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Zearn
Company type501(c)(3)
IndustryEducational technology
Founded2012; 13 years ago (2012)
FoundersShalinee Sharma (CEO)
Evan Rudall
Headquarters
New York City, New York
,
U.S.
ServicesOnline learning platform
Websitezearn.org

Zearn is an American nonprofit educational software organization founded in 2012.[1] It develops Zearn Math, an online mathematics curriculum.[2][3]

Overview

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The platform is accessed via web browser, and is supported by Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox.[4] Lessons adapt in real time based on student needs.[5] Its content includes fluency games, videos, and quizzes,[6] many of which handle topics like conceptual understanding and procedural fluency.[7] Teachers and parents are able to access its digital library of lessons for free.[6]

History

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Zearn was co-founded in 2012 by CEO Shalinee Sharma[8] and Evan Rudall, former CEO of Uncommon Schools.[9] It received $4.4 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,[8] part of the foundation's $1 billion investment into math education.[10] The company launched a K–5 online curriculum in 2017, and a K–8 curriculum in 2022.[11] Much of its content handles topics like adaptive mathematics skills, conceptual understanding, and procedural fluency.[12]

As of 2022, the company claimed that its software was used by 25% of US elementary school students and more than one million middle school students.[8] In addition to mainstream classroom use, the platform is also used in personalized tutoring and small group instruction.[13] The platform is used by public, private, charter and religious schools, and is also used in homeschooling. As of February 2025, over 60% of the platform's partners were Title I schools.[6]

In 2023, the New York City Department of Education signed a seven-year contract with Zearn, in spite of complaints from parents and teachers who found that the platform increased students' screen time, decreased teachers' instructional time, and focused on test-preparation rather than critical thinking skills.[14]

In 2025, the platform received a "strong" rating from Evidence for ESSA, which found that Zearn Math had an average effect size of +0.09 on student outcomes based on 3 studies. This included a large-scale randomized controlled trial conducted by RAND Corporation, which found statistically significant gains on the NWEA MAP assessment.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Pershan, Michael (September 5, 2024). "Can Great Teaching (Plus an App) Solve our Math Problem?". Education Next. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  2. ^ "Efficacy Study of Zearn Math in a Large Urban School District" (PDF). Johns Hopkins School of Education. April 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  3. ^ "Zearn Review for Teachers | Common Sense Education". www.commonsense.org. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Zearn Math". Evidence for ESSA. June 16, 2023.
  5. ^ Steiner, David M. (March 2, 2023). A Nation at Thought: Restoring Wisdom in America’s Schools. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-4758-6710-7.
  6. ^ a b c Hess, Rick (February 25, 2025). "Learning Math Shouldn't Be a 'Hellish Experience'". Education Week. ISSN 0277-4232. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  7. ^ Redesigning the Future of Education in the Light of New Theories, Teaching Methods, Learning, and Research. IAP. April 1, 2024. p. 87. ISBN 979-8-88730-597-4.
  8. ^ a b c Daniel Mollenkamp (December 12, 2022). "What Is Zearn — the Math Platform the Gates Foundation Is Betting Big On?". EdSurge. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  9. ^ Whitmire, Richard (December 7, 2016). "A 'Founders' Excerpt: How 4 Visionary Entrepreneurs Joined Forces to Launch Uncommon Schools". The 74. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  10. ^ Klein, Alyson (October 19, 2022). "Why the Gates Foundation Is Investing $1.1 Billion in Math Education". Education Week. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  11. ^ Hess, Rick (February 25, 2025). "Learning Math Shouldn't Be a 'Hellish Experience'". Education Week. ISSN 0277-4232. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  12. ^ Redesigning the Future of Education in the Light of New Theories, Teaching Methods, Learning, and Research. IAP. April 1, 2024. p. 87. ISBN 979-8-88730-597-4.
  13. ^ Brinda, Torsten; Passey, Don; Keane, Therese (September 30, 2020). Empowering Teaching for Digital Equity and Agency: IFIP TC 3 Open Conference on Computers in Education, OCCE 2020, Mumbai, India, January 6–8, 2020, Proceedings. Springer Nature. p. 81. ISBN 978-3-030-59847-1.
  14. ^ Lin, Sarah Belle (March 20, 2023). "Panel for Educational Policy approves near $1M contract for controversial digital math learning program". AMNY. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
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