Ezra Learning vs Northgate Academy
Northgate Academy is an accredited online Christian high school for Grades 9–12 — self-paced courses, coaches, transcripts and a diploma — with tuition per student; Ezra is a Grades 1–9 curriculum the parent runs at home, priced for the household. The two meet only in Grade 9, and a school and a curriculum are different things; here is how they compare, line by line. Facts checked October 14, 2026; sources at the end.
What each one is
Northgate Academy online Christian high school is "an accredited, Christian online high school" for Grades 9–12, run by Excel Education Systems, a nonprofit in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and accredited by Cognia and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. A student enrolls at any time of year, opens his courses within hours in the LearnStage online classroom, and works through them at his own pace with digital textbooks — most finish a school year in six to eight months, by their FAQ — with academic and success coaches, tutors and the BRYTE AI tutor reachable through a help desk during school hours, and the parent watching from a Canvas account. The courses are "presented from a biblical worldview," with Biblical Studies as a subject beside Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, and the diploma and transcripts are mailed within one to two weeks of graduation. Tuition on the Silver plan is $1,950 a year per student for six credits, or $195 a month over ten months, and a new student has ten days to try it with a full refund.
Ezra Learning covers Grades 1–9 in Mathematics, English, Spelling, Bible and Geography, with about 6,900 hands-on practice skills and 1,220 narrated lessons, each with a printable sheet. Scripture (Berean Standard Bible) is read word for word in every strand of every subject; there are no cartoons, games or characters. The Family plan is $15 a month per household, up to six children, and the first two sections of every subject and grade are free.
Northgate Academy fits best when…
Choose Northgate Academy if you have a high-school student who needs an accredited diploma and transcripts from a Christian school, wants to work at his own pace and finish a year in six to eight months, needs Science, Social Studies, honors or AP courses and NCAA-approved core courses, or needs a way to earn a diploma as an adult. Northgate is a school for Grades 9–12; it is not a program for younger children.
Ezra fits best when…
Choose Ezra if your children are in Grades 1–9 and you want to be the teacher yourself, with a short narrated lesson and hands-on practice that grades itself; if you want a Bible verse read aloud in every strand of every subject; if you do not need accreditation, transcripts or a diploma; and if you have more than one child — the price is for the household. A family with a student past Grade 9 needs a high school as well, and Northgate is one.
The facts, line by line
 | Northgate Academy | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | Grades 1–9 | Grades 9–12, plus an adult diploma program |
| Subjects | Math, English, Spelling, Bible, Geography | Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Biblical Studies, electives |
| Price | $15 USD a month for the household (up to six children) | $1,950 a year per student for six credits, or $195 a month over ten months; $325 a single course |
| Free to start | Two sections of every subject and grade, always free | Ten days to try the program with a full refund |
| How a lesson is taught | Narrated by a voice, drawings only, watch-only | Self-paced online courses with digital textbooks in the LearnStage classroom |
| Practice | Hands-on: drag, tap, sort, build, drop a pin | Coursework and assessments in the online course; coaches and an AI tutor through the help desk |
| Scripture | A Bible verse in every strand of every subject, read aloud | Courses "presented from a biblical worldview"; Biblical Studies courses (Introduction to the Bible, Bible Doctrines, Jesus' Ministry, Revelation) |
| Printables | A PDF sheet for every lesson + a library of 147 books and packs | Not stated on their site; textbooks are digital |
| High school | No | Yes — Grades 9–12 with an accredited diploma; honors and AP through Excel High School |
| Science | No | Yes |
| History | No | Social Studies: World History, U.S. History, Government, Economics, World Geography |
| Accredited school | No — a curriculum | Yes: Cognia and the Middle States Association; diploma and transcripts |
| Parent reports | Per child: minutes, mastery, needs-a-hand, PDF report | Parent access to the Canvas LMS; records office for transcripts |
| Pace | The family sets it; no deadlines | Self-paced; a year typically finished in 6–8 months; start any day |
| Cartoons, games, characters | None | Not stated on their site |
Facts checked October 14, 2026 on the two sites. Prices and plans change; the links at the end go to Northgate Academy's own pages, and we correct this table when we are told it is out of date.
What it costs your family
The biggest practical difference is how the price is counted. Northgate Academy is priced per student. Ezra is priced per household, so a second, third or fourth child costs nothing more.
Ezra: $15 × 12 at the introductory price (normally $19 a month). Northgate Academy: $1,950 a year or $195 a month tuition per student for a full high-school year of six credits on the Silver plan (their 2025/26 price), paid in full or in ten interest-free monthly payments; the chart multiplies by the number of children. Northgate's FAQ still gives $1,900 a year and $190 a month, so check the tuition page for the current figure. A single course is $325, the adult diploma program $99 a month until graduation; no registration or graduation fee is listed. New students have ten days to try the program with a full refund.
How a lesson is taught
A Northgate student logs in to the LearnStage online classroom and works through his courses on his own schedule, reading the digital textbook and completing the coursework and assessments in each course; he can work ahead or take more time, and their FAQ says a school year is typically finished in six to eight months. The courses are written by subject-matter experts and the student reaches academic and success coaches, tutors and the BRYTE AI tutor through a help desk by ticket, phone, text or chat during school hours; the site does not describe live classes or video lessons. The parent follows the work from an account on the Canvas LMS, and the school keeps the records and issues the transcripts and the diploma. There is no parent-led teaching in it: the student is enrolled in a school.
An Ezra lesson is a short narrated slideshow: one voice reads every word while a simple line drawing builds up on the slide — no cartoons, no characters, no questions asked of the child inside the lesson. The lesson ends with a Bible verse read aloud, and every lesson has a printable sheet for the child to do on paper. Then the child goes to the practice skills of that strand, which are hands-on: drag the pieces, tap the picture, build the number, sort the words, drop a pin on the map.
Where the Bible sits
Both programs are Christian. Northgate describes itself as "Faith-Based. Student-Focused.", says its curriculum is "grounded in biblical truth" and its courses are "presented from a biblical worldview," publishes a Statement of Faith, and offers Biblical Studies courses — Introduction to the Bible, Bible Doctrines, Jesus' Ministry and Disciples, and the Book of the Revelation. Whether a Bible course is required for the diploma, and which translation is used, are not stated on its site. In Ezra, Scripture is not a subject on the side. Every strand of Mathematics, English, Spelling and Geography closes with a verse from the Berean Standard Bible, read aloud word for word, and a Scripture practice skill sits at the end of every strand. Bible is also a subject of its own in every grade, with a character strand (obey right away, tell the truth, no quarrelling) in each. The verses are never paraphrased.
What Northgate Academy has that Ezra does not
A high school. Grades 10–12, an accredited diploma recognized by colleges, employers and the military, official transcripts, honors and AP courses through its sister school and NCAA-approved core courses. Science — Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics — and Social Studies as full subjects. Coaches, tutors and an AI tutor on call, a parent account on Canvas, enrollment on any day of the year, and a year that can be finished in six to eight months. An adult diploma program at $99 a month. And a ten-day trial with a full refund.
What Ezra has that Northgate Academy does not
A Bible verse in every strand of every subject, read aloud word for word from the Berean Standard Bible. Practice the child does with his hands — dragging, sorting, building, dropping a pin on a map — rather than ticking boxes. One calm narrated voice with a simple drawing on every slide, and no cartoons, games, characters or rewards shops. A printable sheet for every lesson and a library of 147 books and packs (copywork, handwriting, grammar, spelling, Bible, maps, a year planner). One price for the household, however many children. And two free sections of every subject and grade, so a family can see all of it before paying anything.
Questions families ask
Is Northgate Academy cheaper than Ezra Learning?
They are different things for different ages. Northgate tuition is $1,950 a year per student on the Silver plan ($195 a month over ten months) for a high-school year of six credits, and $325 for a single course. Ezra is $15 USD a month, $180 a year, at the introductory price, for the whole household — but it is a Grades 1–9 curriculum the parent runs, not a high school with coaches and a diploma.
Is Northgate Academy an accredited school?
Yes. Northgate is an online Christian high school accredited by Cognia and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; it issues an accredited diploma and official transcripts, mailed within one to two weeks of graduation. Ezra is a curriculum, not a school: there are no teachers, no transcripts and no diploma, and the parent keeps the records.
Does Ezra Learning cover high school?
No. Ezra covers Grades 1–9, so the two programs meet only in Grade 9. Northgate is Grades 9–12 only — a student must be 14 and have finished Grade 8 to enroll — so a family with younger children needs Ezra or another program for those years, and a family with a Grade 10–12 student needs Northgate or another high school.
Does Ezra have Science or History?
No, on purpose. Ezra teaches Mathematics, English, Spelling, Bible and Geography. Northgate's catalog has Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and World History, U.S. History, Government, Economics and World Geography.
Is Northgate Academy Christian?
Yes. It calls itself an accredited Christian online high school, publishes a Statement of Faith, presents its courses from a biblical worldview, and offers four Biblical Studies courses. Ezra is also Christian, and reads a verse from the Berean Standard Bible in every strand of every subject.
Can I try either one for free?
Northgate gives a new student ten days to test-drive the program with a full refund on withdrawal. Ezra keeps the first two sections of every subject and grade free, with no time limit and no card.
Are these facts current?
They were checked on October 14, 2026 on northgateacademy.com and ezralearning.com. Northgate's tuition page gives $1,950 a year for 2025/26 while its FAQ still says $1,900, so check the tuition page before you decide; the links under Sources go to Northgate's own pages, and we correct this page when we are told it is out of date.
Where the facts come from
- Tuition and program cost — northgateacademy.com
- About our school — northgateacademy.com
- Frequently asked questions — northgateacademy.com
- Course catalog — northgateacademy.com
- Ezra Learning: pricing and curriculum pages, October 14, 2026.
Northgate Academy and Excel Education Systems (nonprofit), Minnetonka, Minnesota are names of their owners, used here only to identify their products. If you represent Northgate Academy and a fact here is wrong, write to hello@ezralearning.com and we will correct it.
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