The Complete Guide for New Mexico Homeschool Families
Donate Homeschool Curriculum in New Mexico: Used Curriculum Sets, Co-op Materials, Faith-Based & Secular Programs, and the Annual Swap Cycle
I am Josh Eldred, and I run the New Mexico Literacy Project from a warehouse on Edith Blvd in Albuquerque. This guide is for every homeschool family in New Mexico who has curriculum that has done its job and needs to move on. Whether you have one grade level of outgrown Abeka, a garage full of accumulated Saxon Math and Sonlight from five kids over twelve years, a co-op that is cycling through its shared materials, or a mix of secular and faith-based programs from a decade of eclectic homeschooling — I take it all. Every publisher, every approach, every condition. Free pickup in the Albuquerque metro, and I drive statewide for substantial quantities.
Last verified May 2026 · Original research by Josh Eldred
In This Guide
Outgrown Curriculum Sets — The Annual Cycle
Every homeschool family knows the rhythm. Your child finishes a grade level, and the curriculum that carried them through the year is done. The math textbook, the language arts workbooks, the science manual, the history spine — all of it sitting in a stack or a box or on a shelf, waiting for the next step. If you have another child coming up behind, some of it gets reused. If you do not, or if your younger child learns differently and needs a different program, those materials need to go somewhere.
This is the most common type of homeschool curriculum donation I handle. A family finishes a school year, decides they are moving to a different program for the next grade, and has a complete or near-complete set of last year's materials ready to pass along. Sometimes it is a single grade level. Sometimes it is several years of accumulated curriculum from multiple children. Sometimes it is the entire K-through-12 output of a family that has finished homeschooling altogether.
The volume adds up faster than most families expect. A typical single-grade curriculum package — math, language arts, science, history, and electives — can easily fill a large box. A family that has homeschooled three children through elementary and middle school might have a dozen boxes of accumulated materials sitting in a closet, a garage, or a spare room. I have picked up from families with thirty-plus boxes representing a decade of homeschooling.
All of it is welcome. Current editions, older editions, complete sets, partial sets, clean copies and copies with some wear. You do not need to sort the resellable from the used-up. You do not need to separate teacher editions from student workbooks. I handle all of that at the warehouse. Your job is just to get it to me — and I make that easy. Free pickup in the Albuquerque metro, 24/7 drop box at the warehouse anytime, or shipping for out-of-metro families. If you are a classroom teacher with a similar collection of educational materials, my guide on the teacher retiring classroom library scenario covers the specifics for educators.
What happens after I pick up your outgrown curriculum: every item gets hand-sorted. Textbooks and teacher editions with resale value are listed on Amazon and eBay, where other homeschool families find them. Revenue from those sales funds the free pickup service and keeps the entire NMLP operation running. Materials that do not have resale value but are still usable get routed to schools and reading programs. Consumable workbooks that have been completed go to the recycler, which is still better than a landfill.
Faith-Based Curriculum with Strong Resale Markets
Faith-based homeschool curriculum represents a significant portion of the used curriculum market, and several publishers have particularly strong secondary demand. I handle all of them, and I understand the differences between them well enough to sort and route them properly. Here is what I see most often and what I know about each.
Abeka (A Beka). Abeka is one of the most widely used Christian homeschool curriculum programs in the country, and it is one of the most common donations I receive in New Mexico. The program covers every subject from pre-K through twelfth grade with a traditional, structured approach. Abeka materials hold resale value well because the program is consistent — families can buy a used set from three or four years ago and it still aligns with the current scope and sequence. Complete grade-level sets with teacher editions and student textbooks are the highest-value items. The consumable workbooks lose value once completed, but the hardcover texts and teacher guides remain in demand year after year.
BJU Press (Bob Jones University Press). BJU Press produces a full-spectrum K-12 curriculum with a Christian worldview and a reputation for academic rigor. The teacher editions are substantial, often running several hundred pages per subject, and they command strong resale prices because of their low print runs relative to student editions. Complete sets with both teacher and student components are particularly sought after. BJU Press also produces science lab kits and activity sets; I accept the books and printed materials that accompany those kits.
Saxon Math. Saxon is used by both homeschool families and traditional schools, which broadens its resale market considerably. The incremental approach — daily review of previously learned concepts built into every lesson — has kept a loyal following despite newer competitors. Saxon Math hardcover textbooks retain strong resale value across many editions. The solutions manuals are the single most valuable component because families often lose them. If you have Saxon solutions manuals in any condition, they are worth donating separately from the rest of your curriculum if nothing else.
Apologia Science. Apologia produces a creation-based science curriculum for middle and high school students that is one of the most popular choices in Christian homeschooling. The hardcover student textbooks are the primary value items. The notebooking journals are consumable and lose value once used. Complete sets — student text plus solutions and tests manual — are what buyers look for. Apologia's upper-level science courses (biology, chemistry, physics, advanced biology, marine biology) hold value particularly well because the alternative is expensive college-prep lab science courses.
Sonlight. Sonlight is a literature-based curriculum built around carefully curated book lists at each level. This means a Sonlight donation is often a combination of the instructor's guide (the most valuable single piece) and dozens of individual trade books that comprise the reading list for that level. The instructor's guides hold resale value because they contain the daily lesson plans, discussion questions, and scheduling that tie the book list together. The individual books in the reading list also have value, particularly when donated as a complete set for a given level. I see Sonlight donations frequently from New Mexico families and they route well.
My Father's World. My Father's World combines Charlotte Mason methods with traditional academics in a Christian framework. The teacher manuals and planning guides are the valuable components. Because the program uses a blend of proprietary materials and recommended trade books, a complete My Father's World donation often looks like a box of guides mixed with a stack of novels and reference books. I sort all of it.
Rod & Staff. Rod & Staff produces curriculum from a conservative Mennonite perspective with a strong emphasis on phonics, grammar, and arithmetic. The materials are distinctive — minimal color, straightforward presentation, no frills. Rod & Staff has a dedicated following and the materials hold value on the secondary market, particularly the upper-grade math and English textbooks. I accept all Rod & Staff materials.
I want to be clear about something: I treat all faith-based curriculum with respect regardless of denomination or theological perspective. These materials represent real investment — financial and personal — by families who chose them thoughtfully. My job is to make sure they reach their next reader, whether that is through resale to another homeschool family or through distribution to a school or program that can use them. The theology is not my department. The logistics are.
Have a garage full of homeschool curriculum?
Secular Curriculum with Resale Value
The secular homeschool market has grown substantially in New Mexico and nationally over the past decade, and several secular curriculum programs have developed strong secondary markets. I handle all of them.
Singapore Math. Singapore Math is one of the most respected math programs in homeschooling, valued for its emphasis on number sense, problem-solving, and the concrete-pictorial-abstract progression. The textbooks and teacher guides retain strong resale value. The workbooks are consumable but the Home Instructor's Guides are the real value items — they are expensive new and in consistent demand used. I accept all Singapore Math editions including the Primary Mathematics, Dimensions, and Standards editions.
Math-U-See. Math-U-See is a mastery-based math program that uses manipulative blocks alongside instructional DVDs and student workbooks. The manipulative blocks (the iconic colorful plastic pieces) are durable and hold value well. The instructor manuals and DVDs retain resale demand. The student workbooks are consumable. A complete Math-U-See level — manual, DVD, manipulative set, and unused workbooks — is a high-value donation. Even partial sets with just the blocks and instructor materials are useful.
Story of the World (Susan Wise Bauer). Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World four-volume history series is a staple of narrative-based history education and is used by both secular and faith-based families. The hardcover student texts, the activity books, and the test books all have resale value. The audio CDs for the series (narrated by Jim Weiss) are also in demand. The Well-Trained Mind — Bauer's comprehensive guide to classical education at home — is a perennial reference that homeschool families buy and replace as new editions come out. All Well-Trained Mind Press materials are accepted.
Life of Fred. Life of Fred is a narrative-based math series that teaches mathematics through the life of a fictional five-year-old genius named Fred who becomes a college professor. The books are distinctive, self-contained, and require no separate teacher manual. Each volume holds its value on the secondary market because the series has a devoted following and because individual volumes are used at specific levels. A complete run of Life of Fred from elementary through advanced math is a substantial and valuable donation.
Teaching Textbooks. Teaching Textbooks is a self-grading math curriculum with built-in instruction. The older physical CD-ROM versions are still in circulation on the secondary market, though the company has moved to an online subscription model. If you have the physical Teaching Textbooks sets — textbook, answer key, and CD-ROMs — they do still have buyers among families who prefer the offline format or who live in areas with limited internet access. I accept all versions.
RightStart Math. RightStart Mathematics uses an abacus-based, hands-on approach to math instruction. The program includes a specialized abacus (the AL Abacus), lesson manuals, card games, and worksheets. The abacus and lesson manuals are the high-value components. RightStart is expensive to buy new, which sustains a healthy secondary market for used sets. I accept the complete kits including the physical manipulatives when they accompany the books.
These secular programs represent a significant and growing segment of the homeschool community in New Mexico. Many families use a mix of secular and faith-based curriculum — Saxon Math with Sonlight reading, or Singapore Math with Apologia Science. I accept mixed donations without any need for you to sort by publisher or approach.
Charlotte Mason Materials
Charlotte Mason homeschooling occupies its own distinctive corner of the curriculum world. The method, based on the educational philosophy of the nineteenth-century British educator Charlotte Mason, emphasizes living books over textbooks, narration over testing, nature study, habit training, and short focused lessons. The curriculum materials that come with this approach look different from a typical boxed curriculum set.
A Charlotte Mason donation typically includes stacks of living books — real literature, biographies, and narrative nonfiction chosen for their quality of writing rather than their alignment with a scope-and-sequence chart. Many Charlotte Mason families use the Ambleside Online free curriculum, which generates reading lists of specific titles organized by year. When a family finishes a year of Ambleside, they may have twenty to forty individual books from that year's reading list. Those books have value both to incoming Charlotte Mason families and to the broader used book market, because Ambleside titles are deliberately chosen for literary quality.
Nature journals are another hallmark of Charlotte Mason education. Families accumulate field guides, nature study resources, drawing materials, and the nature journals themselves. Blank or lightly used nature journal resources are accepted. Completed nature journals are personal artifacts and most families keep those, but if they come in as part of a donation, I accept them too.
Charlotte Mason families also tend to accumulate supplemental resources: poetry anthologies for daily tea-time reading, Shakespeare study guides, composer and artist study materials, hymn study collections, and foreign language resources (many Charlotte Mason families incorporate Latin or French). All of it is accepted. The living books are the easiest to route because they are, by definition, excellent books that readers of all kinds want.
I have a particular appreciation for Charlotte Mason donations because the books themselves are curated for quality. A box of Ambleside Online year-four books is a fundamentally different donation from a box of random mass-market paperbacks — every title was chosen because someone thoughtful believed it was worth reading.
Classical Education Materials
Classical education — built around the trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric — has a strong following in New Mexico's homeschool community, and the curriculum materials associated with it are distinctive and often valuable on the secondary market.
Memoria Press. Memoria Press produces a structured classical curriculum covering Latin, logic, Christian studies, literature, and composition. Their Latin programs (Prima Latina, Latina Christiana, First Form Latin, Second Form Latin, and beyond) are some of the most commonly used Latin curricula in homeschooling. The teacher manuals, student workbooks, and pronunciation CDs/DVDs all have resale value, with the teacher manuals being the most sought-after components. Complete Memoria Press grade-level packages hold value well.
Classical Conversations. Classical Conversations is a community-based classical education program that combines home instruction with weekly group meetings. The program generates a specific set of materials: Foundations guides, Essentials guides, Challenge guides, and the accompanying memory work cards, timelines, and maps. Because Classical Conversations updates its materials periodically and families need specific editions for specific community groups, there is consistent secondary demand for current and recent editions. I accept all Classical Conversations materials.
Veritas Press. Veritas Press produces history, Bible, and phonics curriculum from a classical Christian perspective. Their self-paced online courses have become popular, but the physical materials — history cards, student workbooks, teacher manuals, and the Veritas Press Bible curriculum — remain in circulation on the secondary market. The Veritas Press history flashcard sets are compact, durable, and consistently resellable.
Classical education also involves a lot of primary-source reading — translations of Greek and Latin literature, philosophy texts, rhetoric readers, logic textbooks, and the great-books reading lists that form the backbone of the rhetoric stage. These individual titles overlap with college humanities reading lists, which broadens their resale market beyond homeschooling specifically. A donation of classical education materials often includes a surprising range of serious literature and philosophy alongside the formal curriculum components.
Latin textbooks deserve a specific mention. Beyond Memoria Press, I regularly receive Wheelock's Latin, Henle Latin, Latin for Children, and various classical language grammars and readers. Latin instruction materials have a narrow but consistent market — there are always families starting Latin and looking for affordable materials.
Co-op Materials — Shared and Cycled
Homeschool co-ops are a major part of the New Mexico homeschool landscape. A co-op is a group of homeschool families that pool resources, share teaching responsibilities, and provide group learning experiences that are difficult to replicate at home — science labs, group literature discussions, drama productions, art classes, physical education, and foreign language instruction. New Mexico has dozens of active co-ops across the state, from large organized programs with formal class schedules to small informal groups of four or five families meeting weekly.
Co-ops accumulate curriculum materials at a different scale than individual families. A co-op teaching a science lab course might have classroom sets of twenty or thirty student textbooks, a teacher manual, and lab supply documentation. A co-op running a writing program might have stacks of composition guides and grammar reference books. When the co-op moves on to new materials — or when the co-op itself dissolves — those materials need a home.
I regularly handle co-op donations that include multiple copies of the same textbook, shared teacher resources, group instruction materials, and the accumulated supplemental books that co-ops collect over years of operation. The multi-copy aspect is actually an advantage for resale — other co-ops starting up are looking for exactly those classroom-quantity sets.
If your co-op is cycling through its materials or shutting down, contact me. I pick up from homes, churches, community centers, and anywhere else co-ops meet. The logistics are the same as any other pickup — you do not need to sort, I bring my own equipment, and I handle all the lifting. Text 702-496-4214 and tell me what you have.
Co-op dissolving? Curriculum swap leftovers?
Standardized Test Prep Books
New Mexico homeschool families are not required by law to administer standardized tests, but many choose to for portfolio assessment, college preparation, or personal benchmarking. This generates a steady stream of test prep materials that families use for a season and then no longer need.
The most common standardized tests I see prep materials for: the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), the Iowa Assessments (the successor to the ITBS), the Stanford Achievement Test, the California Achievement Test, and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test. These are the tests that homeschool testing services typically administer to families who want formal achievement data. The prep books for these tests are useful even across editions because the underlying skills being tested — reading comprehension, math computation, language mechanics — do not change dramatically from year to year.
For older homeschool students, ACT and SAT preparation is a significant investment. Families accumulate prep books from multiple publishers — The Official ACT Prep Guide, The College Board's Official SAT Study Guide, Princeton Review materials, Kaplan guides, and various third-party practice test collections. Current editions of the official guides hold strong resale value. Older editions still contain valid practice material even if the exact test format has shifted slightly. PSAT/NMSQT prep materials also come in regularly, particularly from families with students entering the National Merit Scholarship qualifying process.
I accept all standardized test prep materials in any condition. If your student has written in the practice tests, those specific pages lose resale value, but the rest of the book — strategy sections, content review, additional practice sets — is still useful. You do not need to sort test prep from regular curriculum. It all goes in the same box and I handle the sorting at the warehouse.
What Has Resale Value vs. What Is Consumable
This is one of the most important distinctions in homeschool curriculum, and it is worth understanding whether you are donating, selling, or buying used. Not all curriculum components are created equal on the secondary market.
High-value items (retain resale value):
- Teacher editions and instructor guides. These are consistently the most valuable single component of any curriculum set. Teacher editions are produced in smaller print runs than student materials, they contain the answer keys and lesson plans that make the curriculum usable, and they are expensive to replace. An Abeka teacher edition, a BJU Press teacher manual, or a Sonlight instructor guide can be worth more than the entire student component of the same level.
- Hardcover student textbooks. Non-consumable student textbooks — the kind that are designed to be read, not written in — hold value well across many curriculum lines. Saxon Math hardcovers, Apologia science texts, BJU Press student texts, and similar non-consumable formats all have steady secondary demand.
- Solutions manuals and answer keys. These are high-value because they are frequently lost, damaged, or separated from the main curriculum. A standalone Saxon Math solutions manual or an Apologia solutions and tests manual will find a buyer quickly.
- Complete sets at a single grade level. A complete Abeka fourth-grade set (teacher editions, student texts, and any unused workbooks) is worth meaningfully more as a set than the individual pieces sold separately. Buyers prefer one-stop shopping.
- Manipulatives and physical components. Math-U-See blocks, RightStart abacuses, and similar physical learning tools retain value because they are durable and expensive to replace.
Low-value or no-value items (consumable once used):
- Student workbooks that have been written in. This is the big one. A completed Abeka math workbook, a filled-in Saxon test form booklet, or a used Apologia notebooking journal has essentially no resale value. The same workbook in unused condition has value. The distinction is entirely about whether a student has written in it.
- Consumable test booklets with completed answers. Same principle. Once the tests are taken and marked, the booklet is used up.
- Outdated or heavily damaged materials. A water-damaged teacher edition, a textbook with pages falling out, or materials so old that no current families are using them have minimal resale value. I still accept them — they go to the recycler rather than a landfill — but they are not the pieces that fund the operation.
Here is the thing: you do not need to sort any of this yourself. I sort everything at the warehouse. Donate the teacher editions and the used workbooks together, the hardcover textbooks and the filled-in test booklets together, the manipulatives and the broken pencils together. I will separate what has resale value from what does not. Your only job is to get it out of your house.
Complete Sets vs. Individual Books
In the homeschool resale market, completeness matters more than in almost any other used book category. A complete Sonlight Level D package — instructor guide plus all thirty-plus books from the reading list — is worth substantially more as a unit than the sum of its parts sold individually. A complete Abeka third-grade set with matching teacher and student editions is worth more than twice what the teacher edition alone commands. The reason is straightforward: homeschool parents shopping for used curriculum want to buy once and be done. Chasing down individual missing components from multiple sellers is time-consuming and frustrating.
This has a practical implication for donation. If you have a complete curriculum set for a grade level, it is more valuable as a complete set than as scattered individual books. I keep sets together when I can. When I receive a donation that includes a complete set, I list it as a set rather than breaking it apart. This is better for the buyer and better for the operation.
That said, individual books absolutely have value too. A standalone Saxon Math solutions manual, a single Apologia textbook, or an individual Memoria Press Latin guide will all find buyers. Do not hold back a donation because you are missing one piece of a set. Partial sets still route well. The missing piece might come in from a different donor, or the partial set might be exactly what another family needs to fill a gap in their own collection.
The hierarchy, roughly, from most valuable to least: complete grade-level sets with teacher editions, complete grade-level sets without teacher editions, standalone teacher editions and instructor guides, standalone hardcover student textbooks, individual supplemental books, unused consumable workbooks, and finally used consumable workbooks (which have essentially no resale value but are still accepted). All of it is welcome regardless of where it falls on that spectrum.
The Annual Curriculum Swap Cycle
The homeschool curriculum market operates on a predictable seasonal cycle, and understanding it helps explain when donations flow in, when demand peaks, and how the secondary market works.
The cycle runs roughly like this. Most homeschool families begin planning for the next school year in March and April. Curriculum fairs and conventions happen in the spring. Purchasing — both new and used — peaks between May and August. The school year starts for most families between August and September, with some starting as early as July and others as late as October. The current year's curriculum is in active use from fall through spring. As families approach the end of their school year (typically April through June), they begin thinking about what they will keep, what they will sell, and what they will pass along.
This means the highest volume of curriculum donations arrives between May and August — the window after families finish their current year and before the new year begins. It is also the window when used curriculum has the most buyers. If you are donating materials that have strong resale value and you want them to reach their highest use, donating in the spring or early summer gives me time to list them when demand is highest.
That said, I accept donations year-round and there is never a bad time to donate. Curriculum that comes in during October or January might sit in inventory a bit longer before selling, but it will sell. And the non-resale materials — the books that route to schools and reading programs — are needed regardless of season.
New Mexico has its own rhythm within this national cycle. The state's relatively light regulatory environment for homeschooling means families have flexibility in scheduling that families in more regulated states do not. Some New Mexico homeschool families run year-round programs with no formal summer break. Others follow a traditional September-to-May calendar. Still others operate on a modified schedule that takes advantage of the New Mexico climate — heavier academics in the cooler months, more outdoor and hands-on learning in the summer. This means curriculum turnover in New Mexico is somewhat less concentrated in the June-August window than it is nationally, which actually helps me maintain a steady flow of both donations and sales throughout the year.
How the Homeschool Resale Market Works
If you are considering whether to sell your used curriculum yourself or donate it to NMLP, it helps to understand how the secondary market operates. There are several channels, each with different trade-offs.
Facebook buy/sell/trade groups. This is where the largest volume of used homeschool curriculum changes hands. There are national groups (some with hundreds of thousands of members), regional groups, publisher-specific groups (Abeka buy/sell, Sonlight buy/sell, Saxon Math buy/sell), and state-specific groups. New Mexico has several active homeschool buy/sell groups. The advantage is direct peer-to-peer sales with no marketplace fees. The disadvantage is the time investment: you need to photograph each item, write a description, price it, respond to messages, negotiate, and then either meet locally or package and ship. For a family selling ten or twenty items, this can consume a significant number of hours.
Homeschool Classifieds (homeschoolclassifieds.com). This is a dedicated online marketplace for used homeschool curriculum that has been operating for over two decades. Listings are organized by publisher and subject. The audience is specifically homeschool families looking for used curriculum, which means the buyer pool is targeted and motivated. The platform charges modest listing fees. It works well for individual high-value items and complete sets but is less practical for bulk lots of mixed materials.
Local curriculum swaps and sales. Many homeschool groups and co-ops organize annual or semi-annual used curriculum sales where families can bring materials to sell or swap. These events are common in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and Santa Fe during the spring and summer months. They are a good way to move curriculum locally without shipping, but the buyer pool is limited to whoever attends the event, and unsold items need to go somewhere afterward. Some families end up donating their unsold swap leftovers to me after these events.
Amazon and eBay. Both platforms have robust markets for used homeschool curriculum. This is the channel NMLP uses for reselling donated curriculum that has market value. The advantages are a national buyer pool and established trust infrastructure (reviews, buyer protection, seller ratings). The disadvantages are marketplace fees, shipping logistics, and the knowledge required to price curriculum accurately. This is where having someone who understands curriculum values — which is part of what I do — makes a meaningful difference in routing efficiency.
When NMLP makes more sense than selling yourself. If you have a large volume of mixed materials — some with value, some without — the sorting and listing time for self-selling can quickly exceed what most families want to invest. If you have older editions, partial sets, or curriculum from less common publishers, the per-item return may not justify the effort. If you want everything gone in one trip and do not want to manage listings, messages, and shipping, NMLP is the path of least friction. I also buy curriculum with strong resale value through my sister operation SellBooksABQ, so families who want cash for their best items and a clean sweep for the rest can accomplish both in one interaction.
The New Mexico Homeschool Landscape
New Mexico has one of the most favorable regulatory environments for homeschooling in the country. The state requires notification to the local school district and basic recordkeeping, but does not mandate standardized testing, curriculum approval, teacher certification, or portfolio review. This relatively light oversight has contributed to a thriving and diverse homeschool community across the state.
The practical effect of this regulatory environment is that New Mexico homeschool families have wide latitude in choosing curriculum, scheduling, and educational approach. This translates into an unusually diverse range of curriculum materials in circulation — everything from highly structured programs like Abeka and BJU Press to completely unstructured approaches that rely on library books and real-world experiences. I see the full spectrum in donations.
New Mexico's homeschool community is organized through a network of co-ops, support groups, and state organizations. There are active homeschool groups in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Farmington, Roswell, and smaller communities throughout the state. These groups facilitate curriculum sharing, group activities, field trips, and the kinds of social connections that homeschool families value. When a family in one of these groups has a good experience donating curriculum to NMLP, word travels through the network. Homeschool parents are organized and connected, and one good interaction tends to generate referrals across the community.
New Mexico also hosts curriculum fairs and homeschool conventions, typically in the spring and summer months. These events serve as both purchasing opportunities and community gatherings. Families buy new curriculum from vendors, purchase used materials from other families, attend workshops, and connect with co-ops and support groups. The unsold remainder from convention used curriculum tables is a recurring source of donations for NMLP — families who do not sell everything at the fair often prefer to donate the leftovers rather than haul them back home.
The state's demographics shape the homeschool community in distinctive ways. New Mexico's significant Hispanic and Native American populations are reflected in the homeschool community, and I see curriculum materials in Spanish, bilingual resources, and culturally specific educational materials alongside the mainstream English-language programs. All of it is accepted and routed to where it can do the most good.
One more thing worth noting: New Mexico's geography means that some homeschool families are genuinely remote. Families in rural areas — the mesas east of Albuquerque, the ranching communities in the southeastern part of the state, the small towns along the Rio Grande north of Santa Fe — may not have easy access to used curriculum sources. NMLP's statewide pickup service and my online resale of donated curriculum help close that accessibility gap. A family in Raton or Truth or Consequences can buy quality used curriculum on Amazon that originated as a donation from a family in Albuquerque.
Done homeschooling? Switching curriculum?
When NMLP Is the Right Choice
NMLP is not the right choice for every situation, and I am honest about that. If you have a single complete set of current Sonlight or Abeka in excellent condition and you are willing to spend time listing and selling it, you will get more money selling it yourself than you will by donating it. If tax-deductibility is essential to your situation, NMLP is a for-profit business and cannot issue tax receipts — a registered 501(c)(3) is the right match for you.
NMLP is the right choice when:
- You have a large volume of mixed materials. Five boxes, ten boxes, twenty boxes of curriculum from multiple years and multiple children. Some of it has resale value and some does not, and you do not want to figure out which is which. I sort all of it.
- You have older editions or partial sets. An Abeka set from 2014, a Saxon Math textbook without the solutions manual, a partial Sonlight level missing a few books from the reading list. These are hard to sell individually but perfectly usable and I route them to where they can do the most good.
- You have a mix of consumable and non-consumable materials. Used workbooks mixed with clean textbooks mixed with teacher editions. You do not want to sort and photograph each item. I do that at the warehouse.
- You want everything gone in one trip. You are moving, downsizing, or simply tired of looking at boxes of old curriculum. One text, one pickup, done. I bring my own equipment and handle all the lifting.
- Your co-op is dissolving or cycling materials. Multiple families' worth of shared curriculum that needs to go somewhere organized. I handle the logistics.
- You have curriculum swap leftovers. You took your best items to a swap or listed them in a buy/sell group, sold what you could, and now you have the remainder. I take it all.
- You want the materials to reach readers rather than a landfill. Curriculum with resale value reaches other homeschool families through Amazon and eBay sales. Usable materials without resale value reach schools and reading programs. Only genuinely unsalvageable materials go to recycling. Nothing usable gets thrown away.
The transparency note I put on every page: NMLP is a for-profit New Mexico business. Donations are not tax-deductible. Books fund the operation through resale, and the surplus routes to APS Title I schools, UNM Children's Hospital, and Little Free Libraries. That is the model, and it works because it is honest.
If you want to sell your best items for cash and donate the rest, my sister operation SellBooksABQ buys curriculum with strong resale value, and NMLP takes everything else. You can handle both in one conversation. Text 702-496-4214 and tell me what you have. I will help you figure out the best path for your specific situation. Also check my What's My Library Worth? tool to get a sense of your collection's value before you decide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does NMLP accept homeschool curriculum donations?
Yes. I accept all homeschool curriculum materials — faith-based, secular, classical, Charlotte Mason, eclectic, and everything in between. Complete sets, individual books, teacher manuals, student textbooks, test prep materials, manipulatives with their accompanying books, and supplemental resources. You do not need to sort anything. I handle everything from pickup through sorting.
Are homeschool curriculum donations to NMLP tax-deductible?
No. The New Mexico Literacy Project is a for-profit New Mexico business, not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations to NMLP are not tax-deductible. I am transparent about this on every page of the site. If a tax deduction is your priority, a registered nonprofit is the better match for your situation.
Which homeschool curriculum brands have the best resale value?
Complete sets of Abeka, BJU Press, Saxon Math, Sonlight, Apologia Science, Singapore Math, Math-U-See, and Teaching Textbooks consistently hold value. Teacher editions and non-consumable student textbooks are the highest-value items. Consumable workbooks that have been written in have little to no resale value. Complete sets in a single grade level are worth significantly more than individual scattered books.
Do you accept curriculum with writing in the workbooks?
Yes, I accept everything regardless of condition. Consumable workbooks that have been filled in have essentially no resale value, but the teacher editions, hardcover student textbooks, and non-consumable components from the same set are the valuable pieces. I sort all of it at the warehouse — you do not need to separate workbooks from textbooks.
Should I sell my homeschool curriculum instead of donating it?
If you have a small number of complete, current sets in clean condition and you are willing to invest time in listing, photographing, and shipping, you will likely net more selling through homeschool resale groups or Homeschool Classifieds. If you have a large mixed lot, older editions, partial sets, or you simply want everything gone, NMLP is the easier path. Many families sell their best items and donate the rest to me. I also buy curriculum with resale value through SellBooksABQ.
Do you pick up homeschool curriculum from my home?
Yes. Free pickup in the Albuquerque metro for any quantity. Statewide pickup across New Mexico for substantial quantities. You can also use the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A anytime, or ship smaller quantities to the same address. Text 702-496-4214 and I will figure out logistics.
What about Abeka (A Beka) curriculum specifically?
Abeka is one of the most commonly donated and most consistently resellable homeschool curriculum brands I handle. Complete grade-level sets with teacher editions, student textbooks, and unused or lightly used workbooks hold strong value. Even older Abeka editions find buyers because the content is consistent across revisions. I accept all Abeka materials in any condition.
Do you accept Saxon Math books?
Yes. Saxon Math is one of the most resellable homeschool math programs on the secondary market. The hardcover student textbooks and teacher editions retain value across editions. Complete sets with solutions manuals are particularly sought after. I accept all Saxon Math materials including the consumable test forms.
What happens to donated homeschool curriculum?
Every donation is hand-sorted at the warehouse. Curriculum with resale value is sold on Amazon and eBay — that revenue funds the free pickup service. Quality educational materials get distributed to APS Title I schools, UNM Children's Hospital, and Little Free Libraries. Only truly unsalvageable material goes to a regional pulp recycler. Nothing usable gets landfilled.
Is there a best time of year to donate homeschool curriculum?
The used curriculum market peaks between May and August, so donating in spring or early summer gives me time to list resellable items during peak demand. But I accept donations year-round and there is never a bad time to clear out curriculum you are done with. The non-resale materials that route to schools and reading programs are needed regardless of season.
Do you accept homeschool co-op materials?
Yes. Shared curriculum sets, classroom quantities of textbooks, teacher guides for group instruction, and multi-student resource kits are all accepted. When a co-op dissolves or cycles through its materials, I take all of it. I pick up from homes, churches, community centers, and anywhere else co-ops meet.
Do you accept standardized test prep books?
Yes. ITBS prep, Stanford Achievement Test prep, Iowa Assessments practice books, ACT prep, SAT prep, PSAT materials, and all other standardized test prep materials are accepted. Current editions of the official ACT and SAT guides have solid resale value. Even older editions are still useful for practice.
What about Charlotte Mason and Ambleside Online materials?
I accept all Charlotte Mason materials including living books from Ambleside Online reading lists, nature study resources, composition notebooks, and supplemental materials. Complete year-level book sets from Ambleside rotations are particularly useful to incoming families. The living books are easy to route because they are, by definition, excellent literature.
Do you accept classical education materials like Memoria Press and Classical Conversations?
Yes. Memoria Press sets, Classical Conversations guides and memory work materials, Veritas Press curriculum, Latin textbooks, logic texts, and all other classical education materials are accepted. Classical curriculum holds resale value well because the approach does not change with trends.
Can I donate just the books my kids outgrew this year?
Absolutely. You do not need to wait until you have accumulated years of curriculum. If your child finished a grade level and you are ready to pass along those materials, bring them by the drop box or schedule a pickup. Even a single grade level of curriculum from a quality program has value.
Do you serve homeschool families outside Albuquerque?
Yes. I drive statewide for substantial quantities. I regularly serve Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and communities across New Mexico. For smaller donations outside the metro, you can ship to 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A, Albuquerque NM 87107 or use the 24/7 drop box when passing through town. Text 702-496-4214 to discuss your situation.
What is the difference between donating to NMLP and dropping off at Goodwill?
Goodwill is a 501(c)(3) and can issue tax receipts. NMLP is for-profit and cannot. On the operational side: Goodwill does not pick up books, rejects damaged materials, and does not specialize in curriculum. Homeschool materials on a Goodwill shelf are often mispriced or overlooked. NMLP picks up for free, accepts any condition, and every item is hand-sorted by someone who understands curriculum resale values and can tell the difference between a consumable workbook and a teacher edition worth real money. See my complete donation guide for a full comparison.
Still have questions? I answer texts personally.
Your Homeschool Curriculum Deserves Better Than a Garage
Finished homeschooling? Switching to a new program? Cleaning out after a curriculum swap? Just ready to let go of the boxes that have been stacking up for years? — I take it all. Every publisher, every approach, every condition. Abeka, BJU Press, Saxon, Sonlight, Singapore Math, Charlotte Mason living books, Classical Conversations guides, and everything else. Free pickup in the Albuquerque metro, and I drive statewide for substantial quantities. One text and it is handled.
Josh Eldred • New Mexico Literacy Project • 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A, Albuquerque NM 87107