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Two homeschool language arts programs, compared on what actually decides the fit: what each one teaches, how your child feels about writing, and how much you'll teach.
Updated September 2026 · based on parent reviews and publisher information
These two are close: the differences are small, so price, grade range and what parents say below may decide it.
Still torn? Answer a few questions and see how both rank for your child, side by side.
Compare for my child| Rod & Staff English | BJU Press English | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | 2nd–10th | 1st–12th |
| Covers | grammar | grammar |
| Approach | Traditional, rigorous Christian grammar | Traditional, spiral-review Christian grammar and writing |
| Who teaches | The parent teaches from a scripted guide | The parent teaches from a scripted guide |
| Parent prep | Moderate (teacher's manual guides lessons) | Moderate (scripted textbook lessons) |
| Screen time | Mostly offline (books and paper) | A mix of screen and paper |
| Video lessons | Not yet checked | Available: optional video-lesson add-on at upper grades |
| Faith | Christian content throughout | Christian content throughout |
| Cost | About $34.50 for a grade set (student text, worksheets, tests, teacher's manual) | About $131 for a Grade 7 Homeschool Kit (4th edition); components alone run $40+ |
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Families who want a rigorous, traditional grammar foundation describe Rod & Staff as thorough and reliable, often a year or two ahead of other programs, with non-consumable texts that get reused across siblings. The trade-offs are a plain, dated page layout and religious content specific to the publisher's Mennonite tradition, plus a pace that can feel heavy for some kids.
Parents value the college-prep rigor at the high school level and the systematic grammar with diagramming built into a spiral-review structure, well-laid-out from grade to grade. The cost adds up per grade kit, faith content runs throughout (a downside for secular families), and it's reported as demanding and fast-paced for some kids.
Neither is better for every child. Rod & Staff English is the stronger fit for classical; mostly offline. BJU Press English is the stronger fit for some screen time; online; video lessons a big plus.
Rod & Staff English: grammar. BJU Press English: grammar.
Rod & Staff English: About $34.50 for a grade set (student text, worksheets, tests, teacher's manual). BJU Press English: About $131 for a Grade 7 Homeschool Kit (4th edition); components alone run $40+.
Summaries are in our own words.