Zearn

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

Zearn

Zearn Corporate logo
Company type	501(c)(3)
Industry	Educational technology
Founded	2012; 13 years ago (2012)
Founders	Shalinee Sharma (CEO) Evan Rudall
Headquarters	New York City, New York , U.S.
Services	Online learning platform
Website	zearn.org

Overview

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

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]