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    Rainbow Resource Center Curriculum Starter Packages

    A homeschool retailer's pre-assembled boxes of other publishers' books, covering four core subjects per grade at a bundle discount, with free human curriculum consultants but no…

    Parent teaches and marks
    Eclectic
    Traditional/School-at-Home
    Charlotte Mason
    Visit site
    As a full curriculum
    3.2/5
    As a supplement
    3.2/5
    How this is scored

    How it scored

    Nine dimensions, each scored 0 to 4 by a reviewer working from the programme's own published materials.

    2
    Standards, Accuracy & Content Scope

    Is the content accurate, at the right level, and does it cover what it claims?

    2
    Focus, Coherence & Cognitive Rigor

    Does it build in a sensible order and make a student actually think?

    2
    Research-Consistent Instructional Design

    Is it taught in a way the research supports, with honest claims?

    3
    Assessment, Feedback & Demonstrable Mastery

    Can you actually see what your child learned, not just what they finished?

    3
    Accountability & Feedback Loop

    Does a qualified adult read your child's work and respond to it?

    3
    Adult Usability & Implementation Support

    How much work is this for you, and does it help you do that work?

    3
    Differentiation, Access & Learner Fit

    Does it flex for a struggling learner, an advanced one, or a different kind of learner?

    3
    Practical Feasibility & Transparency

    What does it truly cost, in money and time, and will it work where you live?

    3
    Academic Demand & College Readiness

    Is this preparing a student for college, or just for a diploma?

    The practical details

    Grades
    Starter Packages: Kindergarten through Grade 9 (three editions for K-8, plus an 8th Grade Upgrade and Grade 9 Christian and Secular). No…
    Subjects
    Four core subjects only: Math, English Language Arts (grammar, literature, spelling, handwriting, writing), Science (with lab kits from about grade 6 up), and Social Studies or History. Electives, foreign language, art, music, logic, and Bible are sold separately. The Grade 9 page states families must add roughly…
    How it runs
    Physical boxed shipment of print books, workbooks, manipulatives, and lab kits. One-time purchase, no login, no platform, no subscription, no dashboard. A few upper-grade components carry a digital tail: Friendly Biology is a video course, Essentials in…
    Who teaches
    The parent. Every package page says the set "includes all you need to teach the 4 core subjects." K-3 math ships scripted open-and-go instructor guides; LLATL ships teacher books with daily lessons. There is no instructor, no video teacher for the core, and no outside adult.
    Who grades
    The parent, using included answer keys, solutions manuals, quiz and test booklets, and Rainbow's free downloadable writing rubrics. Rainbow's own beginner guide confirms the company supplies materials and advice but does not grade work or ensure accountability.
    What the parent does
    Heavy and non-optional. The parent selects or accepts the bundle, builds the weekly schedule from four separate publishers' guides because Rainbow ships none, teaches or assigns daily lessons, marks all work against the keys, keeps the portfolio and attendance records the state requires, and writes the high school transcript.
    Credit and records
    No accreditation, no transcript service, no diploma, no records held by Rainbow. The parent issues the transcript. Rainbow supplies a free transcript worksheet and a fillable template on its resources page and directs families to HSLDA for state requirements. The Grade 9 packages self-describe as "worth 4 solid high school credits when completed properly," with roughly three…
    Cost
    Per grade, per child, one-time. Observed 2026 bundle prices: Kindergarten $337.95, Grade 3 $309.95, Grade 4 $305.00, Grade 5 Secular $403.95, Grade 6 $545.00, Grade 7 $437.00, Grade 8 Upgrade $449.00, Grade 9 $472.00, Grade 9 Secular $610.00. List prices run 25 to 35 percent higher; the discount is real and disclosed line by line. No subscription or renewal fee. Free shipping on US orders over $50. Hidden ongoing…
    Alaska notes
    Rainbow ships free to Alaska on any US order over $50, and every grade kit clears that threshold, so a $305 to $610 box carries no stated shipping charge. The catch is in Rainbow's own shipping FAQ: free shipping goes out as USPS Economy, and Economy to Alaska and Hawaii "may take 3-5 weeks." Priority Mail to Alaska runs 5 to 7 days but costs extra, and a grade kit is a heavy…

    Strengths

    • Free unlimited human curriculum consulting from twelve named consultants by phone, chat, and email, with explicit special-needs expertise in dyslexia, ADHD, and auditory processing. No purchase…
    • Total cost transparency with no subscription, no renewal, and no lock-in. Every bundle shows list price, sale price, and savings, and every single component is separately priced so a family can…
    • Genuine editorial choice on faith and philosophy: three parallel editions (Christian, Secular, Economy) at different price points, so a secular Alaska family and a conservative Christian family can…

    Weaknesses

    • No schedule at all. Rainbow ships four publishers' materials in one box and tells the family to set its own pace. The parent must reverse-engineer a weekly plan from four separate teacher guides that…
    • Zero external validation and zero accountability. No accreditation, no transcript service, no diploma, no proctoring, no outside human ever sees the work. The high school credit claim is…
    • Content accuracy depends on which edition you buy. The Christian and Economy science lines teach a Young Earth perspective in biology and earth science. That is disclosed, and the Secular line avoids…
    Good fitA first-year or budget-conscious homeschool family in grades K through 6 with a parent who intends to be present and teaching daily, who wants to skip months of curriculum research, and who wants one box of proven materials at a real discount without a subscription. Especially good for a family that wants to talk to a…
    Poor fitA family that needs the curriculum itself to supply structure, deadlines, or an outside adult. A single or working parent who cannot commit two to four hours daily to teaching and marking. A high school student aiming at selective admission who needs AP, dual credit, or an accredited transcript, since none of that…

    Reviewed from the programme's own published materials. Pricing and features change without notice, so confirm details with the publisher before buying. How FrostBoard rates curriculum