas Participating Service Providers list (both retrieved October 2026). Those are vendor-level entries, so confirm with your program that a given order qualifies.
Annual catalog subscription is free (sent automatically to active customers). The catalog itself is not charged for.
ESA eligibility notes
Rainbow Resource Center appears on the Step Up For Students vendor and product list and the Arkansas Participating Service Providers list (both retrieved October 2026). Those are vendor-level entries and do not name individual products.
Verify with your program administrator before ordering.
Alternatives
- Christianbook (CBD). Would choose Christianbook over Rainbow Resource if the family is purchasing primarily Christian curricula and values CBD's religious-focused catalog.
- Amazon. Would choose Amazon over Rainbow Resource if the family prefers to order individual items through an existing Amazon account.
- Publisher direct. Would choose publisher direct over Rainbow Resource for specific publishers that offer discounts, bundles, or digital delivery Rainbow Resource does not match.
Directory profile for this publisher is in development. Structured at-a-glance data (scope, pricing, ESA eligibility) coming with the next batch of catalog updates.
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