Best Secular Homeschool Science Curriculum for High School

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Best All-Around

Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum (PAC) High School Science Courses

If you are looking for a solid, well-structured homeschool science curriculum, consider the excellent courses produced by Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum (PAC). We like PAC’s science courses for many reasons: they are excellent for struggling learners as well as gifted students; they are organized in such a way that students can work through the material independently; and, although they are secular in nature, they still emphasize the development of good character and promote wise decision-making.

PAC offers three science courses at the high school level: Integrated Physics and Chemistry; Principles, Theories, and Precepts of Biology; and The Precepts of Anatomy and Physiology. Although these do not necessarily need to be taken in order, a student starting ninth grade would do well to begin with the Integrated Physics and Chemistry course.

Integrated Physics and Chemistry, the first course in the series, is designed to be taken over two years. Advanced middle school students can begin the course before high school, or the course can be taken anytime during the high school years. The second course, Principles, Theories, and Precepts of Biology is a one-year course that can be taken any time in high school. The final course, Precepts of Anatomy and Physiology, can be taken as a unit-study or one-semester course worth ½ transcript credit; or, it can be combined with Chapters Two and Three of Principles, Theories, and Precepts of Biology for a full-year course worth one transcript credit.

We especially recommend the Integrated Physics and Chemistry course for students who have struggled with math in the past. The authors deliberately designed the course in such a way as to avoid complex mathematical equations, which are sometimes required in high school science courses.

Although PAC’s high school science courses are secular, purchase them through Christian Book for the most competitive prices.

Best Online

Calvert Homeschool High School Science Courses

If you are looking for a rigorous but user-friendly online homeschool science course, we highly recommend those offered by Calvert Homeschool. Calvert has published excellent secular homeschool curriculums for many years, and now all of their grades 3-12 courses have gone completely online. The high school science courses are well-organized, thorough, and engaging. 

If you worry that an online course will restrict your student’s daily schedule the way a public-school virtual class might, rest easy. With Calvert Online, your student will not need to attend online classes at a specific time each day, nor will he or she need to join any Zoom calls with teachers or other students. Rather, students access the easy-to-use digital platform any time of day and complete their work at their own pace. 

Calvert’s online classes are still very much homeschool courses, offering the flexibility, independence, and self-paced qualities that homeschoolers value. Unlike traditional homeschool courses, however, students will not need to lug around textbooks and parents can skip most of the grading, as the online system does most of that automatically.

Students love Calvert’s media-rich online platform, which also keeps track of assignments and schedules and does most grading automatically. Students can work independently, and parents can login to the Teacher’s Dashboard section of the site at any time to monitor their kids’ progress.  

Calvert offers the following core high school science courses: Integrated Physics and Chemistry (grade 9), Biology (grade 10), Chemistry (grade 11), and Physics (grades 11 or 12). Calvert also offers high school elective courses in Earth Science and Environmental Science.

Calvert’s courses can be purchased individually or as part of a subscription plan. Several subscription options are available, depending on the length of the subscription and the number of students in your home who will be using it. Calvert offers online courses across all subjects from grades 3-12, so the subscription plans are a fantastic option if your child will be taking multiple courses through Calvert or if you have multiple children you want to enroll.

Best for Classical and Charlotte Mason-Style Homeschoolers

Elemental Science High School Science Series

If you follow a Classical or Charlotte Mason-style homeschool approach, consider the excellent high school science courses published by Elemental Science. These courses follow the Classical homeschool approach promoted in The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, emphasizing reading, hands-on experimentation, and subject mastery. At the same time, they also incorporate components of Charlotte Mason-style homeschooling, including sketching, writing, and nature observation. 

Elemental Science offers three courses at the high school level: Biology for High School; Chemistry for High School; and Physics for the Rhetoric Stage. Each of these is a one-year, one-credit course that has a choice of three formats: a survey course without labs, a lab science course, and an honors course. The program incorporates reading with online videos and hands-on lab experiments for an experience with science that is dynamic and immersive. This is an excellent program for self-led and gifted learners. 

The textbook for each course includes information on additional materials you will need, including the lab kits. 

Conclusion

There are several excellent secular science homeschool curriculums available for high school students. You’ll want to consider your child’s learning style as well as your own homeschooling philosophy as you figure out which program is right for your family. If you have younger kids, check out our articles Best Secular Homeschool Science Curriculum for Middle School and Best Secular Homeschool Science Curriculum for Elementary.