Ezra Learning vs Sonlight
Sonlight is a literature-based print curriculum for preschool to Grade 12, sold as a box of real books with an Instructor's Guide that the parent teaches from; Ezra is a Grades 1–9 online curriculum priced for the household. Here is how they compare, line by line. Facts checked October 14, 2026; sources at the end.
What each one is
Sonlight Curriculum is a literature-based homeschool curriculum from Sonlight Curriculum of Littleton, Colorado, for preschool through Grade 12. Each All-Subjects Package is an Instructor's Guide with 36 weeks of lesson plans and a box of books: a History / Bible / Literature program of read-alouds and readers (history, Bible and geography together), Language Arts with handwriting and spelling, a math program the family chooses, and Sonlight Science with experiment supplies. The parent reads aloud and leads the discussion; Sonlight does not use tests. All-Subjects Package C for 3rd Grade (4-Day, with the Required Resources) is listed at $1,128.65, shown as 20% off $1,410.81, and free three-week samples can be downloaded.
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.
Sonlight fits best when…
Choose Sonlight if you want your school day built around real books read aloud together, you want History, Science and literature in the same box as Bible and language arts, you want a day planned for you week by week through Grade 12, you have one or two children close in age who can share the read-alouds, you prefer discussion to tests, and you want a money-back guarantee long enough to use half the year before deciding.
Ezra fits best when…
Choose Ezra if your children are in Grades 1–9, you want a lesson the child watches and practice he does with his hands that grades itself, so the parent is not reading and teaching every subject every day, you want Math, English, Spelling, Bible and Geography and nothing else, you want a Bible verse read aloud in every strand of every subject, and the budget matters — a Sonlight package is per child and in the hundreds or more, and the price is for the household with Ezra.
The facts, line by line
 | Sonlight | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | Grades 1–9 | Preschool–Grade 12 |
| Subjects | Math, English, Spelling, Bible, Geography | History / Bible / Literature, Language Arts, Handwriting, Spelling, Math, Science, electives |
| Price | $15 USD a month for the household (up to six children) | $1,128.65 for All-Subjects Package C (3rd Grade), per child, as listed; shown as 20% off $1,410.81 |
| Free to start | Two sections of every subject and grade, always free | Free three-week samples (PDF); money-back guarantee on the first half of a package |
| How a lesson is taught | Narrated by a voice, drawings only, watch-only | The parent reads aloud and leads the discussion from the Instructor's Guide; the child reads his readers |
| Practice | Hands-on: drag, tap, sort, build, drop a pin | Discussion questions, language arts and science activity sheets; no tests |
| Scripture | A Bible verse in every strand of every subject, read aloud | Daily Bible reading and Scripture memory inside the History / Bible / Literature program |
| Printables | A PDF sheet for every lesson + a library of 147 books and packs | Activity sheets in the guides; the books themselves are printed |
| High school | No | Grades 9–12 packages (Levels 100–400) |
| Science | No | Yes |
| History | No | The spine of every level, from an international perspective |
| Parent reports | Per child: minutes, mastery, needs-a-hand, PDF report | The parent evaluates progress through discussion and written work; no grades or tests built in |
| Literature | Reading passages from the Bible and true stories | A box of real books — read-alouds, readers, biographies, historical fiction |
| Screen time | Online, any device with a browser | Paper books; Discover & Do science videos in Levels K–H |
| Cartoons, games, characters | None | None stated; the books are trade books from many publishers |
Facts checked October 14, 2026 on the two sites. Prices and plans change; the links at the end go to Sonlight'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. Sonlight 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). Sonlight: $1,128.65 a year per child, for All-Subjects Package C (3rd Grade, 4-Day, with Required Resources) as listed on their site, shown as 20% off $1,410.81; the chart multiplies by the number of children. Their product page lists the package at $1,128.65, marked "20% OFF $1,410.81"; the 5-Day option and the package without the Required Resources are priced differently there. Free three-week samples of History / Bible / Literature, Language Arts and Science are downloads; a money-back guarantee lets a family use the first half of a package for up to a year and return it for a full refund of the purchase price, shipping excluded.
How a lesson is taught
A Sonlight day runs from the Instructor's Guide, which lays out the week's readings for each book, notes for the parent and discussion questions. The parent reads the day's history, Bible and read-aloud pages out loud, the child reads from his own reader, and they talk about it; language arts adds a short writing or spelling task on an activity sheet, science adds a reading and a Discover & Do experiment, and math is done in whichever program the family chose (Math-U-See in the Grade 3 package). Sonlight says it does not use quizzes or tests; the parent judges progress by the conversation and the written work. It needs, in Sonlight's words, "significant parental involvement", and in return the whole year is planned and the books are the family's to keep, reread or resell.
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. Sonlight describes itself as a "Protestant, Evangelical Christian company" shaped by "an evangelical Christian missions worldview"; Bible is read daily inside its History / Bible / Literature program, with Scripture memory. Sonlight also says it "actively seeks authors who can speak authentically" for people who "see things differently than we do", sells some books written from other perspectives, and adds notes in the guide so that children learn "to understand first and judge second"; the Bible translation used is not stated on the pages we read. 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 Sonlight has that Ezra does not
Preschool, Kindergarten and Grades 10–12. History as the backbone of every year, and Science with experiment kits. A library of real books in the house — read-alouds, readers, biographies, historical fiction — chosen and scheduled for you, that the family keeps and can resell. A fully planned 36-week year in one guide, with a 4-day or 5-day option. Handwriting and a choice of math programs. A money-back guarantee on the first half of a package, and free three-week samples to try first.
What Ezra has that Sonlight does not
A Bible verse in every strand of every subject, read aloud word for word from the Berean Standard Bible, and a Bible subject in every grade. A lesson that teaches itself: the child presses play and a calm voice walks him through it with a simple line drawing on every slide, so the parent is not the reader and teacher of every subject every day. Practice the child does with his hands — dragging, sorting, building, dropping a pin on a map — generated endlessly and graded on the spot, with a parent report that shows mastery, minutes and where he needs a hand; Sonlight has no tests by design. Geography as a subject of its own with maps the child touches. A printable sheet for every lesson and a library of 147 books and packs. Reading passages drawn only from the Bible and true stories. One price for the household. And two free sections of every subject and grade, so a family can see all of it before paying anything.
Questions families ask
Is Sonlight cheaper than Ezra Learning?
No. All-Subjects Package C for 3rd Grade is listed at $1,128.65 per child on sonlight.com (shown as 20% off $1,410.81), and Ezra is $180 a year at the introductory price for the household. A second Sonlight child needs his own consumables and, if he is in another level, another package; two children on Ezra are still $180. Sonlight's books are the family's to keep and resell, which lowers the real cost over time.
Does Ezra Learning cover high school?
No. Ezra covers Grades 1–9. Sonlight runs to Grade 12 with Levels 100–400, so a family with a Grade 10–12 student needs Sonlight or another program for those years.
Does Ezra have Science or History?
No, on purpose. Ezra teaches Mathematics, English, Spelling, Bible and Geography. Sonlight builds every level on History / Bible / Literature and includes Science with experiment supplies.
Is Sonlight Christian?
Yes. Sonlight calls itself a Protestant, Evangelical Christian company with a missions worldview, and Bible reading and Scripture memory are scheduled daily. It also says it includes some books written from other perspectives, with notes in the Instructor's Guide, so that children learn to understand first and judge second. Ezra is Christian as well, reading a verse from the Berean Standard Bible in every strand of every subject and using only the Bible and true stories.
Which one needs more of the parent's time?
Sonlight is read aloud and discussed by the parent every day, and Sonlight says it requires significant parental involvement. Ezra's lessons are narrated and its practice grades itself, so the parent reads the report and helps where it says the child needs a hand.
Can I try either one for free?
Sonlight offers free three-week samples of History / Bible / Literature, Language Arts and Science as downloads, and a money-back guarantee that lets a family use the first half of a package for up to a year. 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 sonlight.com and ezralearning.com. Prices and packages change, and the 20% discount shown on their product pages may not last; the links under Sources go to Sonlight's own pages, and we correct this page when we are told it is out of date.
Where the facts come from
- All-Subjects Package C, 3rd Grade — sonlight.com
- All-Subjects Packages — sonlight.com
- Educational philosophy — sonlight.com
- Frequently asked questions — sonlight.com
- Ezra Learning: pricing and curriculum pages, October 14, 2026.
Sonlight is the name of its owner, used here only to identify the product. If you represent Sonlight and a fact here is wrong, write to hello@ezralearning.com and we will correct it.
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