IXL: A Homeschool Learning Platform for Back to School
I get asked all the time “what do you actually do in your homeschooling that works?” There’s sometimes a bit of cynicism attached to that, because as a blogger I have the opportunity to review and test out a lot of products. But in all honesty, there’s only a handful of them that I have continued to use and even have purchased for myself long after I was compensated for my time. IXL is one of them. Disclosure: I was compensated for my time once again, using IXL and sharing our experience. But as always…all opinions are my own.
You can read about my first experience with IXL here– Which in homeschool years seems like eternity ago but in mom years- like it was just yesterday.
We took a year off from IXL last year simply because we had so much packed into our schedule that we couldn’t consistently find the time to work on it- But this year as I was working on our back to school plans, I was needing something that would fill in the gaps of some important core subjects so when the opportunity to work with IXL came up again, I jumped on it for three very specific reasons:
- One. Because I don’t know how I missed this in the past but I honestly had NO IDEA that IXL went all the way through high school. NO IDEA FRIENDS! I guess over the years I was singularly focused on the grade and subjects we needed and paid ZERO attention to that.
- Spanish—we are starting Spanish 1 this year, and I love that Spanish can be added to an IXL Family Membership for an additional cost. It’s going to be a great supplement for us.
- And Three Grammar- For the Love of all things- I hate teaching grammar. Thank you IXL for taking this off my hands.
And while those are the subjects that will help this mama rest at night, I can also feel confident that while our girl is spending her 15-20 minutes a day on IXL, it’s covering those gaps in all the other subjects that as homeschool parents we sometimes worry about.
What IXL is
IXL is an online learning platform, but as a mom who has used it, I can tell you it’s so much more than a collection of worksheets on a screen. It adjusts in real time to meet your child where they are, which means they can slow down and strengthen a skill they’re struggling with before moving on to something harder. IXL offers more than 20,000 K–12 skills in math, language arts, science, social studies, and Spanish, along with over 4,500 video tutorials and lessons and 600 educational games. My favorite part is that students receive immediate feedback, so they can see what went wrong and learn from it without waiting for me to check every answer. It’s easy to add to our day in short practice sessions, and because it’s designed for independent learning, I don’t have to hover nearby the entire time.
And clearly we aren’t the only family using IXL. It’s used by 18 million students—that’s 1 in 4 students in the U.S.—and it’s recommended by more than 1 million teachers. I was also surprised to learn that IXL is available in more than 120 languages. For me, those numbers reinforce what I’ve experienced myself: this is a learning platform that families can use in lots of different ways, whether we’re reinforcing a foundational skill, filling in a learning gap, or simply building a little extra practice into our daily routine.
What IXL is not
IXL is not a complete curriculum. This is not a program that is going to replace your math or reading curriculum, but rather it comes alongside it as a supplement to help with comprehension, retention, and finding learning gaps while reinforcing foundational learning.
Our Back to School Routine with IXL
As with any subject or activity that you try to add to your school day, you are going to need a plan. Having a regular routine is what makes things work. For us that means that we had to find a time that we could consistently set aside to work on IXL. And if I’m being honest- with our busy and ever changing schedule, it was hard. But one thing that we don’t miss at our house is lunch. Okay… we don’t miss any meal. But lunch happens every day about the same time. So, we finish lunch and then our daughter sits down and works on IXL. – And I’ll neither confirm nor deny if this is when I sneak in a quick nap.
The “summer slide” is real. As homeschoolers we don’t always take off the whole summer from school, and because we live in Texas and it’s hotter than a jalapeño wearing a wool sweater, we spend a lot of our summer indoors. Why not use some of that time for keeping up with some learning. I’m not a complete fun killer but we did use IXL to help keep some of those math skills fresh before heading into Algebra this year… I think that counts as summer fun… right?
What we love about IXL
I think I covered this pretty comprehensively. But to recap:
We love that students can work independently and that it adapts to their needs in real time.
I love that it fills in the gaps for subjects that I may not always cover thoroughly.
I LOVE that it has grammar. LOVE LOVE LOVE that.
I didn’t cover this, but I love that if there is an area that I notice my daughter struggling in, I can go find that topic area and have her work on some of those skills.
Will IXL Work For You?
If you are using IXL as your curriculum for your homeschool. Say you just want a program to sit your student in front of and feel comfortable that they are going to get a full school experience- you are looking at the wrong program. IXL does meet a lot of needs, but it’s not designed for that.
Depending on the goals you set for your student and the time they have to give to IXL- (which can be as little as 10 minutes a day) your student can master skills that they are struggling with or need more reinforcing so that when they return to normal curriculum, they aren’t as frustrated and don’t waste time struggling through problems.
How IXL Works
The beauty of IXL is that it’s really just plug and play or literally sign in and go… When your student logs in they can choose their grade level and just get started, or they can work on things that you as a parent have chosen from the parent side of things to work on.
We are focusing on getting back in the swing of math before we start classes again so that’s where I am initially starting with her.
I really love that IXL has a scope and sequence for every subject. You can see at a glance what your student will be working through, but also you can choose to work on specific skills that they may need more work on.
IXL Features that are Helpful
The Summary Report- with just a glance I can see how much Maddie has worked on IXL in a week. It tell me how many questions she answered, how much time she spent on it and what specific skills she worked on.
Trouble Spots- I can check here to see if there are any specific areas that Maddie is struggling with, and I can use that information to hone in on more.
Scores- This particular spot lets me know how proficient she is in each area that she has been working on.
The Diagnostic Tool- This is a great place to get started to see what areas there are gaps in and what we need to focus on- when I don’t have a specific plan for her (like algebra, grammar and Spanish!)
Make IXL A Part of your School Year
If you’re looking for a simple way to add focused skill practice to your homeschool routine this year, take a look at IXL and see how it might fit into your school day.
Right now, you can save 25% on an IXL Family Membership during the Back to School Sale through September 30, 2026. If you’re working on filling learning gaps, reinforcing foundational skills, or giving your student more opportunities for independent practice, this is a great time to get started with IXL.
Keep up with all the Fun things IXL is doing and get plenty of helpful tips by following their Facebook and Instagram Pages
Angela is the Homeschool Encourager for the Overwhelmed & Under-Caffeinated and the Chaos-to-Confidence Specialist behind Schooling with Grace. With a no-fluff approach, a dash of humor, and a whole lot of heart, she helps homeschool moms cut through the chaos, ditch unrealistic expectations, and teach with confidence.