Teaching Textbooks

Teaching Textbooks is the computer-taught math curriculum that automates the teacher role. It is not the most rigorous or conceptually deep program, but it is the single most reliable solution for families where the parent genuinely cannot teach math and the child needs to learn it anyway.

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

At a glance

Method	Computer-taught / self-paced / mastery with some spiral review
Worldview	Christian-authored, content-neutral in math (some Christian references in word problems)
Grades	3-12
Formats	Online platform (current version); older versions were CD-ROM-based
Cost tier	Standard (subscription-based)
Parent intensity	1 (the computer teaches and grades)
ESA-common	Yes
Accredited	No
Established	2004
Website	teachingtextbooks.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	3	Adequate, not rigorous; students often placed one grade level below Saxon equivalent
Ease of teaching	5	Computer does all teaching and grading
Content quality	3	Solid but not distinguished; aimed at average students
Flexibility	4	Self-paced; students can work ahead or slow down
Value for money	4	Fair subscription pricing; scales to family
Worldview scope	4	Mostly secular math content; occasional Christian references
Visual/design	4	Clean, functional, parent-friendly interface
Support resources	3	Customer service adequate; community smaller than major publishers

Who the publisher is

Teaching Textbooks was founded in 2004 by Shawn and Greg Sabouri, brothers who both hold PhDs in mathematics from Harvard and who had been homeschooled themselves as children. Their motivation was specific: they wanted to create a math program that a parent with no math background could give to their child and have the child actually learn math effectively. The original Teaching Textbooks product was a set of DVDs and workbooks; the company has since transitioned to an online platform where students work on the computer with automatic grading.

The company has remained relatively small-scale, with the Sabouri brothers and a small team running operations. They have resisted the pressure to expand into other subjects, maintaining focus on math exclusively.

Scale among homeschool families is substantial. Teaching Textbooks is, in our editorial estimate, a top-three or top-four elementary-and-secondary math publisher by user count, heavily used in families where the parent has limited math background or where the family has multiple children and needs self-directed programs to be sustainable.

Theological positioning is worth noting. The Sabouris are Christians, and the Teaching Textbooks materials include occasional Christian references (some word problems, some cultural framing). However, the core math content is essentially secular. Families across the religious spectrum use Teaching Textbooks, and the Christian elements are subtle rather than pervasive.

The core pedagogy

Teaching Textbooks' pedagogy is straightforwardly traditional, concepts taught through lecture (now video), practice problems, examples, and cumulative review. What makes it distinctive is not the pedagogy but the delivery: the computer teaches the lesson, the child does the problems on the computer, the computer auto-grades, and the parent checks progress via a reporting dashboard.

Scope and sequence covers grade 3 through Pre-Calculus. Earlier grades use the Teaching Textbooks 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 courses, while upper grades use Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and Pre-Calculus. The curriculum is pitched at roughly the level of a solid public-school math program, in our editorial view and community consensus, Teaching Textbooks is about one grade level easier than Saxon and two grade levels easier than Singapore at comparable levels. A student placed in Teaching Textbooks 4 should usually be placed in Saxon 5/4 or Singapore 3 (age-equivalent or slightly ahead).

Signature mechanics: (1) Computer-taught lessons, every lesson is presented by a video lecturer with worked examples and on-screen animation. The child watches, listens, and then attempts problems. (2) Automatic grading and immediate feedback, the child answers problems on the computer; the software checks and marks them correct or incorrect immediately, providing explanations for wrong answers. (3) Self-paced progression, the child works at their own speed with no daily minimum. A gifted child can complete a year in six months; a struggling child takes longer. (4) Parent dashboard, parents see progress, grades, and time spent per lesson through a parent portal, without being required to grade papers themselves.

A day in the life

A fifth-grader using Teaching Textbooks 5 starts the math block by logging into the online platform. The day's lesson (new material) takes 5-15 minutes of video. The child then works through the day's problem set, typically 20-25 problems, with immediate feedback from the computer. Wrong answers trigger on-screen explanations. Total time: 30-50 minutes, fully independent. The parent checks the dashboard at the end of the day or week.

A ninth-grader using Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1 runs similarly, 10-20 minutes of video lesson, 40-60 minutes of problem-solving with immediate feedback, all on the computer. Parent involvement is approximately zero if the child is keeping pace.

What they do exceptionally well

Parent workload elimination. Teaching Textbooks is the most hands-off math program currently available to homeschool families. For families where the parent cannot teach math competently, does not have time to grade daily, or is spread thin across multiple children, Teaching Textbooks genuinely solves the problem. The child can do math while the parent teaches another subject.

Immediate feedback on wrong answers. The platform's on-screen explanations for wrong answers are substantive, not just "incorrect" but actual step-by-step guidance for what went wrong and how to approach the problem differently. This is pedagogically valuable and helps many students self-correct.

Self-paced flexibility. Because there is no daily minimum, a child who needs more time on a concept gets it without falling behind, and a child who is ready to move forward can. This works well for irregular homeschool schedules and for families with travel, co-op commitments, or other rhythms.

What they do poorly

Rigor lags Saxon and Singapore at comparable levels. Teaching Textbooks is pitched approximately one grade level below Saxon and two below Singapore. A student who completes Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1 is prepared for most college-prep algebra follow-on, but not for the intensity of pre-calculus at a selective college. Families aiming for STEM-heavy college programs typically switch from Teaching Textbooks to a more rigorous program (Saxon, AOPS, or Foerster's Algebra) by Algebra 2 or Pre-Calculus.

Screen time all day every day. The computer-taught model requires the child to spend 30-60 minutes daily on the computer doing math. For families who prefer minimal screen time in the elementary years, this is a meaningful trade-off.

Less conceptual depth than Singapore or AOPS. Teaching Textbooks teaches math procedurally with good clarity, but it does not develop the deep conceptual and problem-solving capacity that Singapore Math (with bar modeling) or Art of Problem Solving (with competition-style problems) produces. A Teaching Textbooks graduate can execute algorithms; they may struggle with creative problem-solving.

Who

it doesn't:** you want the most rigorous math program; your child is headed for a STEM-intensive college; you prefer minimal screen time in elementary; you want your child to develop deep conceptual understanding; you want spiral drill like Saxon.

Cost honest assessment

Teaching Textbooks uses a subscription model. A single-student subscription runs approximately $55-$100 per year per course depending on level (elementary courses are cheaper, upper-level courses are more expensive). Family plans for multiple children run approximately $200-$300 per year for up to four children across any courses. Given typical family structures, the per-child effective cost is $50-$75 annually.

This pricing is among the best in homeschool math on a per-child, per-year basis for multi-child families. Compared to Singapore Math ($100-$140 per grade, reusable but not across siblings simultaneously) and Math-U-See ($110-$140 per level plus $85-$120 manipulatives), Teaching Textbooks is substantially cheaper for families with multiple children.

For a family with three children spread across different levels, Teaching Textbooks is approximately $250-$300 annually, less than half the cost of Singapore or Math-U-See at comparable coverage.

ESA eligibility notes

Teaching Textbooks is approved on most state ESA marketplaces including Arizona ClassWallet, Florida Step Up For Students, Iowa Student First, Utah Fits All, and Arkansas LEARNS. The subscription model is ESA-friendly in marketplaces that accept online curriculum subscriptions. Some older marketplaces still process subscriptions awkwardly, treating each month as a separate transaction; newer marketplaces handle annual subscriptions cleanly. The publisher has a dedicated ESA support workflow.

Alternatives

• Saxon Math with DIVE or Nicole the Math Lady video, a family would choose Saxon-plus-video over Teaching Textbooks because Saxon's spiral review and broader problem range build stronger retention and higher rigor.
• Math-U-See, a family would choose Math-U-See over Teaching Textbooks because Math-U-See uses physical manipulatives and avoids screen-based instruction.
• Khan Academy (free) plus a workbook, a family would choose Khan Academy over Teaching Textbooks because Khan Academy is free, comparably effective for self-motivated students, and sharper on explanation quality.

How we verified this

Our editorial team reviewed Teaching Textbooks' catalog at teachingtextbooks.com, sample lessons from Teaching Textbooks 5 and Algebra 1, and the parent dashboard and reporting interface. We cross-referenced against Cathy Duffy's review and extensive homeschool math community discussion of Teaching Textbooks' level-placement question versus Saxon and Singapore.