Abeka vs MasterBooks: Which Christian Homeschool Curriculum Is Right for Your Family?

Choosing a homeschool curriculum can feel overwhelming—like standing in front of a buffet with way too many options. Everything looks good, but you know if you pick the wrong thing, you’ll regret it halfway through the year when your kids are groaning at the dining room table and you’re questioning all your life choices. That’s why one of the biggest question many Christian homeschool parents ask is: Abeka vs MasterBooks?

Both are unapologetically Christ-centered. Both offer colorful, engaging materials. Both are open-and-go enough that you don’t need a teaching degree to figure them out.

But here’s the kicker: they could not be more different in style.

One is like a rigorous honors class at a Christian private school.

The other is like a gentle, story-driven homeschool mom with a cup of tea saying, “Relax, dear, childhood is short.”

Heads up: This post has affiliate links—which help support the channel at no extra cost to you… and keep my kids’ endless snack supply fully stocked.

Abeka: The Traditional Powerhouse

Abeka has been around for decades, and if you’ve ever peeked into a private Christian school, you’ve probably seen it in action.

It’s as traditional as it gets.

• Style: Structured, rigorous, very “school at home.”

• Subjects: Everything under the sun. Math, English, Bible, handwriting, science, history… if you can think of it, Abeka has a textbook for it.

• Workload: Heavy. If you actually try to complete everything in Abeka, you’ll either need a 12-hour homeschool day or a strong coffee IV.

Some families thrive with this level of structure.

It’s predictable, it’s thorough, and kids who like clear expectations often do well.

But others feel smothered under the sheer amount of busywork.

Worksheets Galore

Abeka is worksheet-heavy.

You’ll find lots of drill, practice, review, and memorization.

That’s great if your kids need the repetition—but it can feel like overkill if they’ve already mastered a concept.

One trick many families use is to skip what they don’t need.

For example, if your child already understands place value, you don’t have to grind through 20 more worksheets proving it.

Just move on.

MasterBooks: The Gentle Alternative

MasterBooks sits on the other side of the spectrum.

Their lessons are deliberately short, often 15–20 minutes, and the curriculum leans into stories, literature, and real-world applications.

• Style: Gentle, Charlotte Mason-inspired.

• Subjects: The core basics, often tied together with living books or Bible-centered stories.

• Workload: Light. Sometimes parents open the workbook and go, “Wait… that’s it? That’s the whole page?”

Some parents love that it eases kids into academics without overwhelming them. Others feel it doesn’t go deep enough.

Charlotte Mason Inspiration (But Not Full Charlotte Mason)

MasterBooks markets itself as Charlotte Mason-inspired.

(See the chart below for all the homeschool methods and where Abeka and Masterbooks sit.)

Charlotte Mason, a 19th-century British educator, championed short, living lessons taught through stories, narration, and nature study.

She wanted education to be gentle and life-giving, not a grind.

Now, let’s be clear: MasterBooks is inspired by Charlotte Mason, not a full implementation.

A true Charlotte Mason education involves more hands-on parent involvement and more time outdoors with nature journals.

MasterBooks trims that down into a more structured, open-and-go workbook format.

It’s a nod to Charlotte Mason without demanding that mom turn into a full-time governess with bird guides and poetry tea times.

The Great Worksheet Debate

If Abeka has a worksheet for everything, MasterBooks is sometimes accused of having too few.

This is where parent preference comes in.

• If you want your kids to practice, drill, and review until it sticks, you’ll feel at home with Abeka.

• If you’d rather keep things short and sweet, and you don’t care if every page is filled, MasterBooks will make you happy.

Picture it like this: Abeka is a never-ending Costco pack of 10,000 worksheets. MasterBooks is a dainty little sampler pack. Some kids need Costco. Some thrive with a sampler.

But, to make Masterbooks work for you, you can buy extra workbooks (they are there but just not included in the main package).

Parent Involvement & Teaching Style

Both programs are fairly open-and-go, meaning you don’t have to stand at the whiteboard for hours explaining concepts.

• Abeka: You can choose between video lessons or the parent-led manuals. The video lessons are extremely polished—basically, a teacher in your living room doing the heavy lifting. The manuals, however, are very parent-intensive. You’ll be guiding a lot more if you skip the videos.

• MasterBooks: Offers video lessons too, but they’re less detailed and polished. Most parents find they can just hand over the book and hover as needed.

Either way, both programs allow your child to work fairly independently once they get the hang of it.

Price Check

And now for the part that makes every homeschool mom clutch her budget binder: cost.

• Abeka: Around $1,400 per student per year. You can add accreditation for about $50 more through Abeka Academy.

• MasterBooks: Much more affordable—usually between $200 and $600 per year, depending on how many extras you add.

Both allow you to reuse textbooks with younger children, which helps stretch your dollar further.

An intermediate option: BJU Press

Now, before we go further, let me just slip this in: Abeka and MasterBooks aren’t the only Christian homeschool curriculums on the block.

In my own homeschool, I actually use BJU Press, and I really enjoy it.

BJU Press sits somewhere between the heavy rigor of Abeka and the gentle storytelling of MasterBooks. (See picture below on Academic Rigor.)

It’s structured and thorough, but I find it a little more homeschool-friendly than Abeka.

The math in particular is fantastic—colorful, engaging, and robust enough for a great education, but not over-the-top.

I’m not saying you should ditch your Abeka vs. MasterBooks decision and run to BJU… but if you want to keep your options open, tuck that one in the back of your mind.

I’ll put a video below here so you can see how it works in our homeschool:

Gospel-Centered Education

One thing I love about both Abeka and MasterBooks is that they don’t hide their faith foundation.

Both are unapologetically Christian and make the gospel central in their teaching.

Abeka will have your kids memorizing Bible verses, reciting Scripture, and seeing God’s truth woven into each subject.

MasterBooks will draw your kids into stories, living books, and real-life applications of biblical truths.

Either way, your children won’t just learn math and grammar—they’ll also be pointed toward Christ.

Accreditation

This one’s straightforward:

• Abeka: Can be accredited if you go through Abeka Academy. It costs about $50 extra for accredited vs unaccredited. Accredited options are more rigid, and you can’t skip any busywork.

• MasterBooks: Does not offer accreditation.

For many homeschool families, accreditation isn’t a dealbreaker, but if you’re looking at college admissions or state requirements, it’s worth noting.

The Biggest Difference

Alright, so what’s the bottom line?

The biggest difference between Abeka and MasterBooks is academic level.

• MasterBooks is intentionally gentle, short, and easy. It’s designed to prevent burnout and ease kids into study.

• Abeka is rigorous, demanding, and structured. It’s the “school at home” model.

I’ve personally used both, and the contrast is impossible to miss.

Some families thrive with Abeka’s challenge. Others find MasterBooks’ light touch a perfect fit. And some… well, they use a mix of both.

Now, while I’ve used Abeka and MasterBooks in the past, my daily go-to now is actually BJU Press.

For our family, it strikes a better balance between structure and freedom, with a strong biblical worldview baked right in. Take a look at it here.

But the real takeaway?

There’s no “perfect” homeschool curriculum.

Just the one that works best for your kids, your teaching style, and your season of life.

Final Thoughts

So here’s the real question:

Do you want cookies and stories (MasterBooks)?

Or late-night algebra and drill sheets (Abeka)?

Whichever way you lean, remember—homeschooling isn’t about checking every box. It’s about raising kids who love Jesus and know how to learn. And thankfully, both of these programs do a beautiful job pointing kids to Christ.

👉 If you want to dig deeper into Abeka —you can check out this video reviewing it; or dive into Masterbooks here.

👉 Or, if you’d like to see what hundreds of other homeschool moms voted as their favorite Christian homeschool curriculum, I’ve got a video on it below: