Best High School Homeschool History Curriculum

This post contains affiliate links and we may earn a commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

• Best Traditional Approach: The People, Places, and Principles of America, Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum; and The People, Places, and Events of World History, Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum
• Best Classical Approach: American & Modern Studies History Series, Memoria Press
• Best Charlotte-Mason Style: High School History Literature Packs, Beautiful Feet Books
• Best Subscription Box Curriculum: History Unboxed

Best Traditional Approach

The People, Places, and Principles of America, Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum
The People, Places, and Events of World History, Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum

If you are looking for a traditional history curriculum for your homeschooled high schooler, we recommend the World History and American History courses offered by Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum (PAC). The World History course spans the period from 5000 BC to 2011 AD and covers 15 basic elements of culture: agriculture, architecture, communication, discoveries, dominant personalities, education, families, food, government, industry, energy, military, religion, sports, and transportation. The text is written in a conversational tone, making it very approachable for students. The materials consist of six texts (each comprising one chapter), six corresponding activity books, and a Teacher’s Resource Kit (available as both a CD-ROM and in print). This is a structured, sequential, and reading-based course, and it is thus great for self-led learners.

We also recommend the American History course offered by PAC. The course briefly introduces students to the pre-Columbian world then quickly moves on to Columbus, Jamestown, and Plymouth. From there, the course spans the next 350 years, providing students with a comprehensive study of America to 2012. This course incorporates the same 15 major components of culture that the World History course offers, and like that course, is nicely illustrated with images, maps, and charts. Like the World History course, the American History course has an approachable writing style that students will enjoy. The course requires 12 course texts, 12 accompanying student activity books, a Student Resource Kit, and a Teacher’s Resource Kit. These materials can be purchased individually or in two separate kits (First-Half Course Kit, chapters 1-6 and Second-Half Course Kit, chapters 7-12)

Each course offers one transcript credit.

Best Classical Approach

American & Modern Studies History Series, Memoria Press

If you are looking for a classical approach in choosing a history curriculum for your high school student, we highly recommend the different history options offered by Memoria Press’s American & Modern Studies series. The series includes five courses geared toward homeschooled high schoolers:

• A Concise History of the American Republic: Year One, To 1877
• A Concise History of the American Republic: Year Two, Since 1865
• Renaissance & Reformation Times
• A History of Medieval Europe
• A History of Europe in the Modern World: Volumes 1 & 2

These courses present history through a classical approach, emphasizing the major events, figures, and cultural transformations of the past. These courses are firmly based in the Western tradition; two American and three different European history courses are offered. Each course includes a textbook, a student guide, and a teacher guide. After reading the assigned texts, students use the student guide to complete worksheets and answer short essay questions. Reviews and tests are also included, with answer keys in the teacher guides.

>>Learn more about Memoria Press here<<

American History Series

Unlike most American history options for homeschooled high school students, this American history course is divided up over two whole school years. This makes for a more in-depth learning experience – American history is long and complex, but it is too often oversimplified because of the fast pace at which it is taught to high schoolers. The first course begins with pre-1615 life in North America, covers early exploration, the colonial period, the Revolution, the Early Republic, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Political, economic, and social issues are woven together in this comprehensive history of America from the period of early European contact to the post-Civil War era.

The second year of the American history course, which uses the same textbook but requires new student and teacher guides, covers the period from the end of Reconstruction (1877) to the Reagan Years (1980s). Like the first course, it is comprehensive, covering all the major developments in American political and cultural life during these years: industrialization, the Gilded Age, westward expansion, immigration, the Progressive Era, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the post-World War II era, the Cold War, Communism, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and the beginning of Middle East tensions. Both courses are appropriate for grades 9 and up.

European History Series

Of the three European courses, Renaissance & Reformation Times is designed for grades 9 and up, while A History of Medieval Europe and A History of Europe in the Modern World are aimed at grades 10 and higher. While most students will not be able to finish all of these courses in their high school years, the ability to choose between these different eras of European history is a real treat for the history-loving teen, and it is much appreciated by parents looking for ways to deepen their children’s engagement with history as taught through the classical tradition. Covering the period of important cultural transformation in Europe between the Dark Ages and the High Middle Ages, A History of Medieval Europe immerses students in the fascinating and turbulent years marked by barbarian invasions, the Crusades, and feudalism. The Renaissance & Reformation course starts at the end of the Middle Ages and continues until the beginning of the Seventeenth Century. Students will learn how the people of Italy, Germany, Spain, France, and England experienced this important era marked by unprecedented scientific achievement and artistic development.

Memoria Press’s third European history course is entitled A History of Europe in the Modern World, and it offers the closest thing to a standard world history course (while maintaining a strong focus on the European experience). The textbook consists of two volumes, and the course itself can be completed in either one or two years. It spans the period from 1600 to the late 1980s and covers a good deal of American history as well; even if your student has already completed a U.S. history course, this inclusion of American history is valuable, as it is here considered in a broader Euro-American context. Many other Western nations – France, Russia, Prussia, and Germany – also feature in important ways in this course.

All of the books in the Europe series require a text, a student guide, and a teacher guide. The Medieval Europe and Europe in the Modern World courses also require separate Quizzes & Tests booklets. The materials for all of the Europe courses can also be purchased in sets.

Best Charlotte-Mason Style

High School History Literature Packs, Beautiful Feet Books (Beautiful Feet Book)

If you are looking to give your high school student a history experience firmly rooted in the power of good literature, we highly recommend the literature packs offered by Beautiful Feet Books. Each focusing on a different period, these literature packs each contain a teacher guide and a collection of books relating to the period of study; some packs also include a timeline or foldable map. The teacher guides provide lesson plans and numerous ideas for structuring this literature-based approach to history in ways that will meet your family’s needs and bring the subject to life for your high schooler.

Three different literature packs are available for the study of history at the high school level. The Ancient History Sr. High Pack introduces students to the ancient world, from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome to China and India. Many of the texts in this literature pack are mythology-based. The Medieval History Senior High Pack will introduce students to the Middle Ages through such classics as The Canterbury Tales, Beowulf, and One Thousand and One Arabian Nights. The Modern U.S. and World History Pack covers the period from 1850-2000 and includes such classics as All Quiet on the Western Front, Hiroshima, The Kite Runner, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Beautiful Feet Books does an impressive job of incorporating a large breadth of history into these literature packs. This is a great option if your high schooler struggles with traditional history but loves to read. The teacher guide provides lessons and relevant extension activities to make history relevant through these books. If you already own one or two of the books included in the packs, no need to worry, as you can customize the packs to just get those volumes that you need.

Best Subscription Box

History Unboxed

If you want to make your student’s history studies come alive like never before, we can’t recommend History Unboxed enough. Each monthly box features lessons, stories, objects, recipes, and craft projects to help your student experience history in a fun and lasting way. History Unboxed offers three different options: the American History Subscription, the Ancient History Subscription, and the Middle Ages Subscription. Each option is available for three different age groups: kids (5-9), teens (10-15), and young adults (16+). If you have multiple students using the same box, you can choose a “sibling add-on” plan, which sends a second set of all consumable materials (a cheaper option than buying two boxes).

Each subscription offers a huge variety of themes. Examples include “The French & Indian War” (in the teen American History box), “Enjoy Egypt at the time of the Pyramid of Giza” (in the Ancient History Young Adult box) and “Visit Jaman and discover the age of the Samurai” (in the teen Middle Ages box).

A History Unboxed subscription is a fabulous supplement to your high school history curriculum. However, these boxes are so thoroughly researched that they can also stand in as your core history curriculum when used alongside the included reading lists. This is a great option for teens that struggle with a traditional history curriculum. History Unboxed also offers full curriculum options that include the monthly subscription box along with additional lesson plans and instructor resources.

Conclusion

High school can be an exciting time to study history. Find a curriculum that fits your student’s learning style and your own homeschool philosophy, and try supplementing it with a History Unboxed subscription. There are many more great supplementary history resources out there – find the ones that help your high schooler thrive!