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OpenStax
By OpenStax, a nonprofit initiative of Rice University. Visit OpenStax
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
Free, peer-reviewed textbooks for high school and college courses in math, science, social studies, business and more. Students read the books online on any device with no login, or download them; low-cost print copies are also sold. Teachers get free slides, guides and tests, and schools can pay for Assignable, which adds practice questions and homework inside a learning management system. A good resource for teens studying ahead or families homeschooling high school.
Our take: A solid free textbook source for teens and homeschooling families at the high school level; parents of younger children will find little here.
Checked in a browser
A browser check on 2026-10-25: what loads, the ads and trackers we saw, and what a child meets first. Not a hands-on test.
| Child safety: 4 out of 5 | No ads shown; a donation banner and links to social media. |
|---|---|
| Data: 2 out of 5 | Google's ad network script (pagead2.googlesyndication.com) and Crazy Egg click tracking loaded before the cookie box was answered; no ad frames appeared. |
| Ease: 3 out of 5 | A cookie box covers half the screen; behind it is a textbook site for high school and college. |
| Cost honesty: 4 out of 5 | Free textbooks; a 'Give $25' donation ask is near the top. |
What we found
- Contacted 7 outside sites; known: googlesyndication.com, crazyegg.com and Google Tag Manager.
- 0 ad frames; 4 cookies set, one from fonts.net.
- The cookie box mentions 'targeted advertising purposes'.
- Page text: 'Give $25 to support instructors like Eduardo'.
From the test: Free textbooks for older teens, with a little tracking on the home page and a donation ask.
| Ages it suits | about 14 and up (high school and college) |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | The terms of use set no age. The privacy notice says that when children use OpenStax, an account is made on their behalf with a name and email, and parents can review, correct or delete the child's information. (terms) |
| Price | Free, with paid extras. Textbooks free online with no expiration; print editions at low cost; Assignable practice for schools from $15 per student per semester (Oct 2026). |
| Works on | Web |
| Account | No account needed |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | The free books have no AI; OpenStax says it also builds AI learning tools, and Google Research tested an AI study tool built on OpenStax books. |
What's good
- Real textbooks, free, written by college faculty
- No login needed to read
- Openly licensed, so teachers can adapt them
- Run by a university nonprofit
Watch for
- Written for high school and college, too hard for most younger kids
- Reading a textbook alone is not a full course
- Practice and homework tools cost money and need a school
- Google Analytics uses advertising cookies
Data and privacy
The privacy notice says it collects a child's name, email and IP address and uses cookies to see how children use the services, and parents can ask to delete it. It uses Google Analytics (with Google advertising cookies) and acts as a 'school official' under FERPA when schools share records. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
OpenStax claims 49 million students reached and $3.8 billion saved. Google Research ran a small randomized study (60 students, ages 15-18) of its AI tool Learn Your Way, which had been evaluated on OpenStax material: users scored 11 points higher on a test days later.
In the Big Index
- On the list 23 best free online courses for teens
Alternatives to OpenStax
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AmblesideOnline
AmblesideOnline (volunteer advisory) · ages about 5-18 (Year 0 to Year 12)
A strong free plan for homeschool families drawn to Charlotte Mason and literature-rich learning; secular families or those wanting an interactive program should look elsewhere.
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AoPS Online
Art of Problem Solving (AoPS Incorporated) · ages grades 5-12 (about 10-18)
A strong fit for a child who loves hard math and wants contest prep; a child who is behind in math needs something gentler.
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Babbel
Babbel · ages about 13+ (built for adults)
A solid choice for a motivated older teen; younger kids are not allowed and are better served by kids' apps.
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Beast Academy
Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) · ages 6-13 (levels 1-5, roughly grades 1-5)
A great fit for curious or advanced elementary kids and homeschoolers who enjoy a challenge; kids who need gentle catch-up practice should start elsewhere.
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Codecademy
Codecademy LLC · ages 16+
A good next step for a motivated 16- or 17-year-old; younger kids need a coding tool built for them.
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Connections Academy
Pearson · ages grades K-12
Worth a look for families who need school at home and have an adult free to coach; families expecting it to match a good local school should read the research first.
Where these facts come from
- https://openstax.org/
- https://openstax.org/tos
- https://openstax.org/privacy-policy
- https://openstax.org/impact
- https://openstax.org/k12
- https://openstax.org/apps/cms/api/v2/pages/115/
- https://openstax.org/apps/cms/api/v2/pages/201/
- https://openstax.org/apps/cms/api/v2/pages/981/
- https://openstax.org/apps/cms/api/v2/pages/984/
- https://research.google/blog/learn-your-way-reimagining-textbooks-with-generative-ai/
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.