Arizona Districts Invited to Join a Reimagined, AI-Powered Learning Experience—Supported by Arizona Department of Education

About Khanmigo for Arizona

Khan Academy is collaborating with State Departments of Education across the U.S. to promote AI equity for all students. We are honored to work alongside state leaders in New Hampshire, Ohio, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arizona to enable a wider reach for AI readiness, ensuring more students gain access to AI literacy and tools.

We’re honored to work with Arizona Department of Education to fulfill this mission.

Get in touch

Our partnership with the Arizona Department of Education offers free access to Khan Academy’s cutting-edge AI platform, Khanmigo, for a limited number of districts in grades 5-12 statewide through school year 2025-2026. We’re grateful to partner with State Superintendent Tom Horne who shared with Peoria Times in early November that “we did a lot of research, and we concluded that Khanmigo was by far the best application of AI to the classroom…It doesn’t substitute the teacher; it helps the teacher. There’s no substitute for personal instruction, teacher to student, but it gives the teacher the equivalent of two assistants to do the grunt work so teachers can focus on creative work.”

There’s no substitute for personal instruction, teacher to student, but it gives the teacher the equivalent of two assistants to do the grunt work so teachers can focus on creative work.
Tom Horne, Arizona State Superintendent

We applaud the Arizona Department of Education and innovative districts such as Queen Creek Amphitheater, Vista prep, Paradise Valley Unified District, Agua Fria Union High School District , and Glendale Union High School District for their commitment to embracing emerging technologies to set students up for college and career readiness. Hear directly from PVUSD educators in a recorded webinar, and read an interview with the Assistant Principal at Brophy College Prep.

The future of Khan Academy in Arizona

For nearly 20 years, Khan Academy has been a reliable partner for educators in Arizona—trusted by teachers, administrators, and students because our platform works. Across Arizona and beyond, learners have used Khan Academy to build mastery and confidence in math, SAT prep, and more.

But we’ve learned something important along the way: reliability alone isn’t enough.

Some students love Khan Academy. Others know it’s good for them—but don’t always feel excited to log in.

As Stacie Johnson, a former math teacher who now leads professional learning at Khan Academy, puts it:

“Khan Academy is like Brussels sprouts. Teachers and parents know it’s good for kids. But kids don’t always think so—and we get it. Our job now is to make the Brussels sprouts taste better.”

So that’s exactly what we set out to do.

Schedule time to talk

A reimagined Khan Academy—built for real classrooms

Motivated, independent learners have long used Khan Academy to reach major milestones—from raising SAT scores to becoming first-generation college students. We’re proud to have been part of those journeys.

But most students don’t learn alone.

They learn with teachers beside them, peers around them, and clear expectations guiding their daily work.

That’s why in 2019, we launched Khan Academy Districts, bringing our platform directly into district classrooms. In 2023, we introduced Khanmigo, our AI-powered tutor and teaching assistant. Over the next several years, we partnered closely with educators to answer a critical question:

How can AI help students persist in learning—without replacing teachers or lowering rigor?

The answer is the most significant transformation of Khan Academy in our history.

Time for an upgrade

Arizona educators are tackling big, complex goals: closing math gaps, supporting students with diverse learning needs, improving graduation outcomes, and ensuring all students have access to high-quality instruction.

We already know Khan Academy works. Independent research shows that students who use Khan Academy make meaningful academic gains across grades and demographics. Educators trust our rigor—and we’re keeping it.

What’s new is the day-to-day experience.

We didn’t trade reliability for flash. Instead, we focused on making Khan Academy:

Smarter
Smoother
More intuitive
More motivating for all learners

The reimagined experience is designed to help more students spend more time learning—while making teachers’ jobs easier, not harder.

Built by listening to educators and students

This rebuild started with listening.

Students told us Khan Academy could feel overwhelming or boring at times—and that they weren’t always sure what to work on next. Teachers shared that while our learning science was strong, the tools needed to better fit real classroom rhythms. District leaders emphasized alignment to instructional priorities, accessibility standards, and responsible AI use.

This is not a finished product handed down from above.
It’s an ongoing collaboration.

We’re building with educators—not just for them.

From feedback to a reimagined system

Armed with that feedback, we brought together former educators, engineers, designers, and researchers with a shared mission: make Khan Academy more engaging without compromising what makes it effective.

As lead engineer Shawn Jansepar explains:

“We knew our platform was effective, but it had shortcomings. It wasn’t fully accessible. Some students found it boring or confusing. Teachers lacked visibility into district expectations. So we started from scratch to build a classroom-first experience where practice feels like play, students feel supported, and alignment with district goals is built in.”

This new experience is currently being piloted with districts, with broader availability planned for back-to-school 2026.

What’s new for Arizona classrooms

For students

Students can easily see what they should work on next and receive personalized support when they get stuck. Khanmigo acts as a learning coach—encouraging persistence and understanding rather than shortcuts.

Practice feels more engaging, with built-in motivation and celebrations along the way—while keeping learning rigorous and meaningful.

For teachers

The classroom-centered design makes Khan Academy easier to use for daily instruction. Teachers receive actionable insights without digging through reports—seeing what’s working, who needs support, and what to assign next.

AI reduces friction, giving teachers more time for instruction, creativity, and connection.

For school and district leaders

Instruction aligns to pacing, priorities, and accessibility expectations, with safeguards built in. Khanmigo is embedded directly into the platform—as a teaching assistant, administrator aide, and learning coach—grounded in Khan Academy’s trusted content and pedagogy.

The goal is simple: help more Arizona students engage with and master grade-level material.

Same nonprofit mission. Stronger experience.

Khan Academy remains the same nonprofit organization committed to putting learning first. Our content is still research-backed and free from commercial influence.

What’s changed is the experience: it’s smoother, more accessible, and more engaging for classrooms—while remaining rigorous and trusted by educators.

Still the same mission.
Now redesigned for motivation, not just mastery.

What’s next for Arizona districts

We’re excited to partner with Arizona educators to ensure every student has access to learning experiences that are effective, engaging, and built for real classrooms

Schedule time to talk

Privacy and Security

Khanmigo is committed to protecting student data. A comprehensive Terms of Service with the Arizona State Department of Education has been executed to safeguard user information. Importantly, content submitted by teachers and students is not used to train the AI’s underlying models and moderation technology is used to flag interactions that may be inappropriate or unsafe. Khan Academy is proud of it’s clean SOC audits, FERPA and COPPA compliance

Partnership Details

Partnerships were made available to districts that use Clever or Classlink, have a minimum of 250 students and serve grades 5-12. To get more details about the opportunity, schedule time with West Partnerships Manager, Chelsea Hatchard.

Let’s talk