Math Academy

Math Academy is an online, self-paced math program that builds a custom course for each student with an adaptive diagnostic and then schedules every lesson, review and quiz automatically. Its pages speak mainly to families, homeschoolers and adult learners, and the catalog runs from 4th Grade Math to university courses such as Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calculus. The homepage calls it an "adaptive, fully-automated learning platform" in which "AI-driven algorithms know exactly what the student needs and when," and claims the method moves at "4X the speed of a traditional math class." The company, Math Academy, LLC, says the system is "still in Beta, although fully functional," and new students sign up through a Join Beta button. Parent testimonials on the homepage set the tone; Stephanie Arnold writes, "My kid went from 6th-grade math to calculus in less than a year."

The About page tells how the product began. Founders Jason Roberts and Sandy Durell Roberts were asked to coach the school math team when their oldest was in 4th grade, ended up teaching the children algebra and then calculus, and turned that classroom work into the Pasadena School District Math Academy program. The page says those students still use the same software as the online program and that the school program has always been a proving ground for beta testing. What began as a homework and grading tool became an independent learning platform once Jason built automatic assignment for students working at different levels and speeds. Jason studied mathematics at the University of Chicago and focuses on the technology; Sandy runs most of the rest, and the page notes that an email to the company will often get a reply from her directly.

The course catalog

The courses page describes a range "from elementary arithmetic to upper-division undergraduate mathematics." The lowest entry point is 4th Grade Math, for a child who knows the multiplication tables up to the 12s and can read independently. From there the catalog runs as follows:

• Elementary and middle school: 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Grade Math, plus Prealgebra, which covers the 6th to 8th grade material in a more streamlined format for students who absorb new material quickly.
• High school, in three sequences: Traditional (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus), Integrated (Integrated Math I to III, then Precalculus) and Integrated Math (Honors), which covers four years of high school math in three, Precalculus included.
• Test prep: SAT Math Fundamentals, then SAT Math Prep, which students cannot join directly but are promoted into after the Fundamentals course. ACT Math is marked as under development.
• AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC, intended to prepare students for the College Board AP Exams. The site says AB is a less comprehensive treatment covering about 70% of the material.
• Mathematical Foundations I to III, a series for adults that starts with fractions and reaches calculus.
• University courses: Calculus I and II, Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, Methods of Proof, Differential Equations, Discrete Mathematics, Probability & Statistics, Mathematics for Machine Learning, and Mathematical Methods for the Physical Sciences I and II, with Abstract Algebra marked coming soon.

The courses page says each course is "comprehensive and standards-based" and typically covers hundreds of individual topics, and the course pages bear that out. Geometry is split into six units, from Proof, Congruence, & Similarity (42 topics) through Circles & Radian Measure, Geometry in the Coordinate Plane, Triangles, Quadrilaterals, & Trigonometry and Solid Geometry to Probability & Combinatorics (34 topics), and names results such as Thales' theorem, the tangent-chord theorem, Euler's formula for polyhedra and volumes of revolution. The planned ACT Math Fundamentals course lists 212 topics in algebra and 199 in functions alone, and its page says the target release date is unspecified.

How lessons, quizzes and XP work

Every course opens with an adaptive diagnostic that, in the FAQ's words, will "assess knowledge already gained, identify any weaknesses in foundational knowledge and place the student in the exact right place within the course." The course picked at registration is only a starting point: the diagnostic report recommends a course and gives several estimated completion dates based on example daily XP goals. If it suggests dropping back, a student can stay in the chosen course and the system remediates the earlier topics along the way. Diagnostics and quizzes are timed, because the company measures automaticity, the ability to recall a skill instantly, and not only right or wrong answers.

Progress is counted in XP, where one XP is roughly one minute of focused effort. A student earns full XP for a lesson by getting most answers right and partial XP for getting some right. If the system sees a student struggling with a new concept, it cuts the lesson short, awards no XP and schedules it again; the FAQ says its data shows students pass lessons 93% of the time on the first try and 98% on the second. On rare occasions, rushing and guessing earn negative XP. Timed quizzes arrive about every 150 XP, missed topics go straight into review, and an optional retake with different questions follows. Students taking a course for credit get midterms and a final exam assigned automatically. Spaced repetition keeps older skills fresh, often by counting a lesson on a harder topic as practice of the easier one beneath it.

The FAQ recommends 20 to 40 XP a day, 3 to 5 days a week, and no fewer than 3 days for a student using the program alongside a school class. It backs the 4X claim with its own arithmetic: about 24,000 minutes of class, homework and exam preparation for a school year of AP Calculus BC, against roughly 6000 XP for its own AP Calculus BC course. No calculator is needed until Trigonometry, and the FAQ asks students to work problems out with pencil and paper.

Oversight for parents, tutors and teachers

A separate oversight account lets a parent, teacher or tutor set the learning schedule, daily XP goals and accommodations, adjust XP requirements around vacations and breaks without the student losing XP, and share a student's progress with a teacher or tutor. The homepage describes daily and weekly notifications plus event-driven alerts, and a progress view of daily activity and overall progress. Quiz timings can be extended in the Accommodations settings for students with IEP stipulations. The student side is described as a "simple, gamified UI," and a testimonial from Nikhil Jain credits "the built-in gamification features that inspire kids to compete with each other while learning and practicing."

Accreditation, credit and standards

The site states that Math Academy's courses "are fully accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges," and the About page describes the team's successful application for that accreditation. The FAQ says the company can give families Certificates of Completion and transcripts with grades for their schools, but that a family wanting credit generally has to arrange approval with its school before taking the course. Math Academy, LLC is registered in the University of California's Directory of Online Publishers, so a school can add its courses through the UC course management portal and receive grades and a transcript toward UC a-g credit. The FAQ says the courses meet Common Core State Standards and state standards, and the homepage notes the program was named a Best Homeschool Curriculum, Products & Resources of 2024-25 by HowToHomeschool.com for both middle and high school.

Price, billing and support

The homepage lists the price as "Only $49/mo per student," with no long-term contracts and cancellation at any time from the account settings. There is no free trial. The FAQ explains that the company is small and wants serious students, and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee instead: cancel within the first 30 days for any reason and the refund is automatic and instant. After that, refunds cover only reported technical issues that prevent use of the system. The FAQ says there are no discounts or regional pricing during the beta and only basic plans. Payment is by major credit card through Stripe; PayPal is not accepted yet, and prepaid cards are not accepted. A subscription can be paused for a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of 90, which stops billing. Charter homeschool networks can pay by purchase order, and the FAQ names The Cottonwood School, Sky Mountain Charter School and Suncoast Preparatory Academy as networks the company is an approved vendor with. Support runs by email to support@mathacademy.com.

Who it suits

Math Academy suits a motivated student who wants to move faster than a school class allows, and a homeschooling family that wants the whole math sequence handled, with grades and transcripts at the end. The FAQ presents it as ideal for a homeschool and as an option for a student who is beyond the level of their peers and has no viable alternative at school. It fits a student working toward the SAT math section or an AP Calculus exam, and an adult rebuilding math toward university study: the FAQ says the Mathematical Foundations series can make a learner ready for its upper-level university courses in a year at a little less than an hour a day, 5 days a week. The homepage says the program is geared towards "students with an aptitude for math and the dedication to learn, but find their existing resources suboptimal," while the FAQ stresses that the courses are not only for gifted students and that the diagnostic places learners of any level.

The caveats are ones the company states itself. As a self-paced online program it "does require some amount of self-regulation or motivation," and younger students may need supervision for their first few lessons. The product is still in beta and run by a small core team, so some courses, ACT Math among them, are not yet released. There is no free trial, though the 30-day refund covers a first month that does not work out.