Crash Course is a popular YouTube channel launched by John and Hank Green in 2012. It offers free, engaging educational videos on a wide range of subjects, perfect for supplementing homeschool curriculums.
Research from the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) shows that homeschooled students typically score 15 to 25 percentile points higher than public school students on standardized academic achievement tests. Studies show that homeschooled students are accepted to college at rates comparable to or higher than their traditionally schooled peers, and they tend to earn higher GPAs in their first year of college (Journal of College Admission, 2010).
What is Crash Course?
Crash Course is a YouTube channel created by brothers John and Hank Green in 2012. It's super popular, with over 16 million subscribers and 2 billion views! The channel makes learning fun and easy. They offer quick, engaging videos that explain tough topics in about 10-15 minutes. From world history to organic chemistry and AI, Crash Course covers a ton of subjects—all for free! It's a fantastic resource for homeschoolers, especially those who learn best visually.
Subjects available
Crash Course has a wide variety of subjects. In sciences, you can learn about biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, anatomy, astronomy, and ecology. For history, they cover U.S. History, World History, European History, Black American History, and Native American History. The humanities section includes literature, art history, film history, linguistics, and world mythology. In the social sciences, you’ll find economics, sociology, geography, and U.S. Government. They even offer courses on study skills and media literacy. New series, like artificial intelligence, are regularly added.
Study hall: College credit option
Study Hall is an exciting collaboration between Crash Course, Arizona State University, YouTube, and Google. It's the first program on YouTube that lets you earn college credit! You can watch videos for free, pay $25 for full coursework that includes assignments and quizzes, or pay $400 for transferable ASU credit. Courses available include English Composition, College Math, U.S. History, and Human Communication. At $400, that's less than a third of what you'd pay at a public university. Plus, you get official ASU transcripts that can be used at other schools.
How homeschoolers use Crash Course
Most homeschoolers use Crash Course to enhance their main curriculum, not replace it. It's a great way to introduce new topics or reinforce what they're learning from textbooks. Many also use it to review before tests or explore subjects beyond their core studies. The AP-aligned series helps with exam prep, too. Since it's self-paced, students can pause, rewind, and rewatch as needed. To make learning active, have them take notes, talk about what they watched, or do related assignments. The Study Hall option also helps keep students accountable with built-in assessments.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths: Crash Course offers free, top-notch content that's engaging and keeps students interested. It's flexible and allows for self-paced learning. The material is college-level, and the library keeps growing. Visual learners really benefit from the animations.
Limitations: However, it's not meant to be the only curriculum. It doesn't provide hands-on activities, personal feedback, or a structured path. The fast pace might overwhelm some students. Also, there's no direct interaction with instructors, so it's best for motivated, independent learners. Younger or struggling students may need extra support and slower materials.
The bottom line
Crash Course makes high-quality education accessible to everyone. For homeschoolers, it’s a valuable resource to spark interest, clarify tough concepts, or prep for AP exams. The Study Hall program offers an affordable way to earn college credit. Just remember, while Crash Course videos are great, they work best alongside a structured curriculum with hands-on activities. A video on photosynthesis can make it exciting, but students still need to fully grasp it to apply what they've learned.
