Free vs the paid version
Free vs the paid version
The free library stays free. Homeroom is the paid platform, from the same company, for the schools that want one shared system for the rest of the work. Here is the honest difference.
The free library is not going behind a paywall
Free School Core is the free library of curriculum, lesson plans, and plays, and it stays that way. You will never need a Homeroom account, or any account, to read, download, print, adapt, or perform what is here.
Homeroom is for running the school
Homeroom is a paid platform that does a different job: it runs the yearbook and student publications, picture day, student records, fundraising, and family messages on one shared system, behind a sign-in. It is not a lesson library, and it does not replace what is free here. If the free lessons earned your trust, the comparison below shows where the paid product fits.
| Free School Core | Homeroom | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The free library of curriculum, lesson plans, and classroom plays. | The paid platform that runs the rest of the school on one shared system. |
| Cost | Free, with no account. | A paid subscription for the school. |
| Lesson content | Whole units, single-day plans, and stage-ready plays. | You bring your own materials; Homeroom is not a lesson library. |
| Yearbook and student publications | Not included. | Yes — a book builder, a newsroom, and public online editions. |
| Picture day | Not included. | Yes — a picture-day pipeline where photos are never sold, a sale is possible only when permission says so, and facial recognition is off by default. |
| Student records | Not included. | Yes — the official student record the rest of the platform reads from. |
| Fundraising and family messages | Not included. | Yes — on the same shared system as everything else. |
| Account needed | No — read and download freely. | Yes — it holds your school’s data, so it is signed in and private. |