The Good and the Beautiful Curriculum: An Honest Review

The Good and the Beautiful (TGATB) has become one of the most-discussed homeschool curricula online — partly because it's beautiful, partly because it's affordable, and partly because of a controversy that follows every discussion of it in homeschool groups. If you've spent any time researching language arts curricula, you've encountered it.

Here's a clear-eyed look at what TGATB is, how it works, and why the debate around it matters for your decision.

What The Good and the Beautiful Is

The Good and the Beautiful is a Christian homeschool curriculum created by Jenny Phillips, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). It covers:

• Language Arts (the flagship, K–8+)
• Math (K–6)
• Science (K–8, unit-based)
• History (K–8, unit-based)
• Art (supplemental)

The aesthetic is distinctive and intentional. Books are full-color, illustrated, and designed to look like heirlooms rather than workbooks. Phillips puts significant production value into the physical materials — this is one reason the curriculum photographs so well on Instagram and Pinterest, which has contributed to its viral growth.

The Language Arts program is the most widely used component. It integrates reading, grammar, spelling, writing, and copywork into a unified daily course with clear lesson plans. The approach draws from Charlotte Mason principles (narration, living books, nature study) but is more structured and packaged than traditional CM resources.

The LDS Question

The most common question in homeschool forums: "Is this a Mormon curriculum?"

The honest answer is more nuanced than yes or no. The curriculum itself does not teach LDS doctrine. It references God and faith generally throughout, and the content is most accurately described as broadly Christian rather than denominationally specific. Most passages and references would feel at home in evangelical Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox Christian contexts.

However, the founder's faith affiliation is visible in the curriculum's overall ethos and in some of the literature selections and cultural touchstones. A subset of evangelical Christian families has decided this is disqualifying; others use it without hesitation. The secular homeschool community finds it explicitly religious regardless of denomination.

The practical question is whether the actual content aligns with your family's values and expectations — not the founder's theology. Reading a few free sample lessons (available on the TGATB website) will tell you more than any forum debate.

Pricing and What's Free

This is where TGATB stands out from most competitors. A significant portion of the curriculum is available as free PDF downloads from the official website. The physical books — which are the premium experience — cost $10–$50 per book depending on the level.

A realistic annual budget for Language Arts (physical books): - K–3: $30–$60 total - Grades 4–8: $50–$100 total

This makes TGATB substantially cheaper than Abeka, BJU Press, or Sonlight for language arts, which is a major reason families land on it.

The math program is newer and less established than the Language Arts. Many families use TGATB for Language Arts and a different program for math — a hybrid approach that's very common among TGATB users.

What It Does Well

Open-and-go for the parent. The lesson plans are clear and the teacher doesn't need subject-matter expertise to deliver them. This is consistently cited as the primary reason burned-out or overwhelmed homeschool parents choose it.

Literature quality. The reading selections lean toward classic literature and high-quality picture books rather than controlled-vocabulary readers. Children are exposed to Dickens, Longfellow, and Alcott alongside decodable texts — a Charlotte Mason influence that parents who prioritize literary richness appreciate.

Production quality. The books are genuinely beautiful. This matters more than it might sound: children who care about the physical experience of their materials engage differently than children handed black-and-white workbooks.

Grammar integration. TGATB's approach to grammar — integrated through copywork, dictation, and reading rather than isolated fill-in worksheets — is more linguistically coherent than programs that drill parts of speech out of context.

Where It Has Weaknesses

Phonics is not Orton-Gillingham. For struggling readers or children with dyslexia, TGATB's phonics approach is not clinically structured enough. These children need All About Reading, Logic of English, or another OG-based program. Using TGATB with a struggling reader will widen gaps rather than close them.

Math is immature as a program. The newer math curriculum hasn't established the track record that the Language Arts has. Families relying on it for upper elementary math often supplement or switch.

Science and History are lighter. The unit-based science and history courses are enrichment-oriented rather than systematically rigorous. Families who want strong science (particularly those headed toward AP courses or STEM) typically need more than TGATB science provides in the upper grades.

No high school. The curriculum currently extends to roughly 8th grade for most subjects. High school planning requires a completely separate approach.

Is It Right for Your Family?

The Good and the Beautiful tends to work well for: - Families who want a beautiful, affordable, Christian-flavored language arts program for K–8 - Parents who need open-and-go lessons with minimal prep - Children who are average to strong readers without reading disabilities - Families who appreciate Charlotte Mason aesthetics within a more structured framework

It tends to struggle for: - Struggling readers or children with dyslexia (use a dedicated OG program instead) - Secular families or families who want religion separated from academics - Families needing a complete K–12 solution (no high school materials) - Families who want rigorous, sequential STEM preparation in the upper grades

Making the Comparison

The Good and the Beautiful competes most directly with curriculum like Easy Peasy (free, Christian, all-in-one), Sonlight (literature-rich, moderate cost), and A Beka (rigorous, traditional, expensive). Each serves a different type of learner and parent.

Before settling on any of them, running a side-by-side comparison on the variables that actually affect your daily life — worldview specificity, learning style compatibility, teacher prep time, and true annual cost including supplements — changes the picture significantly.

The US Curriculum Matching Matrix maps these programs against each other on exactly those dimensions, so you can cut through the forum debate and identify what actually fits your family's situation.