Mathnasium vs Kumon: which one fits your child?

Both are franchises with a monthly fee and a free first assessment. The day to day is very different.

These rules come from single centers. Each center is a franchise and sets its own rules, so ask yours for the minimum term, the notice period and the refund policy in writing.

Your child does short math worksheets every day, and most students go to a Kumon center twice a week. Some centers also offer virtual classes (Kumon).

• A placement test first. Your child starts at a level where they can succeed, which can be below their grade (Kumon FAQ).
• About 30 minutes a day. Two days at the center, the other five at home.
• Repeat until it is easy. Kumon says the repetition is on purpose, to build speed and accuracy. Parents say a level ends with a test that must be accurate and quick, or the child repeats it (DC Urban Moms).
• The instructor grades and adjusts. Kumon says the program “requires a special commitment” from the parent (Kumon).
• It is not homework help. Kumon says tutoring helps with current schoolwork, while Kumon builds skills over time (Kumon FAQ). Do not choose it for help with tonight’s homework.

What parents like. Some parents value how Kumon’s repeated practice makes basic math facts automatic (DC Urban Moms). One parent who stopped said it was nice that Kumon organizes everything, and that finding the right workbooks alone takes time (DC Urban Moms).

What parents find hard. In the same threads, parents call the worksheets dull, and say a parent has to push every day. One family chose Mathnasium because Kumon’s daily work was too much on top of everything else (DC Urban Moms).

Your child goes to sessions with instructors, at a center or online. Mathnasium has more than 1,200 centers in North America (Mathnasium).

• An assessment first. A spoken and written test finds what your child knows and what is missing (Mathnasium FAQ).
• A learning plan. The plan fills the gaps in order, then adds new topics (Mathnasium).
• Teaching for understanding. Mathnasium says it teaches for understanding “rather than memorization”.
• No homework. Instead, part of each session is for school homework.

What parents like. One parent says their 5th grader caught up on a missed year of math with Mathnasium twice a week, plus drills the family set at home (DC Urban Moms). Another liked that their child could not move on until they scored high on each unit test (DC Urban Moms).

What parents find hard. Parents say it is expensive. One parent of two high schoolers says it is strongest from elementary school to a first algebra class, and that results take six months to a year (DC Urban Moms). Another says children must speak up to get an instructor’s time (DC Urban Moms).

Both charge by the month, and each center sets its own price. Neither company publishes one national price (Kumon FAQ, Mathnasium blog). Here is what the centers we checked show on their own pages.

Kumon costs less per month. Per hour, it depends on what you count. They sell different things, so here is our math:

• Kumon, Houston. $190 a month. Two center visits a week of about 30 minutes is about 8 visits, or 4 hours a month at the center, so about $48 an hour. Counting the home days, 30 minutes a day is about 15 hours of practice, so about $13 an hour. Time at a Kumon center is worksheet time with an instructor nearby, not one on one teaching.
• Mathnasium, Redwood City. $559 for up to 10 hours a month. If your child uses all 10 hours, that is about $56 an hour. The page lists a $149 startup fee, waived at the time we checked.
• A parent’s report. Two 90 minute sessions a week cost about $700 a month, outside the DC area (DC Urban Moms). Over 4 weeks that is 12 hours, or about $58 an hour.

Mathnasium’s own guide puts learning centers in general at $19 to $50 an hour (Mathnasium blog). For private tutors and other options, see how much a math tutor costs.

Before you sign, ask:

1. What is the full first month, with the sign up and materials fees?
2. Is there a minimum number of months, or a deposit?
3. How much notice do you need to stop, and is any of it refunded?
4. For Mathnasium: how many sessions does the fee include, and how long is each one?
5. For Kumon: how much time will I spend each day checking the work?

It can be. Parents report children who caught up in elementary and middle school, and children who like to go (DC Urban Moms). They also say it costs a lot each month and takes months to show results (DC Urban Moms).

Ask more questions for a high school student who needs help with this week’s test. One parent of two high schoolers found that the plan started too far back to help with their quizzes and tests (DC Urban Moms).

If math at home has become a daily argument, a center can take that off your plate. Ask what your child will work on first, and how you will see progress after the first month.

Mathnasium says 90% of parents whose child attended for at least six months told its survey that their child’s grades improved (Mathnasium). It also cites studies by Watson Education that it calls independent. We have not checked how those studies were done.

Parent reports are mixed and depend on the child. Some families closed a gap and stopped. Others found it did not match their child’s current class. After the first month, compare the center’s progress report with your child’s grades and how they feel about math.

If your child is in Algebra 2, Precalculus or AP Calculus, look closely at what each one offers.

• Kumon has calculus worksheets, but they follow Kumon’s levels, not your child’s class. Kumon says it is not help with current schoolwork (Kumon FAQ).
• Mathnasium offers calculus tutoring and homework help (Mathnasium), but its main high school page lists classes up to Precalculus (Mathnasium). One parent says it helped through precalculus but “was not too useful” for AP Calculus AB (DC Urban Moms). Ask your center who will teach your child’s course.

For a high school class, help that works on the class itself is often the better choice. Start with the teacher and free help at school. At Mathnasium, ask whether sessions can focus on the next test. Then compare what a math tutor costs.

1. How old is your child? Kumon starts at age 3, Mathnasium at kindergarten. For high school, read the section above.
2. What is the goal? Fast, accurate basics through practice: Kumon. A topic they never understood, explained: Mathnasium. Help with a current class: ask the center, or compare a tutor.
3. How much time does your family have? Kumon needs 30 minutes every day, and a parent who makes sure it happens. For Mathnasium, ask how often your child should go and whether sessions can be online.
4. What is your budget? At the centers we checked, Kumon is $135 to $245 a month per subject, and Mathnasium $449 to $579. Call your local centers, since prices change from one to the next.

Still not sure? Both offer a free assessment. Book both, and watch how your child reacts to each one.