By Phil Grimaldi, Senior Efficacy and Research Scientist at Khan Academy.
The evidence is clear—Khan Academy works. Study after study confirms that using Khan Academy leads to better math performance and attitudes. Whether it’s higher standardized test scores, better grades, or increased college readiness, the data tells a consistent story. Khan Academy’s personalized and engaging platform helps students worldwide achieve more in math. In this key post, we share a selection of high-quality research studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of Khan Academy. The studies are organized by the quality of evidence, according to the Every Child Succeeds Act (ESSA). Read about how our platform outpaces typical growth rates and drives learning outcomes.
Well-designed and implemented experimental studies (Tier 1, Strong evidence)
Students in schools with Khan Academy and lab-in-charge who ensured high level of usage (~1h per week) scored 0.44 to 0.47 standard deviations higher than students in the control group (Khan Academy only without lab-in-charge) on the end-of-year mathematics assessment, according to Oreopoulos, Keyes-Krisakowski and Agrawal (2026), who conducted a randomized-control trial of ~5500 students across 74 schools in India. [pdf]
Students who used Khan Academy as part of a year-long mastery learning intervention improved their end-of-year math scores by .12 to .22 standard deviations, according to Oreopoulos, Gibbs, Jenson, & Price (2024), who conducted a randomized-control trial of nearly 11,000 students in grades 3-8. [pdf]
Weekly usage of Khan Academy resulted in positive effects on math scores and attitudes towards math when implemented with adequate support, according to Ferman, Finamor, & Lima (2019), who conducted a large-scale randomized-control trial across 157 primary schools in Brazil. [pdf]
Supplemental use of Khan Academy resulted in better math scores than teacher-only interventions, according to Buchel, Jakob, Kuhnhanss, Seffen, & Brunetti (2019), who conducted a large-scale randomized-control trial with ~3500 third- through sixth-grade students in El Salvador. [pdf]
Students who used Khan Academy during a 19-day summer program had better algebra-readiness scores, according to Snipes, Huang, Jaquet, & Finkelstein (2015), who conducted a randomized-control trial with 496 seventh-grade students in a Silicon Valley school district. [pdf]
Well-designed and implemented quasi-experimental studies (Tier 2, Moderate evidence)
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2507708123Students who increased their usage of Khan Academy by 30m per week or 60 skills per year saw increases in test score gains between .09SD and .18SD on MAP Growth assessment. A study published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences – a top peer-reviewed journal – used a rigorous methodology to account for both teacher and student characteristics in a longitudinal dataset of around 200K students across hundreds of districts (Eames, T, Brunskill, E, Yamkovenko, B., Weatherhold, K, and Oreopoulos, P (2026)). [pdf]
Students who increased their usage of Khan Academy over three school years saw gains on end of year state achievement test (NJSLA). A three year-panel study, with teacher, student, and year fixed effects in Newark, NJ found that increasing Khan Academy by 18 hours or 60 skills mastered year over year can almost double the average year to year NJSLA gains. (Yamkovenko, B., Grimaldi, P, (2025)). [pdf]
Students who increased their usage of Khan Academy from year to year saw corresponding gains in learning as measured by MAP growth scores. A quasi-experimental study with student and teacher fixed effects to account for student ability and teacher quality found that increasing usage by 30-60 skills year to year can lead to 15-30pp gains in learning. (Weatherholtz, K., Grimaldi, P., Yamkovenko, B., Hill, K.M. (2024)). [pdf]
Students who used supplemental Khan Academy in blended classrooms also had higher performance on a standardized math assessment, according to a quasi-experimental study with ninth-grade students in Sri Lanka (Weeraratne & Chin, 2018). [pdf]
Students who used Khan Academy were more likely to have better math performance than a traditional math intervention program, according to the results of a quasi-experimental study of third- and sixth-grade students in Guatemala (Manuas, 2016). [pdf]
Well-designed and implemented correlational studies (Tier 3, Promising evidence)
Students who used Khan Academy MAP Accelerator for 30 minutes or more per week saw better MAP Growth math scores compared to students who used MAP Accelerator for less time. This was the main finding of a correlational study with statistical controls conducted by Weatherholtz, Grimaldi, & Hill (2022). [pdf]
Students who spent more time using Khan Academy’s Official SAT prep tool were more likely to score higher on the SAT, according to correlational studies with controls (Weatherholtz, Grimaldi, Hicks, & Hill, 2020; College Board, 2017). [pdf][pdf]
Use of Khan Academy among middle school students in the Long Beach Unified School District was linked to better performance on a standardized assessment, according to a correlational study by Hill, Weatherholtz, & Chattergoon (2018). [pdf]
Community college students who used Khan Academy were more likely to score higher on the ACCUPLACER math assessment, according to a study by Chan, O’Conner, & Peat (2016). [pdf]
Read more about how our platform consistently drives results that surpass typical growth expectations.
