Profile of Early Pioneer in Homeschooling Curriculum: Accelerated Christian Education

Despite criticism, the Christian education curriculum provider is used worldwide.

Accelerated Christian Education (A.C.E.) Ministries is one of the early providers of Christian curriculum in schools and homeschools.

Donald and Esther Howard started the ministry in 1970 to give churches access to a ready-made program for teaching based on biblical principles.

A.C.E. CEO Duane Howard / Video screenshot

Fifty years later, thousands of Christian schools and homeschooling families worldwide are still using A.C.E. curriculum. At one point, A.C.E. claimed as many as 7,000 schools in 140 countries used its products, and 80,000 homeschooling families.

Vicki Trudel has been using its products with her three children for about 16 years. She believes it has prepared her children well for entrance into the college environment.

Growing up as a student at a Christian school, Trudel also used A.C.E. curriculum—so when she decided to home school, she chose the same curriculum that had embedded Scripture in her heart as a child.

She appreciates the everyday exposure to Scripture included in the A.C.E. lessons.

A.C.E. sets up its curriculum in “pA.C.E.s” that students can work through at their own speed, moving faster or slower as needed. It is a mastery-based curriculum and can be done with minimal supervision by an instructor.

Trudel believes the flexibility that allowed her children to choose the order of their subjects, work independently, and not “wait for mom” was key to their success.

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She was also attracted to the affordability of A.C.E. curriculum. She estimated she could acquire the core curriculum for all three of her students for less than $1,000 per year, far less expensive than tuition at a Christian school.

Trudel also says A.C.E. Ministries has been “great to work with,” including diagnostic tools for placing students in the proper grade level.

A.C.E. has come under some scrutiny for what some call “rote memorization.” For example, Cathy Duffy, who reviews homeschool curriculum, wrote, “A.C.E. (sic) biggest weakness is that the material relies heavily upon simple recall rather than deeper thinking. Students can scan for the correct answer without having to really think about the material. There is little to encourage deeper thinking. From about fifth grade and up, more thinking and application skills are required, but the curriculum never operates at the same thinking-skill levels as curriculum from other major Christian publishers.”

A.C.E. Science Material / Photo via FA.C.E.book)

Trudel disagrees. She says the curriculum instilled in her children an ability to “break down a subject and learn anything.” Also, her children developed a desire for independent learning and self-motivation. Her oldest son has finished his bachelor’s degree and all of her children have done well in college, Trudel said.

A.C.E.’s use has grown internationally as well. An International Certificate of Christian Education based on A.C.E. curriculum has been used in Christian schools and by homeschoolers for 40 years. It is administered out of the United Kingdom.

The curriculum is used in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, England, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, Kenya, Singapore, and other countries, according to Tim Anger, a high school principal who runs a website about A.C.E. curriculum called PA.C.E. Success.

In the MinistryWatch database, Accelerated Christian Education Ministries has a one-star financial efficiency rating, a “D” transparency grade, and a Donor Confidence Score of 44 out of 100, meaning MinistryWatch recommends that donors withhold giving.

According to its Form 990 informational return, A.C.E. has over $12 million in net assets, with about $5.4 million in cash on hand. This is one of the reasons for its low financial efficiency rating. It has also had an operating surplus of several hundred thousand dollars for four out of the last five years, while maintaining fairly steady revenue of between $2.5 million and $2.8 million annually for the last five years.

MinistryWatch reached out to the ministry by email and text message multiple times, but did not receive a reply.

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