Because High School Science Is Expensive Enough!

I “came of age” in an era of homeschooling when curriculum companies were starting to pop up everywhere, but with a sizeable population of the old guard. The ones who wrote their own curriculum, pieced it together from rescued textbooks, etc.

And what I learned from many of them, when it comes to curriculum, is that you either pay with your time or with your money.

Many of those early homeschoolers were thrilled to reclaim time in exchange for buying pre-made curriculum; others scoffed at the costs. And the costs of a solid high school education are one of the reasons so many of those homeschool pioneers transitioned their teens to public school.

While the costs of high school haven’t gone down (have you checked out the prices of online classes?!), not all free curriculum is created equally. No one wants to get five weeks into a high school year to discover a curriculum just isn’t working, whether it was free or not. And there’s plenty of free stuff out there that, well, isn’t worth the (metaphorical) paper it’s written on. But there are some.

If you’re trying to save money or simply want to see what’s available before spending hundreds of dollars on science, these are the free high school science resources I’d consider first.

Free Science Curriculum for High School

OpenStax

OpenStax is an open-source textbook program from Rice University. If you want a traditional approach to science, this program is worth looking at. Readings, vocabulary, review questions, quizzes, tests, etc. They also include lab activities & there are teacher guides/keys available for free, as well.

There are a variety of levels within each course, including standard high school, AP-level, and college-level books. (Some colleges use those.)

Because everything is ready to go, this is one of the easiest free options to use if you don’t want to spend time piecing together a course.

Format: Online textbook, PDF, or printed book
Grade level(s): High school (some college-level options)
Price: Free online/low-cost printed books
Teaching involvement: As needed
Planning/prep: No schedule included, easily assign work through Canvas
Grading: Parent
Notable: Traditional textbook style, multiple levels available, lab ideas included

edX

edX offers self-paced online courses from universities around the world, including science. While some classes may include quizzes or assignments, most will only include the videos. They also won’t include labs. So you’ll need to add those yourself. To reinforce their understanding of the material, Khan Academy might pair nicely.

You’ll find many of them are just 6-10 weeks, so some aren’t suitable to count as an entire high school credit. But these shorter courses are often a more niche or advanced topic. That can be a great option for a kiddo who loves more obscure knowledge or as part of an advanced-level course after they’ve completed their basic science courses. And, for highly motivated teens, this can be an opportunity to learn from professors at universities they might never otherwise have access to.

Format: Online video courses
Grade level(s): Upper high school
Price: Free to audit most courses
Parent involvement: Low
Notable: College-level content, lecture-based, varies by course, good for advanced or interest-led study.

Khan Academy + Crash Course

Khan Academy and Crash Course can be combined to create a solid free science course. Crash Course provides engaging, fast-paced videos that explain the big ideas, while Khan Academy adds readings, questions, and practice work. Used together, they cover most of the gaps each one has on its own.

If you need a basic high school science credit for a kiddo who isn’t STEM-bound, this can be a good option.

Format: Online videos + online practice
Grade level(s): High school
Price: Free
Teaching involvement: As needed + discussion
Planning/prep: No schedule included, easily assign work through Canvas
Grading: Parent
Notable: Flexible, video-based, requires some planning, good budget option

Dual Enrollment (Community College)

Dual enrollment, also called concurrent enrollment, allows high school students to take classes at a community college or local university, and in some states the tuition is free. In the case of science classes, this will (likely) include labs as well, saving you quite a bit. Colleges typically want at least one lab science class on their high school transcripts. (More competitive schools & majors will want at least two lab science classes.)

Format: In-person or online college class
Grade level(s): 11th–12th (sometimes 10th)
Price: Free to low-cost (varies by state)
Parent involvement: Low
Notable: Real lab classes, outside teacher, very rigorous, depends on state programs

CK-12

CK-12 is a free online textbook program similar to OpenStax, but with more built-in digital features. You can read the books online, download PDFs, and many courses also include workbooks, lab guides, and teacher materials. Lessons can be assigned directly through Google Classroom or other LMS, which makes it convenient if you like to keep everything organized online.

Format: Online textbook / PDF / printed book
Grade level(s): Elementary through high school
Price: Free online/low-cost print
Parent involvement: Low to moderate
Notable: Flexible, digital-friendly, multiple subjects, includes labs and teacher resources

tl;dr

Use this post as a starting point in your research.

• Textbook? Look at OpenStax
• Videos? Look at edX
• Online? Look at CK12