Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum vs Veritas Press History

The sharpest difference is prep load: Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum is involved, Veritas Press History is open-and-go. Seven more separate them, which makes these close to opposite choices.

At a glance

Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum

Grades K-12

Veritas Press History

Grades 2-6

Both are reported to suit Independent workers.

Skip to who fits

Where they differ

Attribute Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum Veritas Press History
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
Prep load
?

How much the parent prepares before a lesson. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:

  1. 1open-and-go
  2. 2minimal
  3. 3moderate
  4. 4involved
  5. 5heavy
Read the prep load 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 None Integrated
Approach Spiral Blended
Format Textbook Online
Method ClassicalTraditional Classical
Grades K-12 2-6

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

Where they match

How each one plays by grade

Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum runs 6 grades further than Veritas Press History. If you want one program to carry the subject for the long haul, plan on leaving Veritas Press History around grade 6 and choosing again.

Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum

Grades K-12

Grade bands K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 each cover the American story at greater depth. K-5 leans on a teacher reading and guiding; the 6-8 and 9-12 American history and government units support more independent reading and writing.

Veritas Press History

Grades 2-6

Five chronological courses, each a year: Old Testament and Ancient Egypt; New Testament, Greece and Rome; Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation; Explorers to 1815; 1815 to the Present. Each has a grades 2-3 and a grades 4-6 level.

Cost

Cost item Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum Veritas Press History
Price Free (optional printed edition sold separately) $20-199 (cards to self-paced course)
Consumable No Partial
Per child / year $0 (free download) ~$215-240 first child self-paced (course, cards, reader), ~$99 per sibling; the You Teach print route is ~$44-72/level

Where to buy

What parents report

Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum

Consistently praised

  • It's completely free
  • Rich primary sources and lesson plans
  • Deep, content-heavy American history
  • Strong civics and government track
  • Well-organized for a teacher

Reported as challenges

  • Written for classrooms, not open-and-go for parents
  • Prep-heavy to adapt at home
  • Reading and reasoning load is high for younger kids
  • Patriotic framing won't suit every family

Veritas Press History

Consistently praised

  • Kids beg to do the lessons
  • Videos, games, and songs make it stick
  • Hands-off for parents
  • Auto-grades and tracks progress
  • Siblings can share one enrollment

Reported as challenges

  • It's a lot of screen time
  • You can't skip around or drop lessons
  • Distinctly Protestant, so it won't suit every family
  • Full-price online enrollment adds up

Who Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum fits

Rigorous, primary-source American history and civics at no cost, for families who don't mind adapting classroom lesson plans, especially in middle and high school. Parents wanting open-and-go materials, gentle elementary history, or a curriculum that avoids a traditional civic framing should keep looking.

Read the full Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum entry Check price Hillsdale College

Who Veritas Press History fits

Classical history a child can run independently on the computer, which frees Christian parents from teaching and grading it. Families avoiding screen time, wanting secular content, or needing middle and high school history should look elsewhere, or choose the You Teach print kit.

Read the full Veritas Press History entry Check price Veritas Press

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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 August 2026.