Lantern English

What Reviewers Say

Lantern English is widely regarded as one of the best value-for-money writing services in the homeschooling community. Reviewers consistently praise the quality and encouragement found in the teacher feedback, noting that it strikes a perfect balance between being constructive and motivating. Families appreciate the 8-week module format, which allows them to 'dip their toes' into outsourcing without a massive financial or time commitment. While the instruction is entirely asynchronous and delivered via PDF/email, parents find the clear rubrics and structured lessons effective for building student independence. Some critical feedback notes that because it is asynchronous, it lacks the social interaction of live classes, and the strict weekly deadlines can be a challenge for families who prefer a completely self-paced schedule.

How It Works

Each Monday, parents receive an email containing a PDF lesson and a specific writing assignment which the student works through over the course of the week. The student typically spends 30 to 60 minutes a day reading the instructional material and drafting their work, which must be emailed back to their assigned teacher by a set deadline, usually Friday or Saturday. Parents act primarily as facilitators who ensure the schedule is met, while the 'heavy lifting' of grading and critique is handled by the Lantern teacher. By the following week, the student receives their previous assignment back with detailed, personalized feedback and a rubric to guide their corrections or next steps.

Switching to This?

Lantern English offers placement tests for each level of its year-long English program (Level I for 6th grade through Level VII for 12th grade), and provides detailed descriptions for each level and course to help parents match the curriculum to their child's current writing ability. The community rule of thumb is to start with a 'Steps to Writing' course if a student is a hesitant writer or lacks a solid foundation in paragraph structure, regardless of their chronological grade. Because the curriculum is organized into independent 8-week modules, it is very easy to start mid-year at the beginning of any new session throughout the academic calendar. If you are transitioning from a parent-graded curriculum, expect a boost in student accountability as they shift to writing for an outside instructor rather than a parent.

Curriculum Details

Price

$72/course

Eight-week writing and literature classes cost $72 per student. The year-long English program (grades 6-12) costs $350 per year for 32 weeks, and the year-long History program (grades 3-8) costs $265 per year for 32 weeks.

About $72 - $350 per year (one eight-week class up to the 32-week English program)

Grades

3 - 12

Available As

Digital Internet required

Coverage

Single subject

Subjects

Writing Reading/Language Arts

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Pacing

Some flexibility

Parent Time

5-15 min/day

Student Independence

Semi-independent

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Academic Level

Grade level

Worldview

Neutral

Engaging for Reluctant Learners

Yes

Reviews We Consulted

Updated: June 2026

How This Compares

Compared to Write@Home, Lantern English offers a very similar asynchronous coaching model but at a significantly lower price point, making it a favorite for budget-conscious families. When weighed against IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing), Lantern is less formulaic; while IEW relies on specific 'stylistic techniques' and keyword outlines, Lantern focuses on broader composition skills and traditional rubrics. For families considering Brave Writer, the key difference is structure: Lantern provides rigid weekly deadlines and clear checklists, whereas Brave Writer is more lifestyle-oriented and open-ended. Unlike Essentials in Writing, which uses video-based lessons, Lantern delivers all instruction via text-based PDFs, which better suits students who prefer reading instructions over watching a screen. Finally, compared to automated programs like MiWrite, Lantern’s feedback is human-generated, meaning a real teacher provides personalized encouragement and specific suggestions for every draft.

Getting Started