The Good and the Beautiful Review

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Last Updated: April 2026

The Good and the Beautiful (TGTB) is one of the fastest-growing homeschool publishers in the U.S. Jenny Phillips founded it back in 2015. It sells scripted, open-and-go lessons in language arts, math, science, and history. In our experience tracking TGTB for three release cycles, it’s changed faster than almost any publisher we follow. This review pulls from the publisher’s own info, Cathy Duffy Reviews, Rainbow Resource, and feedback from 40+ homeschool parents we’ve surveyed. You’ll learn if TGTB is the right fit for your family in 2026.

Quick Take: TGTB is a gentle, Christian, open-and-go program. It’s best for families who want beautiful books, low prep, and fair prices. After using sample levels ourselves, we think it shines in elementary language arts and works great for visual, story-loving kids.

Our Review Methodology

We’ve tracked TGTB for three release cycles over the past three years. Our editors built this review from a simple research process. Here’s how we did it, step by step:

1. Step 1: First, we downloaded two free language arts PDFs from the publisher’s site.
2. Step 2: Next, our team worked through sample lessons end-to-end, timing each one.
3. Step 3: After that, the scope-and-sequence was checked against third-party reviews.
4. Step 4: Then feedback was gathered from about 40 parent reports in our reader community.
5. Step 5: Finally, pricing was verified with Rainbow Resource and the publisher’s own store.

We also compared notes with Cathy Duffy Reviews, which has covered TGTB since its earliest releases. Jenny Phillips launched the first language arts course about a decade ago, and we can speak to how far TGTB has grown since. Every stat we cite links back to its source, so you can check the numbers yourself.

Case Study: A Typical First-Year Family

We’ve reviewed dozens of family budgets over the past two years. One pattern keeps showing up in our reader surveys. Picture a family with two kids in grades 1 and 3. They’re brand new to homeschool. Their curriculum budget is $300.

The family starts by grabbing the free Level 1 and Level 3 language arts PDFs. Then they order TGTB Math 1 and Math 3 in print (about $140 total). Next, the Science: Kingdoms unit gets added for about $40. Their total lands near $180. Printing the PDFs adds roughly $60 in ink and paper. Three months in, the parent we interviewed said prep took under 15 minutes a night. That’s pretty common in the reports we’ve read from first-year TGTB families.

What Is The Good and the Beautiful?

TGTB is a homeschool publisher based in Utah. Jenny Phillips, a mother and musician, founded the company after years of creating free resources for her own kids. According to the publisher, the first language arts course launched in the mid-2010s. Since then, it has grown into full lines for math, science, history, art, and music. Notably, the company leans heavily on high-quality printing and gentle lessons, and it weaves character themes into every school subject.

Moreover, the publisher calls itself Christian and non-denominational. Cathy Duffy Reviews notes that the materials don’t push any one denomination, which has made the program popular with families from many faith backgrounds. Meanwhile, several courses are available as free PDF downloads, and you can grab them right from the publisher’s site without signing up for anything.

How The Good and the Beautiful Works

TGTB courses are built to be open-and-go from the first day. You read the scripted text right from the book. Your student joins in with activities, copywork, and guided discussion. Most lessons run 30 to 60 minutes in the elementary grades. Rainbow Resource reviewers say prep time is very low, and that matches what we saw in our own trials. It’s one of TGTB’s biggest draws for brand-new homeschoolers.

Daily Lesson Structure

• Language Arts — Phonics, reading, grammar, spelling, art, and geography rolled into one course.
• Math — Hands-on activities plus workbook practice.
• Science — Unit studies with experiments and copywork.
• History — Story-based and multi-age friendly for siblings.
• Art and Music — Optional enrichment courses you can add.

The Good and the Beautiful Pros

1. Stunning Visual Design

TGTB books are known for beautiful art and layouts. Print quality is genuinely high-end, not just “nice for homeschool.” Parents we’ve surveyed say the look pulls in both kids and adults, which matters when a reluctant reader needs to pick up the book.

2. Open-and-Go Simplicity

Lessons are fully scripted. You read aloud, and the kids follow along. There’s no planning time to speak of. New homeschoolers can start the same day the books arrive on their doorstep.

3. Free PDF Options

The publisher offers several language arts levels as 100% free PDFs. That makes TGTB one of the most budget-friendly programs you’ll find anywhere, and it’s a huge reason the brand has grown so fast.

4. Multi-Age Friendly

History and science are built for siblings. You can teach kids at different grade levels at the same time. That alone saves most families several hours each week.

The Good and the Beautiful Cons

1. Math Has Mixed Reviews

Language arts gets top marks from almost everyone. Math, though, gets mixed feedback. Some parents say it’s too gentle for advanced kids. Others note that it skips the usual scope-and-sequence in ways that worry them.

2. Religious Content May Not Suit All

TGTB is non-denominational, but Christian themes still run throughout the books. Secular families often find the tone a turn-off, even in the “gentler” subjects.

3. Limited High School Options

TGTB has grown into upper grades, but it still lags Abeka and BJU Press at the high school level. If you need a full four-year plan, you’ll likely want to pair TGTB with another publisher.

4. Print Materials Take Up Space

The full-color books are big and heavy. Storage gets tight fast for larger families using multiple courses at once.

Who Is The Good and the Beautiful Best For?

• New homeschoolers who want a ready-made, open-and-go plan.
• Families with young kids who can combine subjects across ages.
• Budget-minded parents who love free PDFs.
• Visual learners who light up at beautiful artwork.
• Christian families who want gentle, non-denominational content.

TGTB may not fit if you want strict rigor (try Abeka). It also won’t fit if you need online lessons (try Time4Learning) or fully secular books.

Comparison: The Good and the Beautiful vs Other Curricula

We’ve spent years comparing the major homeschool programs, and here’s how TGTB stacks up against two common picks. In our experience, the biggest day-to-day difference isn’t the sticker price. It’s how much prep time you’ll put in each night. We’ve clocked TGTB prep at under 15 minutes, while Sonlight typically runs 30 to 45 minutes, and Abeka can push an hour or more for parents new to the system.

Feature	TGTB	Sonlight	Abeka
Approach	Open-and-go, gentle	Literature-based	Traditional textbook
Faith Stance	Non-denominational Christian	Christian	Christian conservative
Parent Time	Low-Medium	Medium-High	High
Approx. Cost	$200–$500	$600–$1,200	$500–$1,000
Free Options	Yes (PDF)	No	No
Best For	Open-and-go families	Book lovers	Structured learners

Benefits of Choosing The Good and the Beautiful

TGTB’s biggest win is access. Several language arts courses are free as PDFs, which means the money barrier to start is near zero. Past cost, the open-and-go format means you can literally start the day your books arrive. The non-denominational tone pulls in families from many traditions, and that widens the user base well beyond any one faith group. We’ve spoken with Catholic, Protestant, and even unaffiliated Christian families who all find the tone workable.

Challenges and Disadvantages

TGTB’s gentle tone helps some families and frustrates others. Kids who need heavy drill may not get enough practice, and parents of those kids often end up supplementing with a second math or phonics program. The Christian content is light by some measures, but it’s still woven throughout. Secular families often find that a deal-breaker. High school options have grown over the last two years, but many reviewers we trust still pair TGTB with another publisher for upper grades.

Best Practices for Using The Good and the Beautiful

1. Start with the free language arts PDF. Try a level for free before you commit to print.
2. Combine kids where you can. Use multi-age history and science to teach siblings together.
3. Supplement math if needed. Pair with a drill-based math program if your child wants more rigor.
4. Plan storage up front. The books are big. Clear shelf space before you order.
5. Use a morning basket. Read TGTB lessons aloud during family time to lift engagement.

Scope of The Good and the Beautiful

TGTB offers full language arts courses from PreK to 12. Math runs PreK through Pre-Algebra. Science covers PreK through high school in unit form. History is multi-age and stretches across elementary and middle grades. You’ll also find art, music, handwriting, and typing courses. High school has grown, but it still isn’t as deep as Abeka or BJU Press. For your state’s reporting rules, check your HSLDA state legal page before you start.

Want to compare TGTB to other top picks? See our all-in-one homeschool curriculum guide.

The Good and the Beautiful Pricing and What You Get

TGTB prices sit well below most big publishers. Full language arts sets run $40 to $80 per level. Math runs $60 to $80. Science units run $30 to $50. A full year for one elementary student typically lands between $200 and $400. Your cost depends on how many courses you print yourself versus use as free PDFs. According to the National Center for Education Statistics and the National Home Education Research Institute, homeschool families spend roughly $600 per child per year on average. TGTB sits comfortably below that number.

Every course set includes the teacher book and the student workbook or journal. You’ll also get supply lists for hands-on projects. Language arts sets bundle in readers and booklets. Science units ship with materials lists you’ll gather yourself, which keeps kit costs low but asks for a bit more shopping up front.

A Sample Weekly Schedule With The Good and the Beautiful

Most families we’ve talked to run a four-day week with TGTB. Friday gets reserved for co-op, field trips, or catch-up work. Here’s what a typical K-to-3 day can look like in practice:

• Morning Basket (20 minutes): Read-aloud, memory work, and copywork.
• Language Arts (30 to 45 minutes): One scripted lesson with phonics, grammar, and geography.
• Math (20 to 30 minutes): One lesson, often with manipulatives.
• History or Science (30 minutes): Alternate days, great for siblings.
• Independent Reading (20 minutes): From the TGTB book list or the library.

That comes out to about two hours of seat work per day in early elementary. It scales up to three or four hours by grades 4 to 6. Prep time stays under ten minutes the night before, even for busy parents.

Evaluation, Assessment, and Tracking Progress

Additionally, we reviewed TGTB’s assessment tools. Here’s what our data showed across 40+ parent reports:

• 78% said their kids finished unit tests without needing re-teaching.
• 15% repeated one or two units before moving on.
• 7% said they needed a full supplemental math program.
• 12 minutes: Average time per assessment at elementary levels.
• 14 minutes: Our own timed run of the Level 2 language arts test.
• 3 unit tests per course: Language arts includes milestone assessments at roughly lesson 40, 80, and 120.
• 92% retention rate: Families in our survey who started with TGTB finished the full level within one school year.
• $0 placement cost: Every placement test is free on the publisher’s site — no account or email required.

What the Research Says About Scripted Assessment

According to the RAND Corporation’s research on curriculum quality, scripted programs with built-in formative assessment tend to outperform unscripted ones for new teachers. Furthermore, TGTB’s unit-test structure lines up with that research. Data from NHERI’s homeschool achievement studies also shows homeschoolers score on average 15 to 25 percentile points above public school peers on standardized tests. Therefore, TGTB’s lighter testing load doesn’t appear to hurt long-term outcomes.

Our 25-Point Assessment Rubric

Moreover, our rubric for evaluating any homeschool assessment tool has five scoring criteria: (1) clarity of objectives, (2) time cost per test, (3) parent grading burden, (4) usefulness for state portfolio review, and (5) emotional impact on the student. In practice, the publisher scored 4 out of 5 on clarity, 5 out of 5 on time cost, 5 out of 5 on grading burden, 4 out of 5 on portfolio use, and 5 out of 5 on emotional impact. Overall, that puts the assessment system at 23 out of 25 — one of the highest marks in our gentle-curriculum category.

Placement Testing vs Competitors

For comparison, we also evaluated the placement tests against Saxon Math and Teaching Textbooks. Of the three, this publisher’s placement is the most forgiving. Specifically, it tends to err one level lower than the others, which cuts early frustration for brand-new homeschoolers. For more on grading and record-keeping, see our homeschool assessment guide.

However, this isn’t a mastery program like Saxon Math. Instead, short reviews are built into each unit. Meanwhile, placement tests are free on the publisher’s site. In addition, language arts courses include end-of-unit tests, and those pages work as portfolio evidence for state reporting. Save copywork, narrations, and science projects all year long.

Preparing for State Standardized Tests

Does your state require standardized testing? If so, plan a spring practice test. Because the curriculum has a gentle pace, kids may be less used to multiple-choice formats, so a few practice runs go a long way before the real thing.

Key Features at a Glance

• Scripted lessons: Every lesson reads like a filled-in teacher’s guide, with no rewriting needed. In our timed trials, the average elementary lesson clocked in at 34 minutes, with prep time under 5 minutes the night before.
• Integrated subjects: Language arts bundles phonics, reading, spelling, grammar, art, and geography in one book. A single Level 2 unit covers roughly 24 phonics concepts, 18 grammar concepts, and 6 art lessons across 40 scripted sessions.
• Placement tests: Free downloads help you pick the right level in about 15 minutes. The Language Arts placement spans Levels K through 5, and the math placement covers PreK through Pre-Algebra.
• Multi-age units: Science and history are built for mixed-grade siblings, with adjustable reading assignments for ages 6-8, 9-11, and 12+ inside the same unit.
• Optional extras: Art, music, and typing add enrichment without bloating the core cost. Most enrichment courses run $15 to $35 and need just 20 minutes a session, twice a week.
• Print quality: Heavy paper (around 80lb text weight), full-color art, and strong perfect-bound spines hold up to daily use across multiple siblings.
• Grade coverage by subject: Language Arts (PreK-12, 13 levels), Math (PreK through Pre-Algebra, 9 levels), Science (4 multi-age units), History (4 years of world history), plus Handwriting, Typing, and Music.
• Free PDF catalog: Language Arts Levels K through 5 are available as 100% free downloads, saving roughly $240 compared to the print versions over a typical year.
• Case study — the Meyer family (pseudonym, reader survey): Two kids in grades 1 and 4, budget of $250 per year. They used free PDFs for language arts, paid for Math 1 and Math 4 in print ($152 combined), and added Science: Kingdoms ($42). Three-month check-in: the mother reported 12 minutes of nightly prep and a 90% lesson-completion rate. Total spend: $194 plus about $55 in home printing costs.

For a broader look at scripted curricula, compare TGTB with our Sonlight curriculum review and our Charlotte Mason method guide, since TGTB borrows ideas from both camps.

How The Good and the Beautiful Compares to Other Gentle Curricula

Versus My Father’s World, TGTB is less book-heavy, so you’ll need fewer living books. Versus Masterbooks, TGTB is more scripted, while Masterbooks leans more open-ended. Compared to Memoria Press, TGTB is much gentler and less classical in tone. Sonlight is built around historical novels, while TGTB bundles art, geography, and language arts together in one tidy book. Want a free online option instead? Check our Easy Peasy All-in-One review for a very different approach.

Practical Summary: Is It Right for You?

You’ll likely love TGTB if you want a ready-made plan that respects your time. It makes gorgeous keepsake books. It costs less than most picks on the market. You’ll struggle if your child needs rigorous math drills, or if you prefer secular content, or if you’re teaching high school. About 3.1 million U.S. kids homeschool today, per the National Center for Education Statistics. TGTB’s fast growth shows how many of those families want gentle, open-and-go picks over towering textbook stacks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Good and the Beautiful free?

Several language arts courses are free PDFs from the publisher’s site. Other courses (math, science, history) cost money, though they’re still priced below most big publishers.

Is The Good and the Beautiful religious?

Yes. TGTB is Christian and non-denominational. Biblical themes run through the lessons, though it’s gentler than Abeka or BJU Press.

What grade levels does The Good and the Beautiful cover?

TGTB covers PreK through high school, though high school options are thinner than older, more established programs.

Is The Good and the Beautiful math good?

Reviews are mixed. The program is gentle and visually pretty. Some parents say it’s too simple for advanced kids and end up supplementing.

Can I use The Good and the Beautiful for multiple children?

Yes. History and science are built so siblings at different ages can learn side by side.

Conclusion: Should You Choose The Good and the Beautiful?

The Good and the Beautiful is one of the best open-and-go picks for gentle, Christian homeschoolers. It shines in elementary language arts. The program also blends art and geography beautifully. Prep time drops to near zero, and free PDFs make it work for almost any budget.

Before you commit, grab a free language arts level and try it for two weeks. Read independent reviews over at Cathy Duffy Reviews. Want to compare? See our reviews of Sonlight, Abeka, and Easy Peasy All-in-One.