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Neither is universally better. A math practice app is usually the better starting point when a fifth grader needs steady repetition and a clear path through skills. An AI tutor may help more when the child is stuck and needs a hint or explanation—but only if it prompts the child to think instead of handing over answers. That is a practical distinction, not a finding from a direct comparison study.
Choose based on what your child needs
| What the child needs | Better fit to try first | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Repeated practice on particular skills, with visible progress | A structured practice app | Does it cover the class’s current fifth-grade topics, and can an adult see progress? |
| Help understanding a problem or figuring out the next step | An AI tutor, used with supervision | Does it ask questions and offer hints, or reveal the solution too quickly? |
| Screen-free practice | A grade-five workbook | Choose material that matches what the child is learning; evidence reviewed here does not show that a workbook is more effective than an app or validate a particular title. |
These options can complement one another. For example, a child might use a practice app for regular skill work and ask an adult—or a carefully configured AI tutor—for help understanding a mistake. The point is to match the tool to the learning need, not to assume that a newer format is automatically better.
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What the evidence can—and cannot—tell parents
A school trial tested a package, not AI tutoring alone
An independent two-year cluster-randomized study in 18 middle schools in Hamilton County, Tennessee, ran during the 2024–25 and 2025–26 school years. It studied below-grade-level students receiving daily math intervention; more than a quarter of participants had a special education designation. The intervention combined Khan Academy math practice with Khanmigo configured to coach rather than provide answers. The comparison was business as usual, and many comparison schools already used online tools such as Waggle, IXL, Zearn, or DeltaMath. The study therefore does not show that an AI tutor by itself outperforms practice apps, nor does it directly answer what will work best for a typical fifth grader at home. RAND’s study report and Khan Academy’s research summary describe the trial and its context.
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#1 Best Overall
- Computation: multidigit addition with and without regrouping, multidigit subtraction with and without regrouping, multidigit multiplication and division, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division of decimals and fractions
- Number: base ten system, word/standard forms, place value, rounding, estimation, properties/relationships, and much more
- Patterns/Algebra: figural patterns, numerical patterns, expressions, function tables, equations
- Geometry/ Spatial: 2-dimentional shapes, 3-dimentional shapes, symmetry, congruency, spatial, angle
- Measurement: weight, capacity, time, temperature and much more
Practice data are promising but platform-published
Khan Academy’s November 2024 summary describes an analysis of approximately 350,000 students in grades 3–8 who completed fall and spring MAP Growth tests in 2022–23. Within that platform’s longitudinal sample, each additional skill taken to proficient or mastered was associated with about 0.5 percentage points of learning gain relative to the student’s prior-year result. About 52% of roughly 221,000 students with multiple years of data increased the number of skills they learned to proficiency or mastery year over year. These are Khan Academy’s observational, platform-published findings—not randomized proof that practice apps generally cause those gains. Read Khan Academy’s 2024 efficacy summary.
The summary’s fifth-grade example is illustrative: it describes a hypothetical student adding practice and working toward proficiency across more course skills. It supports the idea that grade-level practice can supplement classroom learning, but it does not promise that a particular app or workbook will close a learning gap.
Answer-giving can undermine learning
An AI tool can sound helpful while doing too much of the thinking. A PNAS paper studying high-school students—not fifth graders—offers an adjacent caution: performance with assistance may not transfer to unaided testing. Its measured result should not be applied directly to elementary students, but it reinforces a useful rule for choosing a tutor: prefer one that asks the child to explain, try a step, or use a hint before showing a worked answer. Read the PNAS paper.
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- Match the tool to the gap: Practice is suited to repeated work on a skill; tutoring is suited to responsive help and explanation. If you do not know what is difficult, ask the teacher or review recent homework before choosing.
- Check grade and curriculum fit: Look for the topics the child is studying now, not just a grade label. A tool that jumps ahead or repeats mastered material may frustrate rather than help.
- Watch what happens after a wrong answer: A useful tutor offers a prompt or hint that keeps the child working. A practice app should help identify what needs more work without turning every mistake into a quick answer reveal.
- Consider adult visibility: Check whether a parent or teacher can review progress, adjust settings, and see what the child is doing.
- Account for attention and access: Consider whether game mechanics sustain attention or distract from math, and check eligibility, supervision requirements, and cost before creating an account.
- Keep evidence in perspective: Ask whether a result comes from an independent comparison, a vendor’s own data, or a different age group and setting. No direct head-to-head randomized study of standalone AI tutoring versus standalone practice apps for typical fifth graders is established here.
What to know about Khanmigo access
Khan Academy describes Khanmigo as a tutor that guides learners toward answers rather than simply giving them, and says it can help students from elementary school through college. Its product page says: “Unlike other AI tools such as ChatGPT, Khanmigo doesn’t just give answers. Instead, with limitless patience, it guides learners to find the answer themselves.” This is the company’s description of its product, not an independent evaluation. See Khan Academy’s Khanmigo page.
For learners under 18, Khan Academy says a parent or guardian must enable access, unless access comes through a school or district. The product page describes family access as requiring a parent account, payment, and U.S. residence with a U.S. billing address. Because product terms and availability can change, check the current access details on the official page before signing up.
Khan Academy also reports internal product tests conducted between October 2025 and April 2026. In those tests, providing recent student performance was associated with 3.4% higher next-item correctness, while reviewing prerequisite skills was associated with 2.7% higher correctness; the company reports 6.1% combined. These are company product-test metrics, not independent evidence of long-term achievement among fifth graders. Khan Academy says a full methods paper is forthcoming.
Quick Recap
A practical way to decide
- Identify the immediate need. If the child needs more repetitions on fractions, decimals, or another current unit, begin with structured practice. If the child understands the topic sometimes but gets stuck on how to start or why an answer is wrong, try guided help.
- Test the learning behavior, not just the interface. Sit with the child for a few sessions. Notice whether the tool gets them to explain a step and continue independently, or encourages guessing, clicking, and answer copying.
- Review progress with the child. Look for a specific skill becoming easier and ask the child to solve a similar problem without help. A progress badge or correct answer while using assistance is not by itself proof of independent understanding.
- Adjust if the fit is poor. If practice is repetitive without addressing confusion, add explanation from a teacher, parent, or tutor. If AI help removes the challenge, switch to hints-only use or return to independent practice.
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