What is an “Abeka” anyway?
You probably already know that Abeka sells curriculum and textbooks for homeschool families, but you may not know our whole story. However, if you look at the sentence at the top of our current homepage, you’ll get a pretty good clue:
Excellence in education from a Christian perspective since 1972
Take those phrases in reverse order and you’ll find in them a brief outline of who Abeka is, how we began, and what we’re all about.
“Since 1972”
Abeka’s roots actually go back to 1954. That’s when Dr. Arlin Horton and his wife, Beka, started a Christian school in Pensacola, Florida. They soon discovered that textbooks and curriculum based on a Biblical educational philosophy were starting to disappear. So they began producing their own, with Beka being deeply involved in the writing process. Administrators and teachers from other Christian schools eventually saw how these materials could help their students and asked to purchase them. That’s when A Beka Book was born.
At first, the enterprise-focused solely on creating materials for Christian schools. That included pioneering a distance learning program to provide video lessons for schools who struggled to find qualified teachers. But with the rise of the homeschooling movement, A Beka Book was soon creating anything that families all over the world would need to teach their children at home.
In 2017, we altered our logo and changed the way we refer to ourselves to match what our customers have been calling us for years: Abeka.
“From a Christian perspective”
Abeka began as a burden of the heart, not a business. That is, the Hortons felt burdened to offer children an education that was based on Christian principles and the timeless truths of the Bible. That conviction not only provided the spark that created Abeka, it has continued to be the guiding principle in all we do.
“In Education”
Abeka writes, designs, produces, and sells all manner of educational products and resources to help both homeschool parents and Christian school staff teach the core academic subjects (Language Arts, Arithmetic/Mathematics, Science/Health, History/Geography) as well as music, art, foreign languages, and other electives. In fact, we offer more than 1,000 products designed for nursery through 12th grade, including textbooks, Curriculum Lesson Plans, workbooks, quiz and test books, readers, flash cards, concept cards, teacher editions, answer keys, charts, maps, and other learning visuals.
Some of these products, like our digital teaching aids and digital textbooks for high school subjects, are available in digital versions for use on laptops or tablets. In addition, the distance learning program we pioneered in the 1980s has become Abeka Academy video homeschooling, for parents who want an easier way to educate their children at home.
“Excellence”
Finally—yet, first and foremost—is our commitment to excellence. Our company was born from the Hortons’ belief that A Beka Book was something God wanted them to start. Any endeavor thus taken should reflect God and His excellence. So we work hard to provide affordable, high quality teaching tools that work.
Toward that end, our homeschool program is built on a proven approach to teaching and learning. The philosophy in our program is traditional and parent-led, because it has withstood the test of time. Cross-subject integration is built into the design of the curriculum, meaning that what a child learns in one subject is reinforced in his or her other subjects. Persistent review of material learned in prior units of study solidifies retention.
But these aren’t the only reasons the Abeka approach works so well. All our materials are constantly being reviewed and updated. This intentional cycle of revision ensures that the curriculum and other resources remain relevant and effective.
This is Abeka in a nutshell. We exist to help families provide a great education for their kids, built on a Biblical foundation, because that’s what we’ve been doing for over 40 years.
Naomi Woodward:
April 27, 2024Our family has been with Abeka since 1993. That in and of itself speaks the feelings of the quality education our family knows that the children are receiving. We are grateful to the Lord for leading Abeka , another of His children to create and maintain such a Biblical standard that teaches the academics in a way that compares to nothing else! We Thank the Lord for the opportunity to be apart of the Abeka family.
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Mike Mannuzza:
April 27, 2024My grand-daughter Shelly has been using the ABeka accredited video curriculum since the 8th grade. Prior to that, we were using the K-12 video program, but when K-12 revised their material to "Common-Core", we decided it was time to look for a more "Christian-Based, traditional" curriculum. Shelly graduates high school this year, and has already been accepted to a local college. We (I have been her "Learning-Coach) have been very pleased with ABeka and cannot emphasize enough the superior education she has received in comparison to a public school. The accredited video program is very convenient for us when we travel, and Shelly truly enjoys the "classroom" atmosphere of the ABeka program. She has become familiar with many of the students in her video classes,and views them as "classmates". This is beneficial when she has difficulty grasping a concept, because she realizes that she is not the only student that needs further explanation.
My daughter has used Abeka for her four oldest sons, one of which is a CPA with a Masters degree, and another runs a rather large, successful, landscape company, and she is presently using ABeka for he two youngest children. Her married sons are also using the ABeka curriculum for their children. We're all very pleased and highly recommend ABeka.
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D.:
April 27, 2024We started using Abeka in the late 80's. We were using a smorgasbord of curriculum then and Abeka was one of my favorites because of the quality and ease of use of the student and teacher's editions. When our kids reached high school, we used Abeka more exclusively with their video school. Though our children are in their 30's and early 40's now, I still have some Abeka curriculum that I will periodically read and have also passed on books to my grandchildren and friend's grandchildren. Abeka has been a blessing for many years and I'm sure it will continue to be in our family and many others. We thank God for His provision!
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Miriam:
April 27, 2024I am an original Abeka student. My parents home schooled by siblings and me in the late 70's and early 80's. After my mother passed away, we were put in mainstream school due to our change in circumstances. We all tested very well, as much as a grade ahead in some subjects, and I took honors classes until I graduated.
I knew when I had children of my own that I would want to home school them, having experienced both home and public school myself. I never considered using any curriculum other than Abeka. I grew up calling it Beka Book, by the way. So it is hard for me to get used to the new logo.
I love the Christian values in these books, and the scripture references in every subject. I loved them as a child, and I love them now. I used to cut the scriptures and other meaningful quotes out of my books at the end of the year to save them. I wouldn't want to educate my children any other way.
Thank you, Abeka, for the best learning system available, as far as I am concerned.
--A very loyal customer and friend of the Abeka school.
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Faustina HillT:
April 27, 2024Interesting! In Spanish a Beca means a Scholarship!!
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Harold arevalo:
April 27, 2024Hola.
Quiero que mis 3 hijos inicien abeka. Vivo en colombia. Como inicio y que cerrificados necesitan. Donde puedo llamar para preguntar
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Abeka Admin:
April 27, 2024Hi Harold, our international department would be able to help you with that. You can contact them at 850-478-8933 or by email at international@abeka.com.
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Robyn Hembree:
April 27, 2024Interested when you are in Kokomo,IN area to come see. I have a son In Fifth grade. He now attends a Classical Christian Education. Thanks you Robyn
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Abeka Admin:
April 27, 2024Hi Robyn, you can check for a materials display near you on our website here: http://www.abeka.com/MaterialsDisplay/
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Evelyn:
April 27, 2024Will this program work with a cold who has autism?
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Abeka Admin:
April 27, 2024Hi Evelyn, Abeka does not have a specific program for autistic students, however, many parents and teachers do use our books and materials to teach children. Because of methods used in Abeka, they will assist a autistic student in learning to read, write, and do numbers. Since there are many levels of autism, parents and teachers must review our curriculums and materials to select what will work best for them.
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rebecca wise:
April 27, 2024this thing sucks
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Tasha Martin:
April 27, 2024Our family loves Abeka! We started our homeschool journey in 2014 when our oldest child was ready for VPK. We will be starting grade 5 in a couple months. My children have excelled with the Abeka program in all subjects. We have always used the Abeka materials for the parent led approach. I have zero complaints. We plan on homeschooling all the way through (Lord willing) and using Abeka for all of our education needs. Thanks Abeka for an amazing Christian based education.
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Joyce Rambert:
April 27, 2024My baby, Reine Lauren Rambert, now 28, graduated from Harvard with a Master's in Public Policy earlier this year, Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown University several years ago, in the top 2% from Niles East (or West) High School, at the top of her class at Oakwood 7th Day Adventist Middle School, and and has been outshining her classmates since she entered kindergarten. She sent to the Barber Christian Preschool which used the Abeka Christian preschool program, and I bought many of the materials to use with all three of my younger children. Because of the pandemic, two of my grandchildren are being partially home-schooled. We are using the packets the school distributes, but if I lived closer to them, I would liked to have just taken them systematically through the Abeka program. Thank you for what you provide for children and parents.
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