Home › Reading & phonics › Comparisons
Two homeschool reading and phonics programs, compared on what actually decides the fit: how your child reads now, how much you'll teach, and how each one is delivered.
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 (reading/English) | Abeka Reading/Phonics | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | 1–12 | PreK–6 |
| Approach | Traditional, rigorous | Traditional, synthetic phonics |
| Who teaches | The parent teaches from a scripted guide | The parent teaches from a scripted guide |
| Parent prep | Low (open-and-go teacher's manual) | Low (scripted lesson plans) |
| Screen time | Mostly offline (books and paper) | Mostly offline (books and paper) |
| Faith | Christian content throughout | Christian content throughout |
| Cost | Full Grade 1 Reading & Phonics set (readers, workbooks, penmanship, worksheets, both teacher's manuals — 23 items): $253.65 | Grade 1 Phonics: Letters and Sounds 1 workbook + Teacher Edition + Test Book, $85.60 total; the full Language Arts kit with readers, spelling and grammar runs $366.80 |
| Parents love |
|
|
| Common complaints |
|
|
Rod & Staff is especially beloved for its grammar-and-reading combination, and parents report strong results, including above-grade-level reading and vocabulary scores. Because texts are hardcover and rarely revised, families reuse and resell them across many children, which softens the sticker price over time. The content reflects a specific Mennonite Christian tradition throughout.
Parents value the rigor and steady review, and many say it produces strong, well-drilled readers. The trade-off is pace: it moves fast and can overwhelm a struggling or very active child, and the video-school option to hand off teaching costs extra.
Neither is better for every child. Rod & Staff (reading/English) is the stronger fit for fluent, wants enrichment; some. Abeka Reading/Phonics is the stronger fit for not yet reading; just starting (letter sounds); plenty.
Rod & Staff (reading/English): Full Grade 1 Reading & Phonics set (readers, workbooks, penmanship, worksheets, both teacher's manuals — 23 items): $253.65. Abeka Reading/Phonics: Grade 1 Phonics: Letters and Sounds 1 workbook + Teacher Edition + Test Book, $85.60 total; the full Language Arts kit with readers, spelling and grammar runs $366.80.
Summaries are in our own words.