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Zearn Review

Depends

Should I use Zearn?

Email or Username - zearn.org

· 1 week ago

Schools and districts get an ESSA Tier 1-rated math curriculum, usually free or via state deals — strong buy at scale. Parents and casual users wanting light practice should stick with free Khan Academy instead.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 40+ public sources; pricing taken from district contracts and state programs, not a vendor pricing page.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo usable support evidence in sources
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Teachers & classrooms

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
School Account~$8,000/campus/year

Best for

  • Elementary and middle schools
  • Districts adopting high-quality curriculum
  • Title 1 schools
  • Homeschoolers wanting a full curriculum

Not for

  • Parents seeking quick homework help
  • Casual practice-only users — Khan Academy does it free
  • Districts with no PD or training budget
  • High-school math (K-8 scope)

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

District contracts run about $8,000 per campus annually; check state deals first

medium

Effectiveness depends on consistent weekly 'dosage' — not a drop-in practice tool

medium

Inspect-element cheat hacks for Zearn lessons are public and easy to find

low

Third-party privacy evaluation shows no available info; vet data agreements yourself

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Rated ESSA 'Strong' Tier 1 for efficacy
  • Independent studies in DC and Louisiana show achievement gains
  • Free for individual teachers; state-funded access in Ohio and Colorado
  • Nonprofit with 4/4 Charity Navigator rating
  • Clever integration for rostering and provisioning

Cons

  • Parents report children struggling with homework demands
  • Homeschoolers question whether it works as standalone curriculum
  • School accounts cost thousands per campus
  • Student cheat hacks circulate publicly on GitHub

Sources & method

- 10 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x3review x4security x2news x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free for teachers; Tier 1 efficacy evidence
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Parents and homeschoolers report kids struggling
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Full curriculum, assessments, Clever rostering, PD
  • Support quality. No usable support evidence in sources
  • Security posture: 4/5. 2FA, security page, state data agreements; no breaches
  • Tier 1 (Strong) ESSA evidence rating Per Zearn and ESSA evidence reviews
  • ~$8,000 School contract price Per campus, 2023-24 district contract
  • Yes Free tier Free teacher access; state-funded in OH and CO
  • 4/4 stars Charity Navigator 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Pricing

Teachers & classrooms

Free

  • Digital lessons and materials
  • State-funded no-cost access in OH and CO

School Account

~$8,000/campus/year

  • Clever rostering
  • Two-step authentication
  • On-demand PD

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Teachers value the rigor and free access, but parents and some homeschoolers report kids struggling with its demands.

“Is Zearn math a full math curriculum? I'm really struggling ...”
Facebook, Secular Homeschool Families group
“Parent struggles with Zearn math homework”
Facebook group post

Alternatives

Compare Zearn with each alternative.

  • Khan Academy

    Free, lighter-weight practice; the common teacher comparison

  • IXL

    Drill-heavy practice alternative schools already use

  • DreamBox

    Adaptive math competitor in the same school market

Companies that use it

  • Louisiana Department of Education³
  • Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
  • Colorado (statewide, $9M program)⁵
  • Buffalo Public Schools⁷
  • Detroit Public Schools Community District
Full analysis

Based on 40+ public sources; pricing taken from district contracts and state programs, not a vendor pricing page.

ESSA Tier 1 K-8 math curriculum; free for teachers, ~$8k/campus for schools. Overkill for casual practice.

Methodology

Based on 40+ public sources; pricing taken from district contracts and state programs, not a vendor pricing page.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. About Zearn | ESSA Tier 1-Rated Online Math Programabout.zearn.org
    official
  2. Efficacy Analysis of Zearn Math in DC Public Schoolsfiles.eric.ed.gov
    review
  3. Impact of Zearn Math on Student Achievement in Louisianadoe.louisiana.gov
    review
  4. Zearn 2023-24 district contractgo.boarddocs.com
    official
  5. Chalkbeat: Did Zearn boost Colorado math scores?chalkbeat.org
    news
  6. Khan Academy or Zearn? — r/Teachersreddit.com
    review
  7. Zearn School Account & On-Demand PD Agreement (Buffalo)go.boarddocs.com
    official
  8. Zearn Product security pagezearn.org
    security
  9. Common Sense Privacy report: Zearnprivacy.commonsense.org
    security
  10. Rating for Zearn — Charity Navigatorcharitynavigator.org
    review

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