When we first started homeschooling, my kids were still in elementary school. It took me years, literally, to find the confidence to make that huge leap. And when I did, I always had one thought in the back of my mind: I will only do this until high school.
I knew I could keep them home and educate them through about 8th grade. But after that? I just didn’t think I could do it.
But after a few years of homeschooling, I knew I could. So I gave it my best shot.
And now, after successfully graduating two homeschool students, I have never been more confident in my ability and the NEED to homeschool.
But the problem is, I felt like the homeschool curriculum for high school we had chosen was just a little too simple. Sure, it was easy for them to do independently and that made my life SO much easier.
But once they enrolled in college, I felt like we had missed something. And I knew it was mostly because of our curriculum choices.
So when I started researching high school curriculum options for Bear, I knew I needed something more.
Armed with my list of requirements, I set out to find something that checked all of my “want” boxes:
- Can be done independently
- Rigorous, but still enjoyable
- Falls within our $1,000 a year budget for all subjects
- Flexible
- Doesn’t require 40 hours a week to prepare and piece together our classes for the year
- Open-and-go
- High-quality literature
- Prepares them for college-level writing
- Honors God and our family’s values
When I stumbled upon Steadfast Press’ high school curriculum, I was sold!
What is Steadfast Press?
Steadfast is a comprehensive homeschool curriculum for high school that cycles all 4 years of high school.
Over the course of 4 years, students will follow the flow of Western Civilization from Creation to the 21st century, using the Bible as their foundation. Through high-quality literature and the Steadfast homeschool curriculum, students study the Bible, religion, literature, writing, history, worldview, apologetics, government, political theory, and the humanities.
Using the History and Humanities workbooks, students will study Western civilization, American history, American government, political theory, worldview, geography, apologetics, religion, philosophy and humanities.
The Literature and Composition notebook includes literature that corresponds with the time period they are studying. It also helps students build strong writing skills.
Who Will Love the Integrated Curriculum:
Let’s be real: by the time you’ve spent the last 7 or 8 years piecing together homeschool curriculum, you’re tired. You’re happy to find someone to do the dirty work for you, while delivering a thorough and rigorous curriculum.
With that being said, I would say any homeschool mom would love this.
But I think moms of driven, motivated teens will love that this pushes students to think outside the box. (Emersyn was constantly wanting more, more, more. It was exhausting, as her mom.)
But the curriculum would also work well for unmotivated kids. You know the ones, they need structure and a schedule to keep them going.
If you have a student that loves deep discussions, wants to feel prepared for college or is just looking to deepen their learning of Biblical principles, this is perfect for you.
More than Just Great Books:
As a leader in the high school curriculum world, Steadfast has also created lesson plans for micro-schools, co-ops and groups!!! If you’ve ever been in charge of teaching a class full of teenagers at your homeschool co-op, you know exactly how hard it is to find a topic that engages the students without feeling “watered down.”
They also offer a few other learning resources:
-History at a Glance Blank Timeline:
As a homeschool mom who has built her kids’ elementary history timeline down her hallway, I can honestly say this little book is worth it’s weight in gold!
Students can quickly and easily see exactly where Biblical events happened, in comparison to historical events.
Made of heavy paper and a poly cover, this thing is built to last throughout the years!
–Ancient History Jeopardy Game:
The free Jeopardy-like resource highlights the Ancients for both Literature and History. You can play it as a family night activity or with your co-op group.
There are categories and clues from Creation, the Bible, epic literature, geography, philosophy, and all the ancient civilizations. With a total of 27 categories and 8 clues in each, this is the most fun way to review exactly what you’ve learned.
This print-and-play game is one of my favorite ways to start a discussion with our entire family about what my teen is learning.
-Table Talk Discussion Questions for Moms:
While this resource isn’t yet available on their site, I am SO excited about this! I love anything that gets teens talking and these questions are sure to improve both critical thinking skills and communication skills.
Tying it All Together:
Steadfast homeschool curriculum for high school is a dream because it intertwines so many subjects into one comprehensive curriculum.
Year One
| Ancient Literature/Comp I | 1.00 Credit |
| Western Civilization I | 1.00 Credit |
| Bible | 1.00 Credit |
| Worldview | 1.00 Credit |
| Geography | .25 Credit |
| Philosophy | .25 Credit |
| Apologetics | .25 Credit |
| Total | 4.75 Credits |
Year Two
| Medieval-Reformation Literature/Comp II | 1.00 Credit |
| Western Civilization II | 1.00 Credit |
| Bible | .50 Credit |
| Humanities I | .50 Credit |
| Religion | .50 Credits |
| Worldview | .25 Credit |
| Geography | .25 Credit |
| Philosophy | .25 Credit |
| Political Theory | .25 Credit |
| Total | 4.50 Credits |
Year Three
| Early Modern Literature/Comp III | 1.00 Credit |
| Western Civilization III | .50 Credit |
| Humanities II | .50 Credit |
| American History I | .50 Credit |
| American Government | .50 Credit |
| Apologetics | .50 Credit |
| Worldview | .25 Credit |
| Geography | .25 Credit |
| Philosophy | .25 Credit |
| Political Theory | .25 Credit |
| Total | 4.50 Credits |
Year Four
| Modern Literature/Comp IV | 1.00 Credit |
| Western Civilization IV | 1.00 Credit |
| Humanities III | .50 Credit |
| American History II | .50 Credit |
| Apologetics | .50 Credit |
| Worldview | .50 Credit |
| Geography | .25 Credit |
| Philosophy | .25 Credit |
| Political Theory | .25 Credit |
| Total | 4.25 Credits |
Over the course of 4 years, your student will earn 17.5 high school credits!
In Missouri, we need 24 credit hours so my plan is to pair this curriculum with only a handful of other mandatory classes.
Just toss in math, science, PE and any other requirements and your ENTIRE high school years are done!
We will have WAY more than enough credits to graduate…but best of all, I know my kids will be equipped and ready for college once they’ve completed the Steadfast curriculum.
What I Love About Steadfast Curriculum
Steadfast is a fairly new company in the homeschool world but I feel like I’ve just discovered a pot o’ gold!
There are so many things that I just know other homeschool moms will love about the homeschool curriculum for high school and I honestly can’t find anything negative to say about it.
The authors have thought of everything:
- Christ-centered
- Rigorous and structured yet flexible and user-friendly
- REALLY teaches kids and builds a strong foundation, leaving them prepared for college
- Leads to great discussions
- Seamlessly weaves all subjects together
- Utilizes high-quality literature
- Prepares kids to defend their faith and truly know WHY they believe what they do
- Improves skills like writing, analyzing and articulating clearly
- Comprehensive (And I’m not talking about just ONE year! They’ve taken care of the majority of our high school curriculum!)
- Grows their faith and points them closer to God
If you’re looking for a thorough and Biblical core for your high school years, Steadfast is exactly what you need!
