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How to pick the right starting point for every history program we cover, in one place. Most history programs place by grade range or era rather than a test.
Links checked September 2026
| Program | Type | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Abeka History & Geography | Placement guide | Abeka: Homeschool Scope & Sequence Grade-by-grade topic list to help match a child to the right level |
| Ambleside Online | Placement guide | AmblesideOnline History: choosing which Year to start Explains the two 6-year history rotations and how Years loosely map to ages/grades |
| Beautiful Feet Books | Placement guide | Beautiful Feet Books: history curriculum overview Guides are grouped by grade band (K-3, 4-6, 7-9); pick the band matching your child's grade |
| Blossom & Root: A River of Voices | Placement guide | Blossom and Root: United States History overview Gentle/Standard/Advanced pathways let you pick by grade band rather than a formal test |
| BookShark History | Placement guide | BookShark: How to Choose Your BookShark Curriculum Age-range charts plus free reading placement tests for each level |
| Build Your Library | Placement guide | Homeschool Tools: Build Your Library placement and overview No formal test; pick by grade or era, and move down a level if the books feel too hard |
| Christian Light Education | Free placement test | Christian Light Education: Diagnostic Tests Free diagnostic tests to place a student at the right grade level |
| Compass Classroom History (Dave Raymond series) | Placement guide | Compass Classroom Help: history series order Age-based order for the four-course history series |
| Curiosity Chronicles | Placement guide | Curiosity Chronicles: Ancient History (Grades 1-6) course page Levels track era and grade band; most start with Ancient History around 1st-3rd grade |
| Guest Hollow | Placement guide | Guest Hollow: Shop by Grade Grade-band breakdown of which Guest Hollow level to start with |
| History Quest & History Odyssey (Pandia Press) | Placement guide | Homeschool Tools: History Quest placement and overview Most families start with Early Times in 1st-2nd grade, or enter by era/interest |
| Legends & LeaguesSupplement | Placement guide | Veritas Press: suggested order (Primer, then South, East, North, West) Levels are meant to be taken in a set order, not placement-tested |
| Master Books History (America's Story / The World's Story / One Nation Under God) | Placement guide | Master Books: America's Story - which volume to startAffiliate link All three volumes share the same reading level; publisher recommends starting with Volume 1 and going in order |
| Memoria Press History (Famous Men series) | Placement guide | Memoria Press: Famous Men Series recommended order Publisher suggests starting around 3rd-4th grade with Rome, then Middle Ages, Greece, then Modern Times |
| Moving Beyond the Page | Placement guide | Beyond the Page: Choosing an Age-Appropriate Level Explains the 'Ready to Learn' reading/writing assessment used to pick a level |
| My Father's World | Placement guide | MFW Shop by Grade Grade-by-grade breakdown of which MFW level to start with |
| Notgrass History (Our Star-Spangled Story) | Placement guide | Notgrass: differences between Our Star-Spangled Story, America the Beautiful and Exploring America Compares the three age-banded U.S. history courses to help pick the right level |
| Sonlight History, Bible & Literature | Placement guide | Sonlight: Browse Homeschool Curriculum by Level Age/grade level chart plus reading and language-arts placement tests |
| Story of the World | Placement guide | Homeschool Tools: which volume to start Start Volume 1 in 1st grade, or enter any volume matching the era you're studying |
| Tapestry of Grace | Placement guide | Lampstand Press: Trivium level guide (Lower Grammar / Upper Grammar / Dialectic / Rhetoric) Levels map roughly to K-3rd, 4th-6th, 7th-9th and 10th-12th, but parents place by reading/maturity level, not strict grade |
| The Good and the Beautiful History | Placement guide | The Good and the Beautiful: History - Choose Your Course Family set is grouped by Year (1-4), not grade; pick the year matching where you want to start the cycle |
| Torchlight | Placement guide | Torchlight: FAQ (placement tool and sample weeks) Explains the free placement tool and sample-week previews for each level |
| Veritas Press History | Placement guide | Veritas Press: recommended grade-by-course sequence Grade 2 starts at Old Testament & Ancient Egypt; families can start anywhere in the 5-course sequence |
Very few do. History programs are chosen by grade range and by the era or topic you want to study, so the notes above say how each one recommends starting.
Usually, yes. History is the easiest subject to teach together, and many programs are written for several ages at once, with extra work for older children.
Not always. Chronological programs work best in order, but many families start at the era their child is curious about or where a sibling already is.