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Introduction
Apologia Educational Ministries describes its curriculum as creation-based. The same Our Story page says Apologia has been a leading publisher of creation-based homeschool curricula since the early 1990s, and the publisher’s science page lists courses for preschool, elementary, middle school, and high school students.
Apologia says its curriculum is written from a biblical worldview and states a conclusion that the earth is young. Whether that is a strength or a dealbreaker depends on the family. For the full catalog entry, see the Apologia publisher page in the Every Homeschool directory.
Key takeaways
- 01Apologia says each of its textbooks is “Christ-centered, creation-based” and adheres to a biblical worldview. Its Our Approach page says the publisher concludes that scientific evidence points to a young earth, and that it respects believers who hold a different view.
- 02The house style is conversational. Apologia says its textbooks talk “to” the student, not “at” the student, and the shop sells audiobooks. The Biology set page describes the audiobook as suited to auditory learners, slow readers, and students with learning challenges that make reading difficult.
- 03The elementary Young Explorer series is eight single-topic titles for grades K-6, ages 5-11, which the publisher says can be completed in any order and taught to several children together.
- 04The publisher describes its high school Biology, Chemistry, and Physics courses as college-prep. Self-Paced Courses and Live Classes are listed for several science courses, so not every course is offered in every format.
- 05Courses are sold as Build-Your-Own sets. Current list and sale prices are on the publisher’s store.
- 06In our assessment, fit comes down to two questions: whether the family shares the publisher’s stated worldview, and whether the student will work from a text-based program written to the student, with a parent grading the tests.
What Apologia is
Apologia describes itself on its Our Story page as a family-owned corporation that provides creation-based, K-12 homeschool curriculum, and the same page says its Live Online Classes cover science, math, Bible, worldview, apologetics, Latin, Spanish, history, and more for middle and high school students. This review covers the science line. The publisher says its curriculum is “unapologetically faith-based” and written so that students are “pointed to see the awe and wonder of their Creator.” Its statement of faith says God created the heavens and the earth in six days, and its Our Approach page says the publisher concludes that scientific evidence points to the earth being young, “thousands rather than millions of years old.” The same page says Apologia understands and respects that biblically committed believers hold a different view of the earth’s age, and that its science textbooks teach the scientific method of evaluating evidence and testing hypotheses and theories. Families should read the worldview as a stated feature of the product.
The science catalog runs in four stages. The Preschool Science course is listed for PreK-Kindergarten. The elementary Young Explorer series is eight titles, each built around one topic: Astronomy, Botany, Zoology 1 (Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day), Zoology 2 (Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day), Zoology 3 (Land Animals of the Sixth Day), Earth Science, Human Anatomy and Physiology, and Chemistry and Physics. The Curriculum Path page places General Science in 7th grade and Physical Science in 8th. The high school science page lists Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Marine Biology as core courses, Advanced Biology, Advanced Chemistry, and Advanced Physics as advanced courses, and Health and Nutrition and High School Astronomy as electives.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Method | Text-based with a notebooking journal. The publisher says its textbooks are written to the student in a conversational tone, that the Young Explorer series is written in a Charlotte Mason style, and that the science textbooks include controlled and descriptive experiments. |
| Worldview | Christian. The statement of faith includes six-day creation, and the publisher says it concludes that scientific evidence points to a young earth. |
| Grades | Preschool Science for PreK-Kindergarten, Young Explorer for grades K-6, General Science for 7th-8th and Physical Science for 8th-9th (recommended), and high school courses with a recommended grade on each product page. |
| Cost tier | Standard (Every Homeschool classification). Current prices are on the publisher’s store. |
| Parent intensity | 3 (Every Homeschool rating, 1 to 5). The publisher says its textbooks are written so students can work through them on their own, and it recommends that parents grade tests. |
How it teaches
The publisher’s elementary science page says students are asked to retell or narrate what they have studied and that every lesson contains hands-on projects, activities, and experiments, and its science page says each Young Explorer title has a separate notebooking journal. The support center says the series continues in hardcover, and it says each title has 14 lessons at about two weeks per lesson, two days a week, so a course takes about 28 weeks. It also says the series has no tests because Apologia follows the Charlotte Mason method, which involves journaling instead of testing.
For middle and high school, the publisher says its textbooks are written so that students can work through them on their own, with a study guide and a test after each module. It recommends that parents grade the tests. The publisher lists a Self-Paced version of General Science, Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Marine Biology, and Advanced Biology, with video lessons, an audio reader, and AutoGrade+ testing, and Live Classes for grades 6-12 in which the instructors do the grading. Not every science course is offered in every format.
What it does well
In our assessment, the publisher is specific about what a course needs. The Biology page names three lab types and what the microscope and dissection labs require, the Physics page says no special equipment is necessary, and the support center says each Young Explorer textbook lists the items needed and that most of the activities use common household items. That makes it easier to plan a year’s supplies before buying.
The publisher also builds extras into the program. It says each textbook contains a password that unlocks Book Extras bonus content, and it offers a free Co-Op Kickstart Guide. Components such as the notebook, video lessons, and audiobook are chosen separately on the Build-Your-Own set page, so a family can buy only what it will use.
Where it asks more of families
Grading and records stay with the family. The publisher recommends that parents grade the textbook tests, and it says it does not issue transcripts, report grades, or send proof of completion to schools or colleges for any of its products or services. In our assessment, a family that wants the publisher to keep records should look elsewhere.
The publisher’s support center says some parents find the Earth Science, Anatomy and Physiology, and Chemistry and Physics courses best reserved for upper elementary students, grades 4-6, and that younger students can follow along if older siblings are working through them. It also says the Young Explorer titles are not what is best for most students in 7th and 8th grade, and points to General Science and Physical Science instead.
Worldview is another consideration. Apologia states a biblical worldview and a conclusion that the earth is young. In our assessment, that is a fit for families who share it, while families who hold a different view of the earth’s age, or who want science taught with no stated worldview, will be adapting the materials rather than using them as designed. The publisher says it respects believers who hold a different view.
Who it fits, and who it does not
In our assessment, Apologia fits a specific family well:
- Households that want science taught from a stated Christian worldview, with the publisher’s stated conclusion that the earth is young.
- Families teaching several elementary ages together who want single-topic titles that the publisher says can be taught to students in different grades and done in any order.
- Parents who want a text-based, lab-integrated high school course that the publisher describes as college-prep and written so students can work independently, with a Self-Paced Course or Live Class available for some courses.
- Co-op families, since the publisher says its elementary science curriculum is a popular choice for homeschool co-ops and offers a free co-op guide.
It fits poorly for others:
- Families who want science with no stated worldview or a different position on the age of the earth.
- Students who struggle with reading in a text-based course, unless the family uses the audiobook or a Self-Paced Course or Live Class where one is offered. The publisher says the audio reader in its Self-Paced Courses is beneficial for auditory learners and students with reading difficulty.
- Parents who want the publisher to grade tests or issue transcripts. The publisher recommends that parents grade the textbook tests and says it does not issue transcripts.
Cost and value
Apologia sells its courses as Build-Your-Own sets rather than a single bundle price. The textbook is the base. On the Biology set page, a testing option is required, either AutoGrade+ or the Solutions Manual with tests, and the student notebook, video lessons, audiobook, and lab equipment can be added. The current list price and any sale price of each item is on the publisher’s store. Apologia titles can also be searched on Amazon.
The publisher says 1st edition lab kits are not compatible with the 2nd edition Young Explorer titles, so a family buying older or used materials should check the edition. For Biology, the publisher says lab equipment is required to earn lab science credit, that students complete over 30 hands-on experiments across household, dissection, and microscope labs, and that it recommends completing at least two of the three lab types. If Apologia is being used for a high school lab credit, see the guide on documenting a high school science lab credit.
How it compares
Apologia is one option among many science programs, and the right comparison depends on what a family is optimizing for. For a full field comparison across worldviews and grade levels, see the best homeschool science curriculum guide.
Two practical notes for anyone choosing Apologia. First, the publisher says the Biology microscope labs require a microscope and slides; the homeschool microscope buying guide covers options. Second, if gathering supplies is the barrier, the science kits by age guide maps pre-assembled options against grade level. Undecided between Apologia and something else entirely? Start with the how to choose homeschool curriculum guide or browse the full catalog through the curriculum finder.
The bottom line
Apologia’s science line is a Christian, creation-based curriculum that the publisher lists from preschool through advanced high school, written to the student in a conversational tone, with Self-Paced Courses and Live Classes for some courses. For a family that shares its stated worldview and is comfortable with a text-based program, in our assessment it is a workable choice from elementary through high school on one publisher.
The reasons to pass are just as clear. If the publisher’s stated position on the age of the earth is not a fit, Apologia is the wrong tool. If a child finds reading difficult, a text-based course means daily reading unless the family uses the audiobook or an online format. If a family wants the publisher to grade or keep records, that is not what Apologia offers. In our assessment, worldview and reading load are the two questions to answer first. Then confirm current course details and prices on the publisher’s store and the Apologia directory page before buying.
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