Khan Academy is a free nonprofit educational platform offering video lessons, practice exercises, and mastery-based learning across math, science, humanities, and test prep from Pre-K through college level.
What is Khan Academy?
Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008 by Sal Khan with the mission of providing free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere. The platform serves over 100 million users worldwide with instructional videos, practice problems, and personalized learning dashboards. What sets Khan Academy apart from other free resources is its mastery-based approach—students must demonstrate proficiency at each level before advancing, preventing the knowledge gaps that plague traditional education. All content remains completely free, funded by philanthropic donations rather than subscriptions or advertising.
Key Takeaways
- Completely free with no subscriptions, ads, or hidden costs
- Strongest in mathematics from Pre-K through college-level calculus
- Mastery-based system ensures students truly understand concepts before advancing
- Official SAT prep partner with full practice test materials
- Parent and teacher dashboards track progress and assign content
Using Khan Academy as Homeschool Curriculum
Khan Academy works exceptionally well as a complete math curriculum for grades 6 and up, where its content depth and mastery system shine. Many homeschool families successfully rely on it as their primary math instruction. For other subjects like science and history, Khan provides solid supplementary content but lacks the depth of a full curriculum—you'll want to pair it with books, discussions, and hands-on projects. Language arts remains Khan's weakest area with no complete courses at any grade level.
The Mastery System Explained
Unlike traditional curricula where students move forward regardless of understanding, Khan Academy requires students to demonstrate mastery before advancing. Students progress through levels: Not Started, Attempted (below 70%), Familiar (70-99%), and Proficient/Mastered (100%). Research shows this approach yields significantly better outcomes—one study found students using Khan's mastery system for 30+ minutes weekly showed 33% higher growth on standardized tests than students with less engagement.
Khan Academy Kids for Younger Learners
Khan Academy Kids is a separate free app for ages 2-8, featuring over 5,000 educational activities covering early literacy, phonics, math, and social-emotional skills. The app works offline once content is downloaded, making it perfect for car rides or areas with spotty internet. Friendly animal guides like Ollo (phonics) and Reya (reading) lead children through lessons. It's completely free with no ads—just quality early childhood education.
The Bottom Line
Khan Academy delivers on its promise of free, high-quality education, particularly in mathematics where it can genuinely replace purchased curriculum. The mastery-based system prevents students from moving forward with gaps in understanding—a common problem in traditional education. While it shouldn't be your only resource for a complete homeschool education, Khan Academy deserves a place in every homeschool toolkit as a powerful, free supplement that rivals paid curriculum in many areas.
