Khan AcademyType of site501(c)(3)Available inMultiple languagesOwnerKhan Academy, Inc.FounderSal Khan[1][2]URLKhanAcademy.orgLaunched2008; 17 years ago (2008)YouTube informationChannelKhan AcademyYears active2008–presentGenreEducationSubscribers9.01 millionViews2.16 billionLast updated: May 17, 2025
Khan Academy is an American educational nonprofit[3] created in 2008 by Sal Khan.[1] Its goal is to create a set of online tools that help educate students.[4] The organization produces short video lessons.[5] Its website also includes supplementary practice exercises and materials for educators. It has produced over 10,000 video lessons[6] teaching a wide spectrum of academic subjects, including mathematics, sciences, literature, history, and computer science. All resources are ailable free to users of the website and application.
History[edit] Sal Khan presenting during TED 2011Starting in 2004,[7] Salman "Sal" Khan began tutoring one of his cousins in mathematics on the Internet using a service called Yahoo! Doodle Images.[8] After a while, Khan's other cousins began to use his tutoring service. Due to the demand, Khan decided to make his videos watchable on the Internet, so he published his content on YouTube.[9] Later, he used a drawing application called SmoothDraw, and now uses a Wacom tablet to draw using ArtRage. The video tutorials were recorded on his computer.[10]
Reading positive responses in USA Today prompted Khan to incorporate Khan Academy in 2008 and quit his job the same year to focus full-time on creating educational tutorials (then released under the name Khan Academy).[11] Khan Lab School, a school founded by Sal Khan and associated with Khan Academy, opened on September 15, 2014, in Mountain View, California.[12]
May-Li Khoe served as Vice President of Design at Khan Academy from 2014 to 2019, contributing to the organization's user experience and design strategy during her tenure.[13]
Funding[edit]Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, mostly funded by donations from philanthropic organizations.[14] On its IRS form 990, the organization reported $31 million in revenues in 2018 and $28 million in 2019, including $839,000 in 2019 compensation for Khan as CEO.[15]
In 2010, Google donated $2 million for creating new courses and translating content into other languages, as part of their Project 10100 program.[16] In 2013, Carlos Slim from the Luis Alcazar Foundation in Mexico, made a donation for creating Spanish versions of videos.[17] In 2015, AT&T contributed $2.25 million to Khan Academy for mobile versions of the content accessible through apps.[18] The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $1.5 million to Khan Academy.[19] On January 11, 2021, Elon Musk donated $5 million through his Musk Foundation.[20]
Content[edit] The narrator writes to an electronic blackboard during a recorded lecture.Khan Academy offers classes with educational videos hosted on YouTube. The website is meant to be used as a supplement to the videos, because it includes other features such as progress tracking, practice exercises,[21] and teaching tools.[22] The material can also be accessed through mobile applications.[23] The videos enable students to acquire knowledge at their own learning speed according to the concept of mastery learning. They are therefore used by teachers to teach according to the principle of Flipped Classroom.[24]
The videos display a recording of drawings on an electronic blackboard, which are similar to the style of a teacher giving a lecture. The narrator describes each drawing and how the drawings relate to the material being taught.[25][26] Furthermore, throughout the lessons, users can earn badges and energy points, which can be displayed on their profiles. Non-profit groups he distributed offline versions of the videos to rural areas in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.[27][28][29] Videos range from all subjects covered in school and for all grades from kindergarten up through high school. The Khan Academy website also hosts content from educational YouTube channels and organizations such as Crash Course and the Museum of Modern Art.[30] It also provides online courses for preparing for standardized tests, including the SAT, AP Chemistry, Praxis Core and MCAT[31] and released LSAT preparation lessons in 2018.[32] It also has a collaboration with independent chemists, which are mentioned in "Meet the chemistry professional". Khan Academy has also supported Code.org's Hour of Code, providing coding lessons on its website.[33]
In July 2017, Khan Academy became the official practice partner for the College Board's Advanced Placement.[34]
Khanmigo[edit]Khanmigo is a chatbot designed to assist users with mathematics, science, humanities, and coding inquiries, as well as aiding in learning these subjects. Khan Academy introduced Khanmigo on March 14, 2023. It was initially based on GPT-4, a large language model by OpenAI.[35][36] Users can he access[37] for $4 per month. Users who want to register must be over 18. The pilot provided access to approximately 65,000 students across 53 school districts. In November 2023, Khanmingo Writing Coach was introduced to provide essay-writing support for students and analytical insights for teachers.[38][39] In August 2024, Khanmigo for Teachers, a set of free generative AI tools for educators, was announced in partnership with Microsoft.[40] In December 2024, Khanmigo was featured on an episode of 60 Minutes with host Anderson Cooper, who tried the Writing Coach on one of his essays from middle school.[41]
Language ailability[edit]Khan Academy videos he been translated into several languages, with nearly 20,000 subtitle translations ailable. These translations are mainly volunteer-driven with help from international partnerships.[42][43] The Khan Academy platform is fully ailable in English (en), Bangla (bn), Bulgarian (bg), Chinese (zh), French (fr), German (de), Georgian (ka), Norwegian (nb), Polish (pl) Portuguese (pt), Spanish (es), Serbian (sr), Turkish (tr) and Uzbek (uz), and partially[44] ailable in 28 other languages.[45]
Official SAT preparation[edit]Since 2015, Khan Academy has been one of the official SAT preparation websites. According to reports, studying for the SAT for at least 20 hours at Khan Academy is associated with a 115-point erage score increase.[46]
Pixar in a Box[edit]In 2015, Khan Academy teamed up with Pixar to create a new course named Pixar in a Box, which teaches how skills learned in school help the creators at Pixar.[47]
Official Test Preparation[edit]Khan Academy also provides free test preps for PSAT/NMSQT,[48] LSAT, Praxis Core, and MCAT.
Khan Academy Kids[edit]In 2018, Khan Academy launched an application called Khan Academy Kids for children aged two to seven to learn basic maths, reading and social skills.[49][50]
Teachers[edit]Teachers can set up a classroom within Khan Academy. This classroom allows teachers to assign courses within Khan Academy's database to their students.[51] Teachers can also track their student's progress as they work through the assigned tutorials.
Criticism[edit]Khan Academy has been criticized because its creator, Sal Khan, lacks a formal pedagogical background.[52] Statements made in certain mathematics and physics videos he been questioned for their technical accuracy.[53] In response to these criticisms, the organization has corrected errors in its videos, expanded its faculty, and formed a network of over 200 content experts.[53]
In an interview from January 2016, Khan defended the value of Khan Academy online lectures while acknowledging their limitations: "I think they're valuable, but I'd never say they somehow constitute a complete education."[12] Khan Academy positions itself as a supplement to in-class learning, with the ability to improve the effectiveness of teachers by freeing them from traditional lectures and giving them more time to tend to individual students' needs.[54][19]
In February 2024, a Wall Street Journal reporter tested the math tutoring capabilities of Khan Academy's AI chatbot Khanmigo and found that it made basic calculation errors.[55]
Recognition[edit] In 2012, Khan Academy won a Webby Award in the category Websites and Mobile Sites, Education.[56] In 2016, Khan Academy won a Shorty Award for Best in Education.[57] See also[edit] FutureLearn Pluralsight EdX Coursera Udemy Udacity LinkedIn Learning References[edit] ^ a b "What is the history of Khan Academy?". Khan Academy Help Center. Retrieved August 24, 2021. ^ "Bloomberg Businessweek: Khan Academy CEO". Bloomberg. ^ "Nonprofit Explorer – ProPublica". ProPublica. May 9, 2013. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2015. ^ "One Man, One Computer, 10 Million Students: How Khan Academy Is Reinventing Education". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2015. ^ Sampson, Demetrios G.; Ifenthaler, Dirk; Spector, J. Michael; Isaias, Pedro (July 17, 2014). Digital Systems for Open Access to Formal and Informal Learning. Springer. ISBN 9783319022642. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2015. ^ Hasan, Samiul; et al. (2010). "Skoll Foundation". International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. pp. 1373–1374. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_778. ISBN 978-0-387-93994-0. ^ "What is the history of Khan Academy?". khanacademy.org. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021. ^ de Bertodano, Helena (September 28, 2012). "Khan Academy: The man who wants to teach the world". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2018. ^ Dreifus, Claudia (January 27, 2014). "Salman Khan Turned Family Tutoring Into Khan Academy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2015. ^ Khan Academy: The future of education?. 60 Minutes. CBS News. March 11, 2012. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012 – via YouTube. ^ Temple, James (December 14, 2009). "Salman Khan, math master of the Internet". SFgate. Retrieved December 23, 2009. ^ a b Westervelt, Eric (January 5, 2016). "'A Bit of a Montessori 2.0': Khan Academy Opens A Lab School". Here & Now. WBUR and NPR. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2016. ^ "May-Li Khoe". maylikhoe.com. Retrieved December 6, 2024. ^ "The Funders Pouring Money Into the Khan Academy – Inside Philanthropy: Fundraising Intelligence – Inside Philanthropy". www.insidephilanthropy.com. June 26, 2014. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2015. ^ "Khan Academy, Form 990" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021. ^ "$10 million for Project 10^100 winners". The Official Google Blog. September 24, 2010. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2010. ^ "Mexico's Carlos Slim funds Khan academy in Spanish". Marketplace. Archived from the original on May 8, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2013. ^ "AT&T Awards $2.25 Million for Mobile Learning Platform". Philanthropy News Digest (PND). Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2015. ^ a b Thompson, Clive (July 15, 2011). "How Khan Academy Is Changing the Rules of Education". Wired. Vol. 19, no. 8. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2020. ^ "Elon Musk $5 million donation to Khan Academy thank you". YouTube. January 11, 2021. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021. ^ "Khan Academy". PCMAG. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2015. ^ "How Are Teachers and Students Using Khan Academy?". MindShift. May 6, 2014. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2015. ^ "Khan Academy for ipad review". theappzine. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. ^ Future Talk #9, Redesigning Math Education, November 13, 2013, retrieved February 20, 2023 ^ Kaplan, Did A. (August 24, 2010). "Innovation in Education: Bill Gates' forite teacher". CNN Money. Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2011. ^ "Need a tutor? YouTube videos await". USA Today. AP. December 12, 2008. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2011. ^ "A free world-class education for anyone anywhere". About (FAQ). Khan academy. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2013. ^ "Laureate: Salman Khan". Education Award. The Tech Awards. 2009. Archived from the original on July 3, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2014. ^ "Salman Khan". CNBC. June 13, 2012. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2015. ^ "Khan Academy – Partner Content". Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2018. ^ "Test prep | Khan Academy". Khan Academy. Archived from the original on April 20, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2017. ^ "Khan Academy launches free Official LSAT Prep". June 1, 2018. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2018. ^ "Code.org | Computing | Khan Academy". Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2020. ^ "Khan Academy is the Official Practice Partner for AP". July 27, 2017. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2018. ^ Grace (March 14, 2023). "Introducing… Khanmigo!". Khan Academy. Retrieved September 18, 2023. ^ Towers-Clark, Charles. "Khan Academy: An AI Revolution In Education Or Threat To Human Skills?". Forbes. Retrieved January 23, 2024. ^ "Khanmigo Education AI Guide". Khan Academy. Retrieved September 18, 2023. ^ Melendez, Steven (March 25, 2024). "One year in, Khan Academy's AI has 65,000 students, and is still learning new skills". Fast Company. Archived from the original on January 21, 2025. Retrieved March 4, 2025. ^ "Stepinac Teacher AnnMarie Galdau Collaborates with Khan Academy to Develop AI-Powered Writing Coach". Yonkers Times. February 19, 2025. Retrieved March 4, 2025. ^ "Khanmigo for Teachers: Your free AI-powered teaching tool". Microsoft Blog. Microsoft. August 13, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2025. ^ "Meet Khanmigo: The student tutor AI being tested in school districts". CBS. December 9, 2024. Archived from the original on March 11, 2025. Retrieved March 11, 2025 – via YouTube. ^ "Volunteers | Khan Academy". Khan Academy. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2017. ^ "Supporters | Khan Academy". Khan Academy. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2017. ^ "Is Khan Academy ailable in other languages?". Khan Academy Help Center. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2018. ^ "Is Khan Academy ailable in other languages?". Khan Academy Help Center. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2018. ^ "Studying for the SAT for 20 hours on Khan Academy associated with 115-point erage score increase". Khan Academy. Archived from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2018. ^ "Pixar in a Box | Partner content | Khan Academy". Khan Academy. Archived from the original on May 30, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2018. ^ "About the digital PSAT/NMSQT (article)". Khan Academy. ^ Dredge, Stuart (March 29, 2020). "20 learning apps for stir-crazy kids". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 8, 2025. ^ "Khan Academy enters preschool app space". kidscreen. July 12, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2025. ^ "What can I do from the Classes page?". Khan Academy Help Center. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2020. ^ Christopher Danielson; Michael Paul Goldenberg (July 27, 2012). "How well does Khan Academy teach?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2014. ^ a b Strauss, Valerie (October 22, 2013). "Khan Academy using contractors to check Web site's videos". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2014. ^ Khan, Sal (March 9, 2011), Let's use video to reinvent education, TED (conference), archived from the original on March 21, 2021, retrieved March 6, 2017 ^ Barnum, Matt (February 16, 2024). "We Tested an AI Tutor for Kids. It Struggled With Basic Math". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 12, 2025. ^ "NEW Webby Gallery + Index". NEW Webby Gallery + Index. Retrieved July 13, 2022. ^ Shorty Awards: The Complete Winners List, - The Hollywood Reporter, April 11, 2016, archived from the original on March 21, 2021, retrieved May 24, 2019 External links[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Khan Academy. Official website vteLaureates of the Prince or Princess of Asturias Award for International CooperationPrince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation 1981: José López Portillo 1982: Enrique V. Iglesias 1983: Belisario Betancur 1984: Contadora group 1985: Raúl Alfonsín 1986: University of Salamanca and University of Coimbra 1987: Jier Pérez de Cuéllar 1988: Óscar Arias 1989: Jacques Delors and Mikhail Gorbachev 1990: Hans-Dietrich Genscher 1991: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 1992: Frederik W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela 1993: United Nations Blue Berets stationed in Ex-Yugoslia 1994: Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat 1995: Mário Soares 1996: Helmut Kohl 1997: Government of Guatemala and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity 1998: Emma Bonino, Olayinka Koso-Thomas, Graça Machel, Fatiha Boudiaf, Rigoberta Menchú, Fatana Ishaq Gailani, and Somaly Mam 1999: Pedro Duque, John Glenn, Chiaki Mukai, and Valeri Polyakov 2000: Fernando Henrique Cardoso 2001: International Space Station 2002: The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research 2003: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva 2004: The European Union's Erasmus Programme 2005: Simone Veil 2006: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 2007: Al Gore 2008: Manhiça Centre of Health Research (Mozambique), Ifakara Health Institute (Tanzania), Malaria Research and Training Centre (Mali), and Kintampo Health Research Centre (Ghana) 2009: World Health Organization 2010: The Transplantation Society and the Spanish National Transplant Organization 2011: Bill Drayton 2012: International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement 2013: Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science 2014: Fulbright Program Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation 2015: Wikipedia 2016: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement 2017: The Hispanic Society of America 2018: Amref Health Africa 2019: Salman Khan and the Khan Academy 2020: Gi, the Vaccine Alliance 2021: Camfed, Campaign for Female Education 2022: Ellen MacArthur 2023: Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) 2024: Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) 2025: Mario Draghi Authority control databases InternationalVIAFNationalUnited StatesFranceBnF dataOtherIdRefYale LUX