Ezra Learning vs The Good and the Beautiful

What each one is

The Good and the Beautiful is a homeschool curriculum written by Jenny Phillips, who began with language arts courses for her own children and now sells course books from preschool through high school in Language Arts, Math, Science, History & Social Studies, Handwriting and electives. Lessons are parent-led in the younger levels and "mostly self-directed" from Level 4 up; courses are sold by level, and the Language Arts K–8 and Math K–8 course books are also offered as free print-at-home PDFs. In print, the Level 3 Language Arts Course Set is $72.97 and the Math 3 Course Set is $58.98 — $131.95 for the two core subjects for one child, with Science and History sold separately.

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.

The facts, line by line

		The Good and the Beautiful
Grades	Grades 1–9	Preschool–High school
Subjects	Math, English, Spelling, Bible, Geography	Language Arts, Math, Science, History & Social Studies, Handwriting, electives
Price	$15 USD a month for the household (up to six children)	Per level, per child: Level 3 Language Arts $72.97, Math 3 $58.98 in print; LA K–8 and Math K–8 free as PDFs
Free to start	Two sections of every subject and grade, always free	Language Arts K–8 and Math K–8 course books free as PDFs; sample PDFs for other courses
How a lesson is taught	Narrated by a voice, drawings only, watch-only	Parent reads and works through the course book with the child; optional videos; "mostly self-directed" from Level 4
Practice	Hands-on: drag, tap, sort, build, drop a pin	Written work in the course book; games with the Math Box pieces; spelling practice book
Scripture	A Bible verse in every strand of every subject, read aloud	"A general Christian worldview"; Bible verses quoted from the King James Version
Printables	A PDF sheet for every lesson + a library of 147 books and packs	Whole courses as free PDFs (LA K–8, Math K–8); free answer keys and flashcards
High school	No	High School 1–3 Language Arts and other courses
Science	No	Yes
History	No	Yes
Parent reports	Per child: minutes, mastery, needs-a-hand, PDF report	The parent marks the work with the answer key; no online report
No screen needed	Lessons and practice are on a screen; sheets print	Yes, the whole course is on paper
Cartoons, games, characters	None	Full-color illustrated books; board-style games with pawns and dice in Math K–3; no mascots stated on their site

Facts checked October 14, 2026 on the two sites. Prices and plans change; the links at the end go to The Good and the Beautiful'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. The Good and the Beautiful is priced per student. Ezra is priced per household, so a second, third or fourth child costs nothing more.

How a lesson is taught

A Good and the Beautiful lesson is a page or two in a full-color course book. In Levels K–3 the parent sits with the child, reads the lesson aloud from the book, and the child answers, reads, writes or spells in the same book; the company says the lessons are "open and go" and need no daily preparation. Math K–3 adds a box of pieces (dice, pawns, tangrams, a tape measure) for the games in the lessons, and Levels 4–8 add optional video lessons and are written for the child to do mostly on his own. The parent checks the work against the answer key, which is a free PDF or a printed book sold separately. The real strengths of paper are here: no screen, no subscription, a book the child keeps, and whole courses that can be printed free.

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. The Good and the Beautiful says on its own site that its curriculum "takes a general Christian worldview, focusing, not on the doctrine of any particular Christian church" but on "general principles of moral character such as honesty and kindness", that it quotes the King James Version when it quotes the Bible, and that "parents can add in their own doctrinal beliefs as desired." The company also states that its owner, Jenny Phillips, is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that the curriculum is not affiliated with her church; it lists reviewers and users from many denominations. Families who want a particular confession taught will teach it themselves alongside the books. 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 The Good and the Beautiful has that Ezra does not

Preschool, kindergarten and high school. Science and History as full courses, and electives such as handwriting, typing and art. Literature, art and poetry woven into the language arts course, with a set of readers in each level. A whole curriculum on paper, with the Language Arts and Math course books free to print at home, so a family can run the core subjects for the cost of ink and paper. A bookshop of its own titles. And books the child keeps and a younger brother can use again.

What Ezra has that The Good and the Beautiful 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 of its own in every grade. A narrated lesson the child can press play on by himself, with a simple line drawing on every slide, so a parent of several children is not needed at the table for every lesson. Practice the child does with his hands — dragging, sorting, building, dropping a pin on a map — generated endlessly, graded on the spot, with a parent report that shows mastery, minutes and where he needs a hand. Spelling and Geography as subjects of their own with their own lessons. A printable sheet for every lesson and a library of 147 books and packs. One price for the household, however many children and whichever grades. And two free sections of every subject and grade, so a family can see all of it before paying anything.

Where the facts come from

• Level 3 Language Arts Course Set — goodandbeautiful.com
• Math 3 Course Set — goodandbeautiful.com
• Free homeschool math curriculum (PDF downloads) — goodandbeautiful.com
• Does the curriculum include doctrines specific to any certain Christian denomination? — goodandbeautiful.com
• Ezra Learning: pricing and curriculum pages, October 14, 2026.

The Good and the Beautiful is the name of its owner, used here only to identify the product. If you represent The Good and the Beautiful and a fact here is wrong, write to hello@ezralearning.com and we will correct it.