Homeschool Science Classes: Options, Co-ops, and Online Programs by Grade

Science is one of the subjects where homeschooling has a real structural problem. Reading, writing, and math are reasonably self-contained — a motivated parent and the right books can cover them well. Science, especially in middle and high school, runs into two obstacles: lab work and content expertise. You can't perform a dissection by watching a YouTube video. And if you never took chemistry, teaching AP Chemistry at home requires significant scaffolding.

The solutions homeschoolers have developed — co-ops, online classes, streaming curriculum, and science fair programs — are solid. Here's how to piece together science instruction that actually works.

Elementary Science (K–6): Where Homeschooling Shines

Elementary science is the grade band where homeschooling genuinely outperforms traditional school. The flexibility to take nature walks, do kitchen chemistry experiments, and follow a child's interests is a massive advantage over a classroom teacher managing 30 kids.

Best options for K–6:

Mystery Science is the most uniformly loved elementary science program in the homeschool community. Short video lessons with minimal prep experiments, secular, and genuinely engaging. It covers life science, earth science, and physical science in age-appropriate segments. Cost: approximately $99/year for the family plan. For K–5, this is the closest thing to an "open and go" secular science curriculum that exists.

Real Science Odyssey (RSO) from Pandia Press is a secular, hands-on curriculum focused on the scientific method. Lab-heavy and rigorous for elementary. Works well for families who want more structure and written lab documentation. The Life Science and Earth Science levels are particularly strong. Cost: $90–$110 per level.

Apologia dominates the Christian homeschool science market. Each elementary level (Zoology, Botany, Astronomy, Human Body, etc.) spends a full year on one topic through a living-books approach. Strong on content depth. Young Earth Creationism is integrated throughout. Cost: approximately $80/level. Not appropriate for secular families.

Generation Genius (secular, streaming video, NGSS-aligned) is worth using as a supplement or for families who want visual, Bill Nye-style science without the full RSO commitment. Cost: approximately $175/year.

Middle School Science (6–8): The Lab Problem

By middle school, science curriculum starts requiring actual lab work — and this is where many homeschooling parents hit a wall. Dissections, titrations, controlled experiments with data collection: these require materials, space, and sometimes expertise that's hard to provide at home.

Solutions:

Homeschool co-ops are the most common solution. Science co-ops typically run one day per week and are taught by a parent with relevant expertise (a retired nurse teaching biology, a parent with a chemistry degree). The lab materials are shared, the cost is split, and the instruction quality varies by co-op. Search for science co-ops through your local homeschool support group or HSLDA's co-op finder.

Online live classes from providers like Landry Academy, Brave Academy, or Outschool connect students to actual science teachers via Zoom. Many of these include lab kit delivery — the materials are shipped to your home and the experiment is conducted during the live class session. Cost varies widely ($25–$80/class or $300–$700/semester course).

BFSU (Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding) by Dr. Bernard Nebel is an unusual option: it's a teacher guide rather than a student curriculum, designed for parents who want to understand science deeply before teaching it. Highly rigorous conceptually, focused on interconnecting scientific ideas. Low cost (~$30), high parent effort. Not open-and-go at all.

Classical Science Curriculum for Middle School: The classical approach to middle school science typically follows a four-year history-of-science cycle: - Year 1: Biology - Year 2: Earth/Space Science - Year 3: Chemistry - Year 4: Physics

Novare Science is the most academically respected classical science curriculum for middle school onward. It teaches science through mastery (revisiting concepts until truly internalized), uses proper scientific vocabulary, and is designed for college-prep tracks. Christian worldview, but not Young Earth. Cost: approximately $45–$65 per text.

High School Science: Credit Documentation and Real Labs

High school science needs to produce transcripts and, in many cases, prepare students for SAT Subject Tests (now discontinued) or AP exams. The options:

Apologia High School (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) — The dominant choice in Christian homeschool high schools. Video instruction available (Apologia's streaming platform). Lab kits are sold separately or available through co-ops. Traditional, rigorous for a creationist framework.

Real Science Odyssey Chemistry/Physics — Secular alternative for lab-based chemistry and physics with experiment-driven instruction.

Derek Owens Online Science — An actual physics/chemistry teacher delivers video-based courses with printed lab work. Many homeschoolers use Owens for the upper sciences because the parent genuinely doesn't need to know the subject. Approximately $55/month per course.

Community college dual enrollment — A high school junior who takes college-level biology or chemistry earns college credit while completing a high school science requirement. This is the highest-value option for academically ready students. The lab work is real, the grade is on a college transcript, and it demonstrates academic capability to admissions officers.

Homeschool Science Fair: Should You Participate?

Homeschool science fairs exist in most regions and are organized through homeschool co-ops, umbrella programs, or local homeschool networks. Some public school districts also allow homeschool students to participate in district fairs.

The benefits are real: independent project design, hypothesis testing, data analysis, presentation skills, and — for competitive students — regional and national competition pathways through the Science Olympiad or regional fairs that feed into the Regeneron Science Talent Search.

Practical steps to find a fair: - Ask your local homeschool co-op if they run one - Contact your county or district homeschool network - Check the Society for Science website for affiliated regional fairs that accept homeschoolers - Many 4-H chapters run annual project competitions with a science component

For special education and neurodiverse students, science fairs can be adapted significantly — projects can be observational, technology-assisted, or modified in scope. The key is choosing a topic the student is genuinely interested in, which makes the months of sustained work sustainable.

Special Education Science Curriculum

For students with learning disabilities, autism, ADHD, or other special needs, the standard science curriculum approach often doesn't work. What does:

Time4Learning Science — Screen-based, self-paced, animated. Works well for students who learn better through visual/auditory channels. The pace can be adjusted. Secular.

Timberdoodle Science Kits — Timberdoodle offers grade-level science kits that can be customized to match a student's actual working level rather than age level, making it useful for asynchronous learners.

Mystery Science — Already mentioned for K–5, but genuinely works for older students with intellectual disabilities because the format is engaging, the segments are short, and the topics are age-appropriate even if the student's academic level is lower.

The United States Curriculum Matching Matrix includes a dedicated section on special needs curriculum matching, including which science programs are tagged as ADHD-friendly (short lessons, high movement, minimal writing) and which are designed for dyslexic learners. See the full comparison at /us/curriculum/.