Zearn Math

Zearn Math

app

Education

WISE
88%

WISE Score

Free, nonprofit K-8 math that teaches the why, with an on-screen teacher and paper-and-pencil work in every lesson.

Where to Find

App Store
App Store
Google Play
Google Play
Screenwise Verdict

Zearn Math is one of the best math tools a kid can use on a screen, and it costs nothing.

It is a nonprofit, browser-based program for kindergarten through 8th grade. Short video lessons with a real on-screen teacher, visual models kids can move around, and paper-and-pencil problems in every lesson. It explains why the math works before it asks for speed.

It is still schoolwork. There are no avatars to dress up and no coins to earn, so most kids won't open it for fun. That is also why it works.

If your kid's school assigns it, back it up at home. If the school doesn't, a free family account gets you the same lessons.

Age Fit

Built for kindergarten through 8th grade, about ages 5 to 14. K-1 kids need a grown-up nearby for logging in and the paper parts. Most kids from 3rd grade up can work on their own.

WISE Breakdown
Wholesome
92

Calm, encouraging lessons from a nonprofit, with no ads, no avatars to buy and no streak pressure. A mistake leads to step-by-step help.

Imaginative
68

A structured curriculum with little room for open-ended play. It does ask kids to picture and model numbers with manipulatives and drawings, which is more than drill apps ask for.

Safe
90

No ads, no chat, no in-app purchases and no student-facing generative AI. Like any school platform, it stores student progress data.

Enriching
98

Concept-first K-8 math with paper-and-pencil work in every lesson. Evidence for ESSA rates it Strong, based on a randomized trial of more than 10,000 students.

Parent Info
✓

Why It Might Be Great

  • Free for families, with no ads and no upsell. Zearn is a nonprofit and says it does not use student information for advertising.
  • Shows why a strategy works. Lessons move from objects to pictures to numbers, so kids understand the method before they drill it.
  • Paper and pencil in every lesson, so the screen time comes with real written work.
  • A mistake brings help. A wrong answer in the Tower of Power triggers a Boost that breaks the problem into smaller steps.
  • Strong evidence. Evidence for ESSA rates it Strong (Tier 1), based on a randomized trial of more than 10,000 students.
⚠

What to Watch For

  • It is schoolwork on a screen. A kid who is already tired of math may see it as a second shift.
  • The Tower of Power needs every answer right before the next lesson unlocks. Perfectionist kids can get stuck and upset there.
  • There is no App Store app. Kids use it in a web browser at zearn.org, and a laptop, Chromebook or iPad works much better than a phone.
  • Like any school platform, it stores student progress data. Read the privacy policy if you set up a home account.

Conversation Starters

  • "What did the on-screen teacher show you today? Can you teach it to me?"
  • "Show me the paper part. How does the drawing help you solve it?"
  • "Did you get a Boost in the Tower of Power? What was the tricky step?"
  • "Which Mission are you on, and what comes after it?"

Deep Dive

Math that explains itself

Zearn teaches the lesson before it checks answers. A digital lesson starts with fluency practice (in grades 1 to 5 that is Number Gym, which gets harder as your kid improves), moves to a short video with an on-screen teacher, then guided practice with visual models, and ends with the Tower of Power: a short set of problems that must all be right to unlock the next lesson.

Lessons are grouped into units called Missions, and there are more than 1,000 of them across K-8. The approach runs from concrete to pictorial to abstract. Kids move blocks around before they write the numbers.

Skip the paper and your kid skips half the program

Every lesson includes paper-and-pencil problems. Print the student notes, or keep a notebook next to the laptop.

At home, start at your kid's grade

  • If the school uses it: ask the teacher which Mission your kid is on, and keep going from there.
  • If the school doesn't: sign up for a free family account at zearn.org and start at your kid's grade. Drop back a Mission if the first lessons feel hard.
  • Sit nearby for the Tower of Power the first few times. That is where the frustration happens, and where the Boosts help most.

Zearn is a nonprofit, founded in 2012. About one in four US elementary students use it, and Evidence for ESSA rates it Strong based on a randomized trial of more than 10,000 students. Family resources come in English and Spanish.

What Parents Ask

Ask Anything

Get a personalized guide on any topic

Writing about Zearn Math? Put this WISE score on your site