Best Chromebook Apps for Elementary Students

Khan Academy Kids covers early reading, phonics, writing, counting, and social and emotional skills in one app for children ages 2 to 8, from Pre-K through grade 2. The app has more than 4,000 activities, videos, and books, and the family and single-classroom versions cost $0, with no ads and no in-app purchases. The school version is separate.

• Khan Academy Kids for Schools costs $5 per student per year and adds web-based teacher tools, class and school reporting, PreK assessments, and profes
• It starts at 100 students, so it is built for schools and districts, not for one family.
• Choose this first if you want a complete free base.

Visit Khan Academy Kids →

ABCmouse gives children ages 2 to 8 a guided path through reading, math, science, art, and music, with more than 13,000 activities. Premium Access adds unlimited activities, personal learning paths, and support for up to 3 children. The monthly plan costs $14.99 per month, and the annual plan on the website costs $79.99 per year.

• A monthly web sign-up can start with a 30-day free trial.
• Basic Access is free and gives up to 10 learning activities per day.
• That free tier is a useful test: if a child returns to it for two weeks, Premium is a fair next step.
• The Assessment Center is an optional add-on for Premium members, at $3.99 per month or $39.99 per year.

Visit ABCmouse →

Starfall is a long-running phonics and early reading site for Pre-K through grade 5, with a focus on ages 4 to 8. The free Learn-to-Read section gives a real starting point, and a Home Membership adds more than 700 activities, expanded math and reading content, and extra songs and rhymes. A Home Membership costs $35 per year on the Starfall website and covers a single family household, including grandparents, on computers and mobile devices.

• The same content costs more inside the app stores.
• An in-app subscription costs $5.99 per month, which totals $71.88 over 12 months, more than double the $35 website price.
• Teacher Memberships cost $70 per year, Classroom Memberships cost $195 per year, and School Memberships cost $355 per year.
• Buy on the website when you can, and use the free reading section first to check the phonics pace.

Visit Starfall →

Epic is a digital reading library for children ages 12 and under, with more than 40,000 books, audiobooks, and learning videos in the Family plan. The Family plan starts at $7.25 per month when billed annually, which is $84.99 per year, and monthly billing costs $13.99 per month. A 7-day free trial starts the Family plan, and parents can create up to 4 child profiles.

• The school route is different.
• Epic School is free for verified educators and students during the school day, with about 20,000 books and videos on weekdays from 7 a.m.
• to 4 p.m.
• A child whose teacher uses Epic may already have free access at school, but evening and weekend reading needs the Family plan.

Visit Epic →

IXL is a practice platform for Pre-K through grade 12, covering math, language arts, science, social studies, and Spanish. For elementary families, the entry point is a single subject, math or language arts, at $9.95 per month. A two-subject plan costs $15.95 per month, and the core plan with math, language arts, science, and social studies costs $19.95 per month.

• Each plan is priced per child, and each extra child costs $4 per month.
• IXL does not have a free plan, but it does give a small number of free daily practice questions, so a family can try the question style before joining
• The questions adapt as a child answers, and the parent view shows skill progress by subject.
• Choose one subject first, and add a second subject only when the child uses the first one often.

Visit IXL →

Prodigy Math is a game-based math platform for grades 1 to 8, with more than 45,000 math questions matched to state or province curriculum standards. The math and English content is free, so a child can play and answer questions without a membership. The Core membership costs $58.95 billed annually, which works out to $4.91 per month, and adds game extras such as up to 350 Magicoins per month.

• Plus costs $88.95 billed annually, and Ultra costs $118.95 billed annually.
• The free content is the right place to start, because the game itself is the draw for many children.
• A membership adds in-game items and extra features, not a new math curriculum, so it suits a child who already plays often.
• Set the grade level with the teacher when possible, so the questions match what the child is learning at school.

Visit Prodigy Math →

Reading Eggs is a bundle of reading and math programs for ages 2 to 13, with the core path running from Pre-K through grade 2 and Reading Eggspress covering older readers. The Reading and Math plan costs $13.99 per month and includes all reading and math programs for up to 4 children, each with a separate profile. A monthly plan starts with a 30-day free trial.

• The yearly plan is listed at $74.99 for the first year, then $99.99 per year after that.
• Homeschool Max is a separate, larger plan at $41.90 per month or $299 per year, with assignment scheduling and skill-mastery tracking.
• Most families do not need it, because the standard Reading and Math plan already covers the reading and math programs.
• Pick Reading and Math if you want both subjects in one plan, and set a calendar note before the trial ends, because the subscription renews unless you

Visit Reading Eggs →

Duolingo ABC is a free reading app from the makers of Duolingo, built for preschool through grade 2. It has more than 700 hands-on lessons covering the alphabet, phonics, sight words, vocabulary, and early writing, in short lessons a young child can finish in a few minutes. The app is free, with no ads and no in-app purchases, and it works offline.

• The limit is scope.
• Duolingo ABC teaches reading only, so a family that also wants math needs a second app, such as Khan Academy Kids or Prodigy Math.
• It also ends at grade 2, so a child in grade 3 or above needs a wider library, such as Epic, or a practice app, such as IXL.
• Use it as a free daily reading habit, and pair it with one free math app.

Visit Duolingo ABC →