Total Health (BJU Press)

Total Health is BJU Press's middle school and high school health curriculum, framing nutrition, fitness, substance use, mental health, and relationships as matters of biblical stewardship of the body. It is the category-standard conservative-Christian health text and it earns its place on the shelf for families who want health education that is not value-neutral.

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

At a glance

Method	Traditional textbook
Worldview	Christian-fundamentalist (BJU Press theological positioning)
Grades	6-8 (middle school edition), 9-12 (high school edition)
Formats	Print textbook, teacher edition, tests
Cost tier	Standard
Parent intensity	3
ESA-common	Yes (through BJU Press direct ESA workflow)
Accredited	No (but usable for accredited programs via BJU Academy)
Established	BJU Press established 1973; Total Health editions published over subsequent decades
Website	bjupress.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	4	Substantive coverage, high school edition earns half-credit
Ease of teaching	4	Teacher editions scripted; content works with modest preparation
Content quality	4	Well-organized, readable, current on major topics
Flexibility	3	Functions standalone but assumes BJU pedagogical frame
Value for money	4	Reasonable cost for a complete health course
Worldview scope	2	Conservative Christian framing present throughout
Visual/design	3	BJU's clean textbook aesthetic, dated but functional
Support resources	4	Teacher editions, tests, and BJU's distance-learning integration

Who the publisher is

BJU Press is the publishing arm of Bob Jones University, founded in 1927 in South Carolina. The press was established in 1973 as an outgrowth of the university's commitment to Christian K-12 education, initially producing materials for Bob Jones Academy and quickly expanding to serve Christian schools and homeschools nationwide. BJU Press has historically positioned itself in the more conservative-fundamentalist wing of American evangelical publishing, distinct from the broader evangelical center occupied by publishers like Sonlight or The Good and the Beautiful.

The Total Health product line exists in two editions: a middle school edition titled Total Health: Choices for a Winning Lifestyle, and a high school edition simply titled Total Health. Both are structured as single-textbook courses covering physical health (nutrition, exercise, body systems), mental and emotional health, social health (relationships, family), substance use (alcohol, tobacco, drugs), and biblical stewardship as the theological framing for why a Christian cares about these topics. The high school edition is designed to earn a half-credit on a transcript; the middle school edition is typically positioned as a supplementary health course within a standard academic year.

BJU Press's positioning relative to other Christian publishers is specific and worth naming. Where Abeka (Pensacola Christian College) and BJU Press share substantial overlap in theological framing, BJU's materials, including Total Health, generally engage contemporary questions with somewhat more textbook-conventional structure and slightly less overt polemic than Abeka. Where Apologia centers young-earth creation as its distinguishing feature, BJU also holds young-earth positions but does not structure its health content around creation debates. Families selecting Total Health typically value the BJU house theological register; families that do not share it will find the course requires editing.

The core pedagogy

Total Health teaches through standard-textbook chapter-and-review architecture. Each chapter opens with objectives, presents content through prose sections with photographs and diagrams, includes review questions at the end, and closes with chapter tests in the teacher materials. The scope and sequence follows a predictable health-education pattern, body systems, nutrition, fitness, substance use, mental health, relationships, with biblical stewardship themes threaded throughout rather than segregated into a separate unit.

The middle school edition (grades 6-8) is pitched for introductory coverage. It teaches students the major systems of the body, age-appropriate material on nutrition and exercise, the effects of drugs and alcohol, and basic emotional and relational health concepts. Biblical framing appears in chapter introductions and in occasional sidebars explicitly connecting a health topic to a Scripture passage. The high school edition (grades 9-12) handles the same topic clusters at a more advanced level, with more substantive treatment of physiology, more extended material on reproductive and relational health (from a BJU-positioned perspective), and more explicit biblical integration as the theological grounding.

Signature mechanics: (1) Chapter-test assessment structure. Standardized throughout the text; teacher edition includes answer keys and grading rubrics. (2) Biblical stewardship threading. Not a separate unit but woven through most chapters as the explanatory frame for why a Christian should care about any given health question. (3) Visible BJU theological positioning. Relationship and reproductive content reflects conservative Christian positions on sexuality, gender, and family. (4) Integration with BJU distance learning. Families using the BJU Press distance learning program can take Total Health as a video-supported course; standalone print use is also supported.

A day in the life

A seventh-grader using the middle school edition as a once-per-week health course opens the textbook, reads the assigned ten to fifteen pages, and works the review questions at the end of the chapter. Lessons run thirty to forty-five minutes. Over a school year the student completes the textbook and takes chapter tests from the teacher edition; the parent grades and records for transcript purposes. A middle school health course is typically scheduled one or two days per week, not daily.

A tenth-grader using the high school edition as a half-credit course runs on a more intensive schedule, typically two to three days per week across one semester, with reading of twenty to thirty pages per session, written responses or short-essay assignments, and chapter tests. Total time per session: forty-five to sixty minutes. Parents using BJU Press's distance learning option replace some of the reading with video instruction; standalone families handle the reading themselves and supplement with the chapter tests.

What they do exceptionally well

Half-credit high school health on a single textbook. High school health is a common transcript gap, families often forget it is a graduation requirement in many states until late in the process, and building a course from scratch is time-consuming. Total Health's high school edition provides a completed half-credit course with a single purchase.

Chapter test architecture. The assessment scaffolding is thorough. Parents who would otherwise have to write their own health tests get ready-made quizzes, chapter tests, and review materials, which matters when transcripting a state-required course.

Integration with BJU distance learning. For families already using BJU Press distance learning for other subjects, Total Health drops in cleanly as a supplementary course on the same platform with the same teacher model. Continuity of vendor simplifies administration.

Biblical stewardship as the organizing frame. For Christian families who want health content grounded in a theological framework rather than presented as value-neutral technical information, the stewardship frame is consistent and coherent across the text. Families aligned with BJU's positioning find it well-done.

What they do poorly

Narrow worldview fit. Total Health reflects BJU's specific conservative Christian theological positioning throughout, particularly in chapters on relationships, sexuality, gender, and family. Families outside that tradition, or within a broader evangelical tradition that holds differently on some of these questions, will find the course requires substantial editing or replacement of specific sections.

Dated presentation in places. BJU Press textbook design has not evolved as aggressively as some competitors. Photographs and layout reflect the publisher's house style, which looks more like a 2000s school textbook than a 2020s digital-native resource.

Reproductive content handled at conservative comfort level. Families expecting comprehensive or medically explicit reproductive health education should know the content is handled within the publisher's theological comfort zone. This is a feature for BJU's target audience and a limitation for families with different expectations.

No standalone digital version. The product is print-centric. Families wanting a fully digital, tablet-native health course should know BJU's current offerings in this category remain primarily book-based, with video support available only through the broader distance learning integration.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Total Health if: you are a conservative Christian family already using or considering BJU Press materials; you want a half-credit high school health course on a single textbook with prepared tests; you want biblical stewardship framing integrated throughout rather than bolted on; you use or plan to use BJU distance learning; you value assessment scaffolding for transcripting purposes.

• Skip Total Health if: you want a secular or broadly ecumenical health course; you want comprehensive reproductive health coverage matching state-standard public-school content; you prefer a digital-native, video-forward presentation; your family's theological positioning differs from BJU Press's stated positions on relationships, sexuality, and family; you are building a half-credit health course piecemeal from multiple resources and do not need a single textbook.

Cost honest assessment

Per the BJU Press product pages as of April 2026, the middle school Total Health student text runs approximately $45 to $60, with the teacher edition at roughly $65 to $85 and test materials at approximately $20 to $30. The high school Total Health student text runs approximately $55 to $75, with teacher edition around $75 to $95 and tests at roughly $25 to $35. A complete middle school set runs approximately $130 to $175; a complete high school set runs approximately $155 to $205.

Compared to Abeka Health at roughly $130 to $180 for a complete set at high school level, Apologia's Exploring Creation series at roughly $100 to $150 for their health-adjacent Anatomy & Physiology course, and secular health materials which are often free through state-provided resources, Total Health sits at standard-tier pricing within Christian health curricula. What the family pays for is a complete turnkey half-credit course with assessment materials included.

ESA eligibility notes

BJU Press is a recognized vendor on multiple state ESA marketplaces including Arizona's ClassWallet, Florida's Step Up For Students, Iowa's Students First Act marketplace, West Virginia's Hope Scholarship, and Utah Fits All. BJU Press operates a dedicated ESA ordering workflow that allows families to order Total Health and other products with direct vendor reimbursement on approved marketplaces, simplifying the purchase for ESA families. Religious curriculum restrictions apply on a state-by-state basis; families should confirm eligibility of specific health titles with their state administrator before ordering.

Alternatives

• Abeka Health, a family aligned with Pensacola Christian College's positioning and already using Abeka elsewhere would choose Abeka Health for publisher continuity over BJU Press.
• Apologia Anatomy & Physiology (Exploring Creation series), a family wanting a science-heavy treatment of the body from a young-earth Christian perspective would choose Apologia instead of a traditional health text.
• Health Quest (secular) or state-provided secular health curricula, a family wanting medically comprehensive, value-neutral health instruction would replace BJU's Total Health with a secular alternative.

How we verified this

Our editorial team reviewed the BJU Press health product pages, the middle school and high school Total Health sample chapters and teacher edition previews, and the BJU Press About page describing publisher history and positioning. We cross-referenced against the HSLDA publisher directory and Cathy Duffy Reviews' published review of Total Health. Prices and product details verified April 2026.