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I’ve used both Power Homeschool (originally Acellus) and Study.com for our homeschool and I’d love to compare and contrast these programs.
Online homeschool curriculum is a wonderful choice for those wanting more organization in their homeschool, help with grading, and videos to teach those harder subjects.
Although I don’t love video curriculum for younger elementary-age children, I believe it can be helpful for upper middle school and high school ages.
Study.com vs. Power Homeschool for Online Curriculum
I’ve taken time to use both of these curriculums and honestly, I think both of them provide a quality education if you keep up with your students learning.
Just watching a video isn’t enough. Your children need to take notes, follow through with the quizzes and discuss the material.
How are these curriculums similar?
Both Study.com and Power Homeschool use short video lessons with online quizzes for the core of their curriculum.
I have found the videos engaging for both but the actual videos of each curriculum are quite different.
Study.com uses shorter videos that are animated (not childish) while Power Homeschool uses videos with the actual teacher talking or writing on a whiteboard.
Both curriculums use a series of online questions to help with comprehension after the video and both programs keep grades of the quizzes.
The parent area for each curriculum allows you to quickly see your child’s progress and grades on quizzes.
As with any online curriculum, a parent still has to assist their kids in understanding concepts or help as needed. There is no personal tutoring with these programs.
The pricing format is similar with payment being a flat monthly fee for each student.
How are Study.com and Power Homeschool Different?
Even though both of these curriculum’s foundation is online videos, they are actually quite different.
Study.com has so many more class choices including college classes that can be taken for dual credit or even earning a college degree.
There are literally thousands of classes to choose from making it a good supplement for many families who don’t need a full curriculum.
Study.com also allows parents to create their own courses by picking and choosing any classes they want their child to learn. You can literally put together a custom-made class just for your child.
Power Homeschool classes are not as flexible. The courses are set and you can’t create a custom course.
Power Homeschool is set up with many middle school and high school classes that you would typically find in a public school such as Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. They do offer some electives as well.
Study.com has all of those classes and so many more. They have very niche courses such as social sciences, college business courses, CLEP practice tests, and many arts and humanities courses.
Overall there are many more choices available.
Related: My Full Review of Study.com
Related: My Full Review of Power Homeschool
Which One Is Right for You?
Although I like both curriculums, Study.com has more course choices for your money.
Power Homeschool is very similar to public school at your own pace. All of the classes are what you would find in a public school setting with a teacher teaching.
Study.com’s classes are all short and animated (not in a childish way) to present the material. You won’t find a teacher standing by a whiteboard.
If you are looking for public school-type classes at home then Power Homeschool fits the bill. Obviously, you are still the teacher when you homeschool and you need to participate in your child’s learning.
Study.com has all of your regular high school classes but also offers college credit opportunities and college-level classes.
Study.com costs a bit more but you do get more for your money.
If you would like to try Study.com, you can use the code: WanderHomeschooling for 30% off the first 3 months!
I would love to hear your opinions on each curriculum and how they are benefiting your homeschool family in the comments below.
