Today we’re going to review 10 online math programs and decide which is the best and which is the worst. And while we’ll be looking at these from the perspective of a homeschool parent, you can also use any of these math programs for extra math practice for your kids in school. So let’s find out what the best online math curriculums are, and which ones you should probably stay away from.
Best Online Math Program #1 – Beast Academy
First up is Beast Academy. Beast Academy is an online math program for students from age 6 to 13. They offer a challenging math curriculum that allows students to jump ahead of most standard elementary math programs. The program is self paced and includes over 1000 instructional videos and over 20,000 activities.
The cost of Beast Academy is $15 a month if you pay monthly. Or you can save by purchasing a yearly subscription for $96. They also have the options to include their printed books, or even participate in live online courses.
While this program does not have a free trial, they do have a demo that you can try out before giving them any of your information, which I appreciate. They also offer a 14 day money back guarantee.
The beast academy approach to math is loosely based on common core standards. They cover the key topics for grades 1 through 5, but the topics are covered in greater depth and with more opportunities for problem solving and logical thinking than other programs.
The beast academy online math program includes digital versions of all their guidebooks, which are kind of like math comic books. The lessons follow a path so it’s pretty simple to see what to do next. The lessons include videos, guide books, and practice problems. Overall the program seems fun and challenging without being too complicated.
Zearn Online Math Program
Next on the list is Zearn. This is an online math program that is used in schools throughout the country. But it can also be used by parents and students at home and it is completely free. Homeschool parents can create a free account, set up their homeschool “class” and then add up to 35 students, all at different grade levels. So it works fine if you want to use it for multiple students. You also get access to the PDFs of the teacher guides so you have everything you need to use Zearn as your complete math curriculum for both elementary and middle school.
Zearn is used by 1 in 4 elementary students nationwide and aligns to common core standards. While there are video lessons included in the program, it’s not meant to be used alone without instruction. They do include all the teacher guides for free so you can use them as a parent to help teach the curriculum. But you will need to have some understanding of how to teach math in order to use this as your main curriculum.
Each lesson starts with some practice exercises to practice concepts the student has already learned followed by a video “math chat” where a new concept is introduced. It ends with a tower challenge, which is kind of like a quiz to check for understanding. I do have a full video review on my YouTube channel that you can check out to learn more about this program.
Best Online Math Programs #3 – Aleks
A really interesting option for an online math program is Aleks. This is an AI learning and assessment system that helps students master their area of study. The science behind this learning method is pretty interesting. It’s called knowledge space theory, and has been published in numerous academic journals.
You can try Aleks out for free, and after that it’s $19.95 a month. Like most online subscription programs, you can save if you purchase more months at once. Your subscription will include access to all the courses as well as a student and parent account.
I have to say, this online math curriculum is all a little more complicated to understand than some of the other programs. Once you do get familiar with it, you will see that it definitely includes everything you need for a homeschool math curriculum, from video lessons to assessments and more. You can see that it looks a little less fun than some of the other programs out there. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing for a math curriculum is up to you and your kids!
What is nice about this program is that they have knowledge checks to figure out what you already know, so they can personalize the lessons. There are also lots of good reporting tools, so you can really understand how your student is progressing through the program.
IXL Online Math Program
Next on our list is IXL. IXL offers study tools and lessons in several different subjects, but many parents use it just for math. IXLs math program teaches math skills to students from pre-k through calculus and beyond. The IXL program is used by teachers in schools but it can also be used by families at home. You can get just the math program for only $9.95 a month, and they offer a 30 day money back guarantee. So it’s definitely more affordable than some of the other programs.
Normally IXL does not offer a free trial, but you can get a 7 day free trial of any of their programs now if you use my link. So it’s a good time to check this program out for yourself without having to pay anything.
Don’t need the free trial? You can also save 20% off IXL if you use this link!
The IXL math program uses a variety of videos, lessons, practice problems and games. They also have a neat real time diagnostic tool that can show where students need improvement and recommend specific skills to help close any learning gaps. I also want to mention that IXL is another common core math program, so if that’s not something you’re looking for, you will have to look elsewhere.
To use IXL, just choose your grade level, and you can follow along their weekly plan. Students can learn from examples or by watching a video, and then have a chance to practice their new skills. There are also really good analytics reports for the parents.
Khan Academy
Another free online program for math is Khan Academy. Khan Academy is run by a non profit organization and is completely free for anyone to use. They offer complete math curriculums for students from prek through high school and beyond. They include video lessons that I think are pretty easy to follow, as well as practice problems, quizzes and tests.
Using Khan Academy is pretty simple from the students perspective. You don’t even need to create an account to take the lessons. But if you want to assign specific lessons and track progress, you will probably want to set up a student and teacher account. I find this set up to be a little complicated. I do have a full walkthrough and review of Khan Academy on my YouTube channel if you need it.
Khan academy uses a mastery points system, so as your child progresses through the course, they will earn point towards the mastery goal. Each grade level will show their progress through the units by whether they have not started a lesson yet, whether they have attempted it but not mastered it, and so on. So you can get a nice view of your overall progress towards mastery.
Want to learn about some more great free homeschooling resources? Check out my article here: https://eschooled.com/free-online-homeschooling-programs/
Best Online Math Programs – Dreambox Learning
Dreambox is another online math program that is used by teachers in schools but is also available for families to use at home. They offer a 14 day free trial with no credit card required, and after that it’s only $12.95 a month, which is really very reasonable compared to some of the other programs. And of course you can save by purchasing more months in advance.
Dreambox offers online math lessons for homeschoolers from kingdergarten through 8th grade. They offer lessons in English and Spanish, which is something I don’t see often. I found Dreambox very easy to set up and get started with. The lessons seem fun and engaging for students, and they offer some nice reporting features for parents.
The only problem I see with this program is, even if it was easy for me as the parent to set up, from a student’s perspective it might not be so easy to follow. They want you to complete 5 lessons a week, but there’s no particular order to go in. Some of the lessons seem difficult to understand, at least for me! I do like that parents can add their own assignments, and the reporting tools are good.
CTC Math
CTC Math is an online math program for students from grades K through 12th, and is a full math curriculum. They offer a free trial with no credit card required, and after that this program is $29.97 a month. However, they offer a ½ price discount for homeschoolers, so it’s actually only $14.97 a month. They do also offer a 12 month money back guarantee, which is pretty great.
CTC math has short video lessons followed by a question section. They also have diagnostic test to assess your child’s level of understanding before completing lessons, and some different games to practice their skills. Overall this program is pretty simple and straightforward, and offers some nice reporting for parents.
I think this is very easy to follow, and I like that the lessons are short. I don’t know about your kids, but mine would not be able to sit through long video lessons, so this is helpful. If you’re looking for a nice full math curriculum without too many extra bells and whistles, which can sometimes be distracting and actually take away from the content in my opinion, I think this is a nice program.
eSingapore Math
Another program that’s popular with teachers but can be used at home is eSingapore Math. They offer a complete curriculum for elementary school math that uses the popular Singapore math method of teaching. With this program, students can learn entirely online so parents who struggle with math won’t have to stress about teaching it. Even if you are a parent who is teaching your child’s math curriculum using this method, you still might appreciate the teaching guides and practice tools that you can get with eSingapore Math.
They offer a 5 day free trial, and after that the program will cost $99 a year if you want the adaptive learning and games included. If you sign up for the free trial, you will need to provide your credit card, so don’t forget to cancel if you end up not liking it!
Your child will watch short video lessons, complete assisted practice problems, then complete some problems on their own. There will also be some games so kids can practice their new skills. They include diagnostic assessments to figure out your child’s current math level, so that they can personalize your child’s learning. It’s really simple to follow and I think it’s set up in a way that’s fun and engaging for kids without being too complicated.
Best Online Math Programs – Elephant Learning
Next on our list is a program that’s a little bit different. Elephant Learning isn’t a full curriculum, but instead is a math program that promises that your child will learn at least 1 year of math over a 3 month period in just 10 minutes a day, 3 times a week. If not, you’ll get a full refund. No matter what type of curriculum your child may be using, this program works with them all. Their program can be used on desktop and mobile devices, and will cost you $50 a month for one student, which is definitely a bit pricier than the other programs.
Unfortunately this program does not offer a free trial, but you can request a refund if you aren’t satisfied in the first 30 days.
Elephant learning uses math games to teach and reinforce math concepts. The program adapts to your child by identifying learning gaps and suggesting the most effective activities to help fill in those gaps. So the activities your child completes should always be in line with their current level of understanding. They also offer easy to understand progress reports for parents.
Teaching Textbooks
If you’re looking for an online math program that does everything, you might want to try Teaching Textbooks. The name is kind of confusing, because it sounds like it’s a print curriculum, but this is actually a complete online math program for students from grade 3 through pre calculus. They offer a really nice free trial too. Unlike most free trials, theirs doesn’t expire after a few days. They actually let you try the first 15 lessons in any grade level for free, no credit card required. That’s pretty amazing.
Once you sign up you will need to download their app to use the program. The app is available for PC and mobile devices. The lessons consist of interactive video lessons with practice problems, and are pretty simple to follow. They also have complete text lessons that can be viewed by the students in the app, or printed off by the parents.
If you have any questions on any of these math programs, please let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer! Don’t forget to sign up for my email list to stay up to date on the best homeschooling resources and exclusive discounts!
