Christian Liberty Academy

Christian Liberty Academy — known in its homeschool arm as CLASS (Christian Liberty Academy School System) — is one of the oldest correspondence-style Christian homeschool programs in the United States, founded in Arlington Heights, Illinois, in 1967. The editorial stake is understanding the three-legged structure: a brick-and-mortar K-12 school, a homeschool enrollment program, and a publishing house, all under the same organizational umbrella.

Last updated: 2026-04-24 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Traditional / textbook-based / correspondence enrollment
Worldview	Christian (Reformed-influenced Protestant; the school self-describes as Reformed though with broader Protestant appeal)
Grades	K-12
Formats	Print textbooks, consumable workbooks, mailed enrollment packages
Cost tier	Budget
Parent intensity	3 (parent teaches; CLASS program provides grading and records; Family Plan leaves grading to parent)
ESA-common	Varies (materials often eligible; enrollment fees sometimes restricted depending on state)
Accredited	Yes (accredited through the National Association of Private Schools)
Established	1967 as CLASS; 1968 as the brick-and-mortar school
Website	homeschools.org (homeschool arm); christianlibertyacademy.com (day school)

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	3	Solid traditional academic content with strong phonics and history; weaker in upper-level math and laboratory science
Ease of teaching	3	Enrollment provides structure; parent still teaches daily content
Content quality	3	Consistent Christian-traditional textbook production; some materials are reprinted classics (McGuffey), some are in-house
Flexibility	4	Family Plan permits course substitution; CLASS Plan is more prescribed
Value for money	5	Among the lowest-cost accredited correspondence programs in Christian homeschooling
Worldview scope	2	Explicitly Christian and Reformed-influenced; Scripture and Christian framing integrated throughout
Visual/design	3	Functional; textbook layouts are clean but not visually updated to modern standards
Support resources	4	Math helpline, transcripts, counselors, Christian Liberty Press catalog, long institutional history

Who the publisher is

Christian Liberty Academy began in 1967 when Dr. Paul Lindstrom (1939-2002), then pastor of the Church of Christian Liberty in Prospect Heights, Illinois, assembled a home-study curriculum for a single student at the request of a family in his congregation. Within three years, the effort had formalized as Christian Liberty Academy Satellite Schools (CLASS), and the brick-and-mortar school opened in 1968 with sixty students in the church basement. In 1985, the church purchased the former Arlington Heights High School campus — 210,000 square feet on twelve acres — and the combined school, homeschool program, and Christian Liberty Press publishing house moved into the building where they remain today. The organization reports having served more than 100,000 homeschool families over its history, placing it among the longest-running Christian homeschool correspondence programs in the country.

Organizationally, three related entities operate under the Christian Liberty umbrella, and the distinction matters. Christian Liberty Academy is the brick-and-mortar day school in Arlington Heights. Christian Liberty Homeschools (CLASS) is the homeschool enrollment program offering correspondence-style services (CLASS Plan and Family Plan). Christian Liberty Press is the publishing house that produces the textbooks used by both school and homeschool students, along with reprints of historically significant American educational materials — most notably the McGuffey Readers and the Baltimore Catechism (adapted for Protestant use). Families can enroll in a CLASS or Family Plan, or they can simply purchase Christian Liberty Press textbooks through the retail shop at shopchristianliberty.com without enrolling.

Theologically, Christian Liberty identifies as Reformed-influenced Protestant within a broader American evangelical frame. The organization uses Reformed confessional references in some theology and history materials but the day-to-day textbook content is accessible across the broader Protestant spectrum. Families from Baptist, Presbyterian, Reformed, and non-denominational backgrounds appear in CLASS enrollment rolls. Catholic, Orthodox, and explicitly non-Reformed families sometimes find specific doctrinal language in history and Bible courses that requires adjustment. The publisher makes its Protestant framing explicit, which families appreciate.

The core pedagogy

CLASS is structured as a correspondence enrollment program, which is a distinct category from the publisher-curriculum model. Rather than a family buying books and teaching on their own schedule, CLASS families enroll a student at the start of the year, receive a curriculum package matched to the student's grade and placement, and — in the full CLASS Plan — submit completed tests to Arlington Heights for external grading, with report cards and an accredited transcript generated as output. The alternative Family Plan is what most publishers would call a curriculum purchase: the family receives the same materials but handles grading and records internally.

Scope and sequence is traditional in the American Protestant school tradition. Phonics-first reading instruction anchors the elementary years. Arithmetic follows a standard sequence with spiral reinforcement. History is taught from a Christian perspective with significant emphasis on American history and Western civilization. Bible is a formal subject at every grade. Science follows a young-earth creationist framework in the elementary grades and through middle school; high school science uses Christian textbook sources that are explicit about their creationist posture.

Signature mechanics: (1) CLASS Plan vs Family Plan. The CLASS Plan includes grading, record-keeping, transcripts, diplomas, and achievement testing; the Family Plan provides the same curriculum materials without the external grading and records services. (2) Christian Liberty Press textbooks. The publisher writes and publishes many of its own textbooks, with the Noah Webster Reader, Studying God's Word, and the CLASS-authored history and Bible lines as core materials. Materials from other publishers (Abeka, BJU Press, Alpha Omega) are sometimes used for specific subjects. (3) McGuffey Readers reprint line. The Mott Media reprints of the McGuffey Eclectic Readers, long associated with nineteenth-century American education, are a distinctive part of the Christian Liberty catalog and are used in the CLASS elementary reading program. (4) Math helpline. CLASS provides a dedicated phone line for math questions across both plans, which is an unusual service in the homeschool correspondence category.

Grade-level differences matter. Elementary grades (K-6) are the strongest band of the CLASS program, with the phonics reading program, the McGuffey reprints, and the elementary arithmetic and grammar lines well developed and coherent. Middle school (7-8) is a consolidation year with Bible, English, math, history, and science tracks following on from elementary. High school (9-12) is where parents weighing CLASS often compare it against Abeka Academy, BJU Distance Learning, or enrollment in a purely online program; CLASS at the high school level is less intensive than those options, with written materials and external grading substituting for video instruction.

A day in the life

A fourth-grader enrolled in the CLASS Plan starts the morning around 8:30 with Bible (~15 minutes, daily Scripture reading and memory verse from the CLASS Bible curriculum). Then phonics and reading, often using the McGuffey Fourth Eclectic Reader alongside the Christian Liberty phonics continuation text (~35 minutes). Mathematics (~40 minutes of textbook instruction, practice problems, parent correction against the answer key). Language Arts (spelling, grammar, penmanship, ~30 minutes). After a break: History (~30 minutes, story-based approach to American history with a Christian framing), Science (~30 minutes, creation-based approach to life science and earth science), and Writing (~20 minutes). The student completes unit tests throughout the quarter and submits them by mail to CLASS for external grading; report cards arrive from Arlington Heights at the end of each quarter. Total instructional time: three to three and a half hours. Parent time: two hours of teaching and grading.

A high school sophomore on the CLASS Plan runs a more independent rhythm. They work through Bible, English (grammar and literature), Algebra II, Biology, World History, and a second foreign language (typically Spanish or Latin) primarily through textbook reading and written exercises. The parent's role shifts toward oversight and occasional tutoring. Tests are submitted to CLASS for grading, and the student's transcript reflects the external grades. Total daily instructional time: four to five hours, with the day self-paced within parent-set schedule.

What they do exceptionally well

Low cost for an accredited program. The CLASS Plan at $930 per year for grades 2-6 and $1,100 per year for grades 9-12 per the publisher's tuition page as of April 2026 is among the cheapest accredited correspondence programs in the Christian homeschool market. Families who value accredited transcripts at the cost of a substantially less expensive alternative to Abeka Academy ($900-$1,100 for video plus $700-$850 for materials at the same grade level) or BJU Press Distance Learning (~$2,500-$3,500 per grade) find CLASS materially cheaper.

Long institutional history. Fifty-eight years of continuous operation as a homeschool correspondence program is almost uniquely long in the field. CLASS predates most of the modern homeschool movement; Paul Lindstrom is cited in homeschool-history retrospectives as one of the early pioneers of parent-education pedagogy. The organizational durability translates into stable personnel, mature processes, and an alumni network.

McGuffey reprint line and historical materials. The Christian Liberty Press catalog includes the Mott Media McGuffey Readers reprints, Noah Webster materials, and other nineteenth-century American educational classics that are harder to source elsewhere. For families who want to use these materials as part of a classical or American-traditional homeschool approach, Christian Liberty is a primary distributor.

What they do poorly

Upper-level mathematics and laboratory science. The CLASS high school math and science tracks are adequate for a college-capable student but are not competitive with the strongest options in Christian homeschooling for STEM-bound students. Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, Chemistry, and Physics are taught from textbook materials without the integrated video instruction that BJU, Abeka, or Mr. D Math offer. Families aiming at engineering, medicine, or research science programs typically supplement.

Visual design. The Christian Liberty Press textbook aesthetic is dated compared to modern competitors. Textbooks are functional and readable but visually closer to 1980s educational publishing than to the brighter, more illustrated materials produced by Abeka, Sonlight's literature, or The Good and the Beautiful. Students who respond well to visually polished materials may find CLASS austere.

Less support than comparable enrollment programs. Unlike Abeka Academy's video, Seton's parent-teacher counselor lines, or Kolbe's adviser system, CLASS provides relatively light ongoing support beyond the math helpline and quarterly grading. Families who want the structure of an accredited enrollment but also want active coaching may find the contact density lower than they expected.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Christian Liberty Academy (CLASS) if: you want an accredited homeschool enrollment at a budget price; your family is Protestant (broadly) and comfortable with Reformed-influenced framing; you want traditional textbook pedagogy without hype or heavy visual design; you value the McGuffey Readers and classical American educational materials; your student is capable of independent textbook work with parent oversight.

• Skip Christian Liberty Academy if: you are Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish, or secular and want materials that do not require ideological editing; your student needs multimedia instruction and video lessons; you are aiming at selective STEM admissions and need rigorous laboratory science and upper-level mathematics; you want a visually modern and design-forward curriculum; your student needs heavy hand-holding support rather than independent study.

Cost honest assessment

Christian Liberty Homeschools tuition as of April 2026 is structured as follows. CLASS Plan (includes grading, records, transcripts, accreditation): K-1 at $510, grades 2-6 at $930, grades 7-8 at $1,000, grades 9-12 at $1,100. Family Plan (curriculum only, no grading or records): K-1 at $470, grades 2-6 at $715, grades 7-8 at $785, grades 9-12 at $910. Early Bird Special discounts are available during the spring enrollment window, and a referral program offers $50 tuition vouchers per new family referred. Time-payment plans (half down, balance in three or six months) are available on CLASS Plan enrollments for a small service charge. Scholarships are available through a three-way sharing arrangement where family, local church, and Christian Liberty each cover one-third of tuition.

Compared to Abeka Academy accredited online school (approximately $1,600-$2,000 per student per year at the third-grade level), BJU Press Distance Learning (approximately $2,500-$3,500 per student per year), Sonlight (approximately $800-$1,200 for a core package, no enrollment or transcripts), and Seton Home Study (approximately $700-$1,200 per student per year), CLASS sits at the low end of the accredited Christian homeschool market. What the lower cost buys is a written-correspondence model; what it does not buy is the video component that drives the higher prices at Abeka and BJU.

A realistic all-in annual budget for one elementary-grade student in CLASS Plan: approximately $1,000-$1,200 including tuition, shipping, and any supplementary materials. For two students in grades 2 and 6: approximately $2,100-$2,500 total.

ESA eligibility notes

Christian Liberty materials (textbooks and curriculum packages) are commonly eligible on state ESA marketplaces where Christian curricula are permitted, often accessed through Christianbook.com or directly through Christian Liberty Press. The CLASS enrollment itself — the correspondence school service — is not universally eligible; some states classify it as private school tuition and restrict use of ESA funds, while other states (Florida's Step Up For Students, West Virginia's Hope Scholarship, Arizona's ESA program) have permitted CLASS enrollment in recent program years. ESA-funded families should verify with their specific state program before committing to the CLASS Plan, particularly as the Family Plan (materials only, no enrollment services) is the more commonly reimbursable option across state programs.

Alternatives

• Seton Home Study School — a family would pick Seton over CLASS for Catholic homeschool enrollment at a similar price point, with Catholic-specific materials (Baltimore Catechism in the original intent, Catholic saints and liturgical year integration, Latin option) instead of Reformed-influenced Protestant framing.
• Alpha Omega LIFEPAC — a family would pick LIFEPAC over CLASS for a workbook-based rather than textbook-based Christian curriculum with similar worldview breadth and a lower parent-teaching load, in exchange for less integrated long-form reading.
• Abeka Academy Accredited — a family would pick Abeka over CLASS when they want the video instruction component and the more recognizable brand for college admissions, in exchange for paying roughly twice the annual tuition.

How we verified this

Our editorial team reviewed Christian Liberty Academy's history page, the Christian Liberty Homeschools About page, the 2025-2026 tuition page, the CLASS vs Family Plan comparison page, and the Christian Liberty Press retail catalog at shopchristianliberty.com in April 2026. We cross-referenced against the Wikipedia entry on Christian Liberty Academy for founding-history corroboration. Prices and program details verified April 2026.