Why We Chose CTC Math for Our Homeschool

One of the questions I get asked most often by other homeschool parents is, "What do you use for math?"

Every homeschooling parent has to make a decision about how they'll teach math, and there are so many good options available. This is simply the one that's worked well for our family.

How We Started

When I began homeschooling my oldest son as a first grader, I already knew he was working well above grade level in math. I wanted to challenge him, so I started researching curriculum reviews.

After reading Cathy Duffy Reviews, I learned that Singapore Math was considered one of the more rigorous elementary math programs available in the United States. I found a used collection of books from several different levels, had August take the placement test, and got him started.

He worked through the book successfully, but by the end of the year I knew I wanted something different.

Part of the reason was simply practical. I was homeschooling while also working full time, and I realized it was okay to let someone else do some of the teaching. Math is especially well suited to online learning because concepts can be explained through short videos, followed immediately by practice problems with instant feedback.

Why I Chose CTC Math

That summer I began researching again and narrowed my choices to CTC Math and Teaching Textbooks.

Both had excellent reviews. Both are subscription-based online programs. Teaching Textbooks looked more polished and entertaining, but one difference ended up making the decision for me.

Teaching Textbooks requires you to purchase one grade level for one student at a time. At that point, I wasn't completely sure which level would be best for August. I wondered, "What if we start in one level and after a month realize he really belongs in the next one?"

CTC Math works differently. A single family subscription gives you access to every grade level for every child in your family. That flexibility was incredibly appealing.

My daughter was about to start kindergarten, so I would have needed to purchase multiple Teaching Textbooks subscriptions anyway. With CTC Math, I could move August ahead as quickly as he was ready and later use the same subscription for my younger children.

What CTC Math Looks Like

The short version I usually tell people is this:

CTC Math was created by an Australian math teacher who explains each concept in a brief video lesson. After watching, the student completes practice questions, receiving immediate feedback after each answer.

As the parent, I assign the lessons I want completed each week. My children can spread those lessons throughout the week or complete several in one sitting. The flexibility has worked well for us.

What I Like About CTC Math

Almost immediately, I loved the online lesson format. For me, it was well worth the financial investment to remove much of the daily teaching and preparation from my plate.

After a little trial and error, we discovered that August was ready for fourth-grade math while he was in first grade. He thrived.

I also appreciate how much control parents have. I can assign specific lessons each week, monitor progress, and adjust the pace whenever necessary. We aim to complete one full year's curriculum during our nine-month school year. There is a small learning curve to navigating the parent dashboard, but it doesn't take too long to figure out.

I leave the passing requirement at the default setting of 80%. Occasionally that's a little frustrating for the child because some lessons only have a handful of questions, so one mistake can make a big difference. Rather than scheduling lots of quizzes throughout the year, I usually give an overview test at the end of the school year.

Another thing I've appreciated is that the program adapts well as children become more independent.

Last year, as a fourth grader completing seventh-grade math, August often skipped the instructional videos entirely. He would jump straight into the practice questions. If he passed, great. If he didn't earn 80%, he'd go back and watch the lesson before trying again.

I was perfectly happy with that approach. In my opinion, if he already understood the concept, there wasn't much value in requiring him to sit through an explanation he didn't need.

It Has Worked for Multiple Children

This past year my youngest began CTC Math with kindergarten. nOverall, it's been a great fit for him as well.

The biggest challenge wasn't the math itself—it was occasionally entering answers incorrectly. Sometimes he'd accidentally press the wrong key or put a decimal in the wrong place and receive an incorrect answer even though he understood the concept. When that happened, I'd sometimes sit beside him and type the answers while he told me what to enter.

Most of the time, though, he completed his assignments independently.

The Cost

The price has increased since we first subscribed, and I won't pretend I was excited about that. Our family currently pays about $200 per year for the homeschool family plan.

Even with the price increase, I still consider it money well spent because every one of my children can use it, regardless of grade level.

My Advice About Choosing a Math Curriculum

I once had a conversation with a friend who was stressing over which math curriculum to choose. She wanted to make the "right" decision. My advice surprised her.

I told her to pick one...and then stop looking.

The truth is, nearly every major homeschool math curriculum has families who absolutely love it. Most of them teach math very well. The differences between them are often what make one family love a curriculum while another family prefers something else.

Once children reach the upper elementary and middle school years, I think consistency becomes more valuable than finding the "perfect" curriculum. Jumping from one program to another can sometimes leave small gaps because each curriculum introduces topics in a slightly different sequence.

No curriculum is perfect for every child. In fact, if you have multiple children, one might naturally prefer a different program than another. For most of us, though, using a different curriculum for every child simply isn't practical.

So my advice is simple: choose a solid curriculum, give it an honest chance, and stop second-guessing yourself.

That's  what we've done with CTC Math, and after several years of using it, I don't have any plans to switch.