Saxon Math for Homeschoolers: 7 Important Things to Know!

I get a ton of questions about Saxon Math for homeschoolers. This math curriculum has worked so well for my family! I’m excited to share my review and experiences with Saxon Math placement tests, Saxon Math levels, the order of Saxon Math books, and much more.

Do You Have Questions About Saxon Math For Homeschoolers?

I have been homeschooling for 17 years. My two oldest children are currently on full scholarship at college, thanks to such high scores on college entrance tests. So I get a lot of questions about homeschooling.

The question I’m asked most frequently is, “Is Saxon Math a good curriculum?”

Saxon Math seems to be quite controversial in homeschooling circles. Homeschool moms either love it or hate it! And everyone seems to have an opinion, whether or not they’ve ever used it.

My family has had so much success with Saxon Math! I often recommend it to other homeschool families. It doesn’t come with bells and whistles, but it’s thorough.

Each lesson builds on the last, so that lessons are continually reviewing previous concepts. It then builds on those concepts and goes further in-depth. I love the scope and sequence.

As children review concepts that slowly grow increasingly complex, other concepts are introduced. They begin to really understand the way the numbers relate to one another and the whys behind each procedure. The numerous word problems make the concepts applicable to real life, too.

(This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosures for more information.)

Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions, along with my Saxon Math review and experiences:

1. How do Saxon Math levels work?

Saxon Math is graded K, 1, 2, and 3 for kindergarten through third-grade students. After third grade, the textbooks switch to skill level instead of grade level.

Thus, Math 3 is followed by Math 5/4 , which is for advanced fourth graders or for average fifth graders. The second digit is for quick workers; the first is supposed to represent the “average” student.

Saxon Math for Homeschoolers: 7 Important Things to Know! | Orison Orchards (1)

Here are the Saxon Math books in order:

Kindergarten – Saxon K
1st grade – Saxon Math 1
2nd grade – Saxon Math 2
3rd grade – Saxon Math 3
4th grade – Saxon Math 5/4
5th grade – Saxon Math 6/5
6th grade – Saxon 7/6
7th grade – Saxon 8/7 or Algebra 1/2** (see explanation below)
8th grade – Saxon Algebra 1
Geometry*** (see explanation below)
9th grade – Saxon Algebra 2
10th grade – Saxon Advanced Mathematics
11th grade – Saxon Calculus
12th grade – Saxon Physics

** Saxon 8/7 and Alg 1/2 are both considered Pre-Algebra. Algebra 1/2 was written by John Saxon for high-schoolers who hadn’t previously taken pre-algebra or who had scored poorly. It moves at a faster pace than 8/7, but the material is the same. Saxon 8/7 was written by Stephen Hake for younger students who were ready for pre-algebra.

If your student finishes 8/7 successfully, it isn’t necessary for him to complete both.

***Saxon also offers Geometry. (I’ve never used it, though, because geometry is covered adequately in the Algebra 1 & 2 books.) According to the Rainbow Resource Center catalog, “For the non-college bound student or the student who does not wish to pursue a math or science degree, use Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and Advanced Math (if you want or need a 4th year of math). If your student is college bound in the area of math or science or they just really love math, use Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Advanced Math, and Calculus and your geometry will be covered by the content found in these texts.”

We have never used the Geometry text in our homeschool, and my kids have been well-prepared and successful at both the AP Calculus test and college-entrance tests.

I recommend that you skip Saxon K and jump right into Saxon Math 1 with your kindergartner. Saxon Math 1 covers everything that Saxon K does, so using both is redundant.

You’ll want to teach number familiarity before kindergarten, though. You can read all about how I do that using fun games in ‘Homeschool Your Kindergartener (for free!) in Just 20 Minutes a Day’.

Saxon Math 1 offers plenty of practice. None of my children has ever used Saxon K, and it has not affected them negatively at all. In fact, my children have benefitted immensely from moving much more quickly than recommended, upfront, and then more slowly through advanced mathematics and beyond. I’ll talk more about the math schedule we follow below.

Be sure to check Amazon for used Saxon math books! You can usually find used ones much cheaper. Just be sure you can find the answer booklets and test booklets (if you plan to give tests) that match the edition of the Saxon math text you are purchasing.

2. Where can I find Saxon Math placement tests for homeschoolers?

Are you homeschooling an older child and wondering where to start? Here’s where to find the Saxon Math placement tests:

Primary Grades (Saxon Math K-3)Saxon placement test
Middle Grades (Saxon Math 54 through Saxon Algebra 1/2)Saxon placement test
Saxon Algebra 1placement test
Saxon Algebra 2placement test
Upper GradesSaxon placement test

I’ve used these Saxon placement tests with my own children, and they are very accurate! They include the answer keys for you to use in grading the tests, too.

3. How long should we spend on Saxon Math each day?

Honestly, it depends on your child’s age, math level and maturity.

4. Do we have to complete a lesson every day?

You don’t have to do anything. Do what works best for you and your family — that’s the beauty of homeschooling!

In my family, Saxon 1-3 level students complete 2 pages per day, which is sometimes 2 lessons and sometimes a lesson and an assessment.

We also usually work through most of the summer, and, because my kids don’t need to review since we didn’t take the summer off, we usually skip the first 10-30 lessons of each book.

Saxon Math for Homeschoolers: 7 Important Things to Know! | Orison Orchards (2)

My kids in Saxon 5/4 – Saxon Algebra 1 complete one lesson per day. We only homeschool 4 days a week, though. But we do homeschool almost year round, taking extended breaks for holidays and traveling. Make it work for your family.

On this schedule, my kids end up at least two grades ahead of schedule and typically complete Algebra 1 in 6th grade, with fantastic comprehension.

Beginning with Algebra 2, my children have needed to take a little more time on each assignment. There is a combination of factors contributing to this need to slow down: the concepts are more difficult, requiring more time and effort to thoroughly comprehend, and the child has hit puberty, which makes learning difficult.

The phenomenon is called the Early Adolescent Achievement Drop and lots of psychologists have studied it. You just have to realize that your child is undergoing important physiological changes around ages 12-13. Make allowances and go more slowly where needed, possibly even repeating assignments.

Above all give those tween-aged kiddos extra hugs and encouragement. Your student will get back to normal – I promise!

From there on out, though, my experience is that the math schedule has to seriously slow down. Saxon Algebra 2 takes an entire year to finish, including the additional days of study during the summer. Don’t be afraid to repeat assignments where understanding seems lacking.

My four oldest kiddos took two entire years (usually around 8th grade) to sufficiently understand and retain Saxon Advanced Mathematics, though my 5th ripped through it in a year.

I consider good understanding to be 85% of problems correct the first time I correct a problem set, with the ability to easily correct the rest of the problems, meaning that the errors were arithmetic in nature and not a lack of conceptual understanding.

I also supplement the trig in Advanced Mathematics so that my kiddos have more experience with the identities before moving on to Calculus. And I require my kids to thoroughly memorize the unit circle, which takes extra time.

Saxon Calculus takes another year. We’ve found it best to take a second non-Saxon Calculus course (because Saxon terminology and sequence doesn’t match AP College board) before taking the AP Calculus exam, which my kids take either their 10th or 11th-grade year, depending on their preparation. Taking the AP test at that point seriously lessens the stress associated with it, because things are spaced farther apart.

Each of my kids has chosen to earn their associates degrees during high school, which requires 60 credits of college work, in order to be eligible for the myriad scholarships that accompany this feat.

Students earn 8 credits for passing the AP Calc test. AP exams only take place during the second week of May each year, and scores aren’t returned until mid-June.

If a student waits until Senior year to take the AP calc test, their credits don’t hit the transcript until after they’ve officially graduated high school, which can cost them scholarship opportunities.

So junior year is a much better time to take the AP exams. Still better, though, is 10th grade. If students have those credits upfront, in 10th grade, they can better plan the next two years and take a lot of pressure off of themselves.

I don’t recommend taking more than 3 AP tests each year since they are all administered in one week (the first two weeks in May every year) and are very high-pressure.

A great understanding of upper-level math is also very helpful for college-entrance tests which are typically taken the sophom*ore and junior year. You keep all of your opportunities wide open by diligently working ahead, just like with an emergency savings account.

High school is also such a busy time for kids. Mine have all worked part-time jobs and taken university classes. The further they can get ahead early on, like during elementary school, the more successful they will be during high school.

Regardless of what my thoughts are, you should absolutely make any changes necessary to your schedule so that your child feels confident and capable. As soon as you find your child struggling, slow down. Stay on course, but slow down. Homeschool is so fantastically beautiful because you can tailor it exactly to each child.

5. Do you make your kids complete every Saxon assignment?

I have a friend who doesn’t, though I do. So do it whichever way will work best for YOUR family!

The reason I make my children complete each problem from every assignment (excluding the Side B of the worksheets in Math 1) is that I feel practice and experience and familiarity with math contribute to understanding.

I also love the ‘incremental development’ approach that Saxon Math uses, practicing each concept through multiple consecutive lessons, but in increasing complexity. If I cut problems out, I’d be reducing the efficacy of the spiral. And I’d be reducing my childrens’ exposure to and experience with math.

I do let my children skip the first several lessons in each textbook (if they choose to) because those are intended as review for government school students who take the summer off learning, and we homeschool year round (mostly) so my kids don’t need the review. I would never let my children skip any assignments from the end of the book, however, as that is where the learning is the deepest, thanks to the beautiful spiral approach taken by John Saxon. He introduces concepts simply, then each time a concept is revisited, it is with more depth and complexity.

I have degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science and have taken and enjoyed 3 semesters of Calculus, plus differential equations and two semesters of Discrete Math. I remember SO many instances in which I would require a visit to the tutoring lab in order to solve a particular problem and being astounded at the brilliance and simplicity of what the tutor would show me.

I would ask incredulously why I had not been able to come up with the procedure and each time the tutor would tell me that I just needed more experience and familiarity.

Not only do my children complete all of the problems from each problem set, but they strive for mastery. Here is how it looks:

We do our math first thing every day, around the kitchen table. As each child completes a problem set we check it together. Then the child corrects each problem missed and I re-check. It takes a lot of time, but we do that until every problem is correct and thoroughly understood.

The very most significant learning takes place during the correction process, which is (sadly!) completely missed in public school.

Most of my math classes at school consisted of completing a problem set, then passing our work to the child sitting behind us to correct the assignment, then calling out our scores to the teacher, for grading purposes, then throwing the assignment away as we filed past the trash can on the way out the door.

Is that bizarre or what? The missed problems, the very things that need to be worked on and relearned, the most critical opportunities for learning — just disappeared into the trash can.

The bottom line is that you make Saxon math work for you and for your children. You decide whether or not your child needs to do all the problems, or just the odds, based on your child’s understanding of the material and need for further practice.

If you’re not sure about your child’s mastery of a concept, administer a test that falls within those chapters. If your child scores 85% or higher, and you can see that he understands the concepts — that the errors were mainly arithmetic — he’s fine to proceed with the problem sets beyond that test.

6. How much parental involvement is required? How can I help if I don’t know the math myself?

Because I have eight kids and the littles always need more help, my kids have learned to be pretty self-directed. They read the lesson themselves and begin working on their own. When they encounter a problem they don’t understand, they work through the examples and try to learn it themselves or ask me for help if they need it.

They are going to need help — it is just a fact. If you’re homeschooling an older child, there are places you can go for help. Our local university has a free online math lab, staffed by students. You could find a tutor.

Khan Academy, Purple Math and other online sites have videos as well as forums in which to ask questions. You can even type the problem right into google, and usually find a solution and explanation for that exact problem.

You may also purchase ‘teacher’ and D.I.V.E. CD’s for Saxon Algebra 1 and above that provide video instruction. We haven’t used them, as my kids prefer my instruction. But they have fantastic reviews and would be a great option for a parent with less math experience.

If you’re homeschooling a younger child, I would take advantage of the tremendous opportunity to learn math right along with your student. You probably learned it once, and just need to refresh your skills. And if you never learned it, this is your opportunity!

7. How will I know if Saxon math is a good fit for my child?

A great curriculum will provide good understanding, but also be engaging. It doesn’t need to be fun and full of bells and whistles, though.

Don’t expect that your kids will get up super early from sheer excitement over their math curriculum. There will be times that they dislike it. I have tutored lots of high-school-aged kids and seen parents struggle to find a curriculum that excites their child. I don’t think that’s necessary.

Do you love doing the laundry and making meals? Life is full of doing hard things that we don’t love just because they need doing.

But neither should your child should cry or throw fits or hate a curriculum so much that it really prevents learning. You do need to find something that appeals to your child’s particular learning style.

Saxon math is basic but thorough and well-organized in it’s systematic, spiraling approach. I actually love that it has no fluff. I appreciate that it is in textbook form, rather than on the computer, for my own children’s learning styles and my sanity.

I can easily gauge how well they understand concepts as we check daily assignments. Good understanding is the best way to gauge how well any curriculum is working.

I also want to add that I always look for ways to use math manipulatives to add conceptual understanding as I work with my kiddos. My little ones use linking cubes and toothpicks bundled together into groups of ten, and money, and baked goodies to cut into fractions.

I consider manipulatives an essential part of math instruction, as they build a knowledge of the ‘why’ behind the ‘how’. It’s just a bonus that the manipulatives make the lessons more enjoyable.

Bonus: What’s the difference between homeschool Saxon math editions and all the different editions I see online?

We started Saxon Math back in 2002 when my oldest was about 5-years-old. Even then, I purchased used Saxon math textbooks from a friend, so they were already a couple of years old.

Saxon math 87 is the only grade for which we have the actual Saxon math homeschool kit. I think I ended up buying that one new because I couldn’t find it used. All of our other Saxon textbooks are varying hardbound editions of the public school versions.

In 2005, after being purchased by Harcourt publishing, Saxon released a line of “homeschool edition’ books.At the same time, they discontinued offering hardbound textbooks to homeschoolers.

Since 2006, the“homeschool edition” sets have been the only ones they are allowing homeschoolers to purchase, either through their site or other curriculum companies.

It seems to be quite the money making venture for the publisher.

The new “homeschool editions” are soft bound, and made with much thinner paper. They are much less durable and more expensive.

Honestly, they charge $25 more for the ‘homeschool version’ of the exact same set of books. I’ve only used Saxon math 8/7 specifically, but the content seems exactly the same.

I know I said it before, but I’ll say it again; buy older versions of Saxon math used online with confidence. Just make sure you buy the same edition for the textbooks and the solutions manuals!

I have not used (nor even perused) the newest editions of Saxon math, which they claim to have aligned to common core. That just makes me leery, because common core standards are so low.

My absolute BEST advice for math curriculum for homeschoolers

My pregnancies were difficult, and I struggled with some health problems along the way. Having birthed eight children, I have spent over six years pregnant, and probably twice that nursing.

Many of those years I was sleep-deprived or had postpartum junk going on and was barely able to feed my children and keep them clean and alive. I certainly wasn’t homeschooling very well, and I worried at times that I was ruining my precious children.

However, because we were consistent the rest of the time (and because God makes up where we lack), my oldest two scored so high on their college entrance tests that they were offered scholarships everywhere they applied.

Both are currently attending a prestigious university on full academic scholarship. Neither of them had a high school diploma. Both just applied with their ACT scores and college GPA’s (they both earned associate’s degrees while in high school). My third child is on track to do the same.

I’ve learned that we don’t need to sweat the small stuff! Do your best, but do notfeel like you need to create public school at home, spending 7 hours each day on schoolwork, in order to be successful. You’ll burn out. Be as consistent as you can, but also keep things as simple, minimal and enjoyable as possible.

Whatever curriculum you choose, make it work for you! Make it work for your children and for your family!

Once you find the right curriculum for your child, stick with it. Different curricula use different sequences, which will create holes if you bounce around very often.

And MOST important of all, pray about your decisions. Always remember that your children are also God’s children, and that He, in His omniscience, will give you inspiration regarding their educations.

I hope this post answers your questions about Saxon math for homeschool. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask them in the comments below, or email me!

I have not been compensated in any way by Saxon. These are my own personal opinions after a lot of research and experience.

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Saxon Math for Homeschoolers: 7 Important Things to Know! | Orison Orchards (2024)