Parents' Guide to

IXL

By Erin Brereton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

Hundreds of learning activities build skills and confidence.

IXL Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this website.

Community Reviews

age 12+

Based on 1325 parent reviews

age 6+

Examples don’t even make sense

The examples don’t even make any sense. Yeah, it helps me with what they show me, but when it’s a problem, that the example doesn’t show, how am I supposed to know the answer! It is very frustrating and is a app from hell.
34 people found this helpful.
age 15+

Dissapointing

Imagine going to school, talking and laughing with your friends, and the days going well. a few hours/periods go by and then you sit down in math where you have to do a site that punishes you for making a mistake, and it doesn't teach you how to do it correctly it just makes you feel mad and depressed. Believe it or not, there is a site out there that does do that, and that site is called IXL. If you read the kid and parent reviews for the site on Common Sense Media you will find that few like the site and even fewer find it helpful, heck the site has made some kids suicidal! The site also has a yearly fee of $79.00 PER STUDENT! Schools that use the site are losing thousands to a greedy company that doesn't help anyone, that money could be used for, New books, Teacher training, New sports equipment, ETC!

This title has:

Too much consumerism
30 people found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1325):
Kids say (4369):

This academic skill-building site/app provides independent practice and focus on areas where they need to improve, but be aware that some kids don't love it. In terms of practice, for example, at the sixth-grade level IXL presents 320 math skills practice activities. Parents can view kids' scores for various skill exercises, the questions they answered, and other specific information to differentiate instruction for their child. The "Trouble Spot" report can be very useful in quickly identifying where kids are having a hard time and where they need extra help.

IXL's practice-and-drill approach may not thrill some kids, and some could feel they need to focus on getting the answer right every time, instead of viewing each exercise as a learning experience. But the questions -- which range from basics such as counting to geometry's perpendicular bisector theorem, as well as a range of grammar and vocabulary items -- offer consistent progression. They increase in difficulty once kids reach the challenge mode. Kids also get detailed feedback if they answer incorrectly, along with the chance to continue with the same skill to try to apply what they've learned. This can greatly improve their comprehension of difficult concepts. Adding tools like a virtual sketchpad would be great, and the subscription cost, which kids will need for full access, may be a deterrent for some parents. But overall, IXL is a comprehensive learning resource.

Website Details

  • Subjects: Language & Reading: reading, vocabulary, writing clearly, Math: addition, algebra, arithmetic, counting, division, equations, fractions, functions, geometry, graphing, grouping, measurement, money, multiplication, numbers, patterns, probability, ratio, sequences, shapes, statistics, subtraction, Science: astronomy, biology, chemistry, ecosystems and the environment, energy, plants, weather, Social Studies: geography, government, historical figures, the economy, timelines
  • Skills: Self-Direction: work to achieve goals
  • Genre: Educational
  • Topics: STEM, Numbers and Letters
  • Pricing structure: Free to try (Kids can access 10 free questions in each overall subject area per day. A core subjects subscription is $19.95/month or $159/year; a pre-K to 12th-grade math and language arts subscription is $15.95/month or $129/year; an individual math, language arts, or Spanish subscription is $9.95/month or $79/year; and Spanish exercises can be added to any other package for $5/month.)
  • Last updated: December 2, 2020

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate