Frequently asked questions

At this time School Launch does not create its own videos. Every video comes from outside creators, on channels we've vetted.

Every lesson is built around a video we picked on purpose. Jerad reviews each YouTube channel before it is used on the site. We keep a list of approved channels and a list of channels we have turned down, and a video only goes into a course if it comes from an approved channel.

We look for teachers who are clear, kind and good at their craft, and for videos that are family-friendly and fit our values. Our science is creation-friendly. We leave out videos that push political or ideological agendas, and we skip content built around ideas that cut against a Christian view of the world.

Channels are chosen for their reputation and track record, not vetted video by video, so please preview before handing over the screen.

Inside our courses, videos play through YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com), which doesn't store viewing cookies until a video is played. A few channels don't allow playback on other sites; those open on YouTube itself, and we mark them.

When a link opens on YouTube, YouTube shows its own recommendations and ads. Stick to the channel's playlists, and watch new videos first.

Many lessons have a backup video from a different teacher, listed right under the main one, and we're adding more. If a video is removed or something seems wrong, tell us and we'll fix it.

School Launch is a classical Christian curriculum. Every lesson has a worked example or true story, practice with answers, a hands-on project and Scripture where it fits. Many of our grade-level courses follow the same rhythm: nine units of four lessons, a year's work at a steady pace. Most courses include tests, and several include recitation and memory work. Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.

Yes. Every section with tests, quizzes or worksheets has an answer key, either available now or being added. Keys come as a separate PDF, so parents can keep them away from students.

Kindergarten through grade 12. Some subjects run across many grades (Geography, Earth and Life Science, Art, PE, Engineering, Business, Cooking and Gardening), while others start later: English Grammar, Composition and Latin begin in grade 3, Pre-Algebra in grade 6, and the high school courses run through Trigonometry, Statistics, Geology and the career pathways. Explore Tracks are self-paced stops for curious children ages 7 and up.

The Start page shows the courses for each grade, and the Courses page lists every course with its grade range.

Yes. Math K–5 takes children from counting to fractions and decimals, ready for Pre-Algebra. Phonics & Reading covers Kindergarten through Grade 2 with systematic, explicit phonics. English Grammar and Composition begin in grade 3.

No, there are no plans at this time. Our focus is on our stakeholders, who are students and families first, second and third.

School Launch is a free tool, not an accredited school. No credits, transcripts or diplomas are issued. Parents and schools are responsible for meeting their own state or local requirements; see our Terms of use.

School Launch stands with the historic Christian faith as summarized in the Apostles’ Creed, confessed by Christians across the centuries and around the world.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

Parents are their children’s first teachers (Deuteronomy 6:6–7). We serve families and never replace them. Read more on our About page.

Yes. Our house brand courses are free, and every course, along with access to the whole site, will stay free for everyone. There is no membership.

To keep School Launch going, we may later offer ways to help, such as suggested donations, sponsorships or optional products. None of these will ever be required to use the courses.

Yes, please do. Teachers, co-ops and schools can adopt our courses and make them their own. Our lessons, worksheets, answer keys, tests and PDFs are licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, which means you can:

• print and hand out as many copies as you need;
• rearrange, shorten, translate or add to them;
• charge tuition, or recover the actual cost of printing.

Keep the credit line (“From School Launch (schoollaunch.org), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0”), say if you changed anything, share your adapted version under the same license, and don't sell the materials or put them behind a paywall. Videos, images and quoted texts keep their own licenses. Details are on our Terms of use page.

Go to Start here and pick your student’s grade. You'll see the courses for that year, marked Core (what we suggest for a full year) or Elective (add as time and interest allow), and you can build a year plan from there.

Programs vary by state. Some can be used while you stay a homeschooler, and some require you to leave homeschool status or enroll in a public-school program. Homeschool Help lists the rules, official links, and money programs for every state and Washington, DC, plus federal notes on 529 plans. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. Read the official links, and ask an attorney or a tax professional about your own situation.

Pick a lesson, watch the video together or let an older student watch on their own, work the example, then do the practice and check the answers. Do the hands-on project, and finish with the Scripture or recitation where the lesson has one. After reading or watching, have your child close it and tell back or write down what they remember; recalling is what makes learning stick.

A lesson takes about 20–50 minutes. As a rough guide to total learning time each day:

• Kindergarten: 1–2 hours
• Grades 1–6: 3–4 hours
• Grades 7–12: 5–7 hours

Screen time is your call as the parent. As a general guide, we recommend videos of about 10 minutes or less, and total screen time under 1 hour a day. Videos are one part of each lesson; most of the work is reading, practice, projects and hands-on making.

You set the pace. The courses are written so you can teach alongside younger children and check in with older ones. Please preview videos, and supervise Workshop, cooking, PE and science lessons.

Yes. Every course downloads as one printable PDF, linked from the course page and the Start page. Print as many copies as your family, co-op or school needs.

The Directory is a starter shelf of trusted resources, free and paid, from our house brand, independent creators and established providers. We curate it through our community and connections, and every listing is labeled by cost, format, age and faith perspective. You can filter to Christian organizations only.

Yes. Use the List your resource form on the Educators page. Founding creators are listed free. Every listing is reviewed against our standards: a working site, original work, accurate content, and clear labels for ages, cost and faith perspective. Want to suggest someone else's resource? Write to us.

The shelf collects YouTube creators who share our values, plus reading lists, educational resources and references:

• Reading lists by grade: classic books for K–2, 3–5, 6–8 and 9–12, linked to the Classics Library where it has the book.
• YouTube creators: the channels our courses use, grouped by subject with grade ranges.
• Channels worth watching and contests worth entering.

Some book links on the parent reading lists are affiliate links to Amazon and Bookshop.org. We may earn a small commission from Amazon and Bookshop.org purchases, at no extra cost to you. We only list books we would recommend anyway. The same disclosure sits above the books. Lessons, games and interactives have no affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Very little. There are no accounts or sign-ups. We don't sell your family's information. We use Google Analytics to see which pages are helpful, and some book links on parent pages earn us a small commission. There are no banner or pop-up ads. Google Analytics enhanced measurement is on. It records things like page scrolls, outbound link clicks, file downloads and site searches. You can opt out, and the interactive explainers do not use it.

On My Progress, progress and profile names are saved only in this browser on this device. They are not sent to us. You can clear a learner’s progress from the My Progress page. When more than one learner is saved, you can delete a learner and their name there too. Clearing this browser’s data removes the progress and the names.

The contact and listing forms are meant for adults, and form messages are used only to reply. Parent book lists link to Amazon and Bookshop.org. We may earn a small commission from Amazon and Bookshop.org purchases, at no extra cost to you. We only list books we would recommend anyway. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The same note is on the reading lists. Videos play in YouTube’s privacy-enhanced mode. The privacy page gives the details.

School Launch, Latin Launchpad and the Classics Library are one family of sites, all run by Jerad Shoemaker. Latin Launchpad offers free Latin practice (vocabulary, grammar and quizzes) and works well alongside our Latin courses. The Classics Library offers great books and debate resources, and it supports our reading lists.

Use the Write to us form. Questions, ideas, a skill you'd like to teach, or a family looking for a place to start: send a note, and a real person will read it and write back. Found an error in a lesson? Please tell us that way too.