ACE Math PACEs vs Teaching Textbooks Math

The sharpest difference is screen time: ACE Math PACEs is fully offline, Teaching Textbooks Math is mostly digital. Six more come apart as well, so the two have little in common past the subject.

At a glance

ACE Math PACEs

Grades 1-12

Owners report it suits

Multi-age families

Teaching Textbooks Math

Grades 3-12

Owners report it suits

Math-anxious parents

Both are reported to suit Independent workers.

Skip to who fits

Where they differ

Attribute ACE Math PACEs Teaching Textbooks Math
Rigor
?

How demanding the material is versus grade level. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:

  1. 1gentle, below grade
  2. 2relaxed
  3. 3on grade
  4. 4demanding
  5. 5advanced
Read the rigor guide
Parent involvement
?

How much the parent is present and teaching. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:

  1. 1hands-off
  2. 2light
  3. 3shared
  4. 4leading
  5. 5parent-taught
Read the parent involvement guide
Screen time
?

How much daily work is on a device. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:

  1. 1fully offline
  2. 2mostly offline
  3. 3blended
  4. 4mostly digital
  5. 5fully digital
Read the screen time guide
Independence
?

How much the child can do alone. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:

  1. 1adult-led
  2. 2guided
  3. 3semi-independent
  4. 4mostly independent
  5. 5fully independent
Read the independence guide
Faith content Integrated Light
Approach Mastery Spiral
Format Workbook Online
Best for Tags show where owners consistently report a good fit. They are not exclusions. Independent workersMulti-age families Independent workersMath-anxious parents
Method TraditionalTraditional textbook Video-led/self-pacedAdaptive online
Grades 1-12 3-12

Solid tags are unique to that program. Muted tags are carried by both.

Where they match

How each one plays by grade

ACE Math PACEs

Grades 1-12

ACE moves slowly with heavy drill in the primary grades, and the difficulty curve rises quickly after elementary, where self-teaching of math gets harder.

Teaching Textbooks Math

Grades 3-12

Cost

Cost item ACE Math PACEs Teaching Textbooks Math
Price $40-50/grade $50-200/yr
Consumable Yes No
Per child / year ~$40-50 ~$50-70

Where to buy

What parents report

ACE Math PACEs

Consistently praised

  • Bite-sized PACEs are easy to manage across kids
  • Fosters independent work habits
  • Open and go with no prep
  • Some kids gain confidence
  • Inexpensive per grade

Reported as challenges

  • Math is widely called its weakest subject
  • Concepts under-explained, errors reported in the keys
  • Heavy rote and fill-in-the-blank, light on thinking
  • Often runs about a grade behind

Teaching Textbooks Math

Consistently praised

  • Self-grading saves parent time
  • Kids can work independently
  • Clear video lessons
  • Low prep

Reported as challenges

  • Considered light/below grade by some
  • Fewer challenging word problems
  • Subscription cost recurs yearly

Who ACE Math PACEs fits

An inexpensive, independent, scripture-integrated workbook system for families who can supervise or supplement the math. Families wanting strong conceptual instruction, on-grade rigor, or a program a child can self-teach won't find it here.

Read the full ACE Math PACEs entry Check price Accelerated Christian Education

Who Teaching Textbooks Math fits

Independent, screen-comfortable learners whose parents want to step back, and parents who aren't confident in the math themselves. Families who want a parent at the table, paper on the desk, or an accelerated track should keep looking.

Read the full Teaching Textbooks Math entry Check price Teaching Textbooks

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Still deciding?

Descriptions aggregate what homeschool parents consistently report across public community sources together with each publisher's own materials. Prices and editions change over time. Both entries last reviewed July 2026.