Open Up Resources

Many families and micro‑schools want high‑quality, standards‑aligned curricula without the price tag of big publishers. Open Up Resources is a nonprofit that publishes open educational materials like Illustrative Mathematics and EL Education, offering free digital access and optional print workbooks. Developed by teams of teachers and content experts, these curricula are widely used in schools and increasingly in homeschools. We love that the math materials, in particular, are conceptually strong and designed for discussion and problem‑solving rather than rote drills. They’re ideal for upper‑elementary through high school families comfortable adapting school‑style materials. Setup can be more teacher‑intensive than boxed homeschool programs, and alignment to state standards may feel overkill for relaxed homeschoolers, but the price‑to‑quality ratio is outstanding. Pro tip: join an online group of other Open Up users, print or organize only the units you need each term, and treat teacher guides as scripts you can trim rather than read word‑for‑word.