Beast Academy Review: The Best Elementary Math Curriculum for Gifted Students?
- Vasudha Uddavan
- Oct 7, 2021
- 10 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Updated: 13 June 2026
Beast Academy is one of the best math curricula available for gifted and mathematically advanced students. In my experience, children who enjoy puzzles and problem-solving tend to love Beast Academy. It is a comprehensive curriculum for grades 1–6 that develops both mathematical understanding and critical thinking skills.
Quick Verdict
Beast Academy is my favorite elementary math curriculum for mathematically advanced students who enjoy puzzles and problem-solving. After teaching many students through the curriculum, I've found that it develops deep mathematical thinking and prepares students exceptionally well for math competitions and future AoPS courses. However, it may not be the best choice for children who dislike reading, need extensive repetition, or prefer a traditional workbook approach.
Beast Academy Review
In this Beast Academy review, I'll walk you through the curriculum, compare the books and online version, discuss who it's a good fit for, and share what I've learned from using it with students over the years.
Why choose Beast Academy?
1. It is challenging - This is one of the most rigorous Elementary curriculums I've seen. It is also one of the very few curricula that challenge gifted kids. It goes really deep into topics. This is a sample question from Level 2.
2. It is engaging and makes you practice concepts through puzzle-type questions - previous question as an example
3. It is a complete curriculum that also prepares you for math competitions
Snapshot comparison of Beast Academy with Singapore Math, Math Mammoth and Right Start
Curriculum | Best For | Challenge Level | Parent Involvement |
Beast Academy | Gifted students | Very High | Medium |
Singapore Math | Strong conceptual learners | High | Medium |
Math Mammoth | Independent learners | Medium-High | Low |
RightStart | Hands-on learners | Medium | High |
What does the Beast Academy curriculum consist of?
1. Physical Books
For each year/ level it consists of 4 guide books (similar to textbooks) and 4 practice books. There is also a puzzle book.
Guide Books:
The guidebooks are in the form of a colourful graphic novel, which appeals to young kids. The books are presented in the form of a discussion between various beasts. But do not let the graphic part fool you. While it presents the materials in an easy-to-learn format, the depth is unparalleled.
Practice Books:
For each of the guidebooks, there is a corresponding practice book. For example, for Level 2 we have 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D guide books and practice books. The guidebooks tell you where to go and practice from the practice book.
The practice books also have an example of how to do the problems and give you a bunch of questions to practice. There is barely any repetition. The questions are well thought out and give a good workout for your brain.
Puzzle Books:
These are supplementary and are available for all levels (1-5) now. You can see a couple of sample puzzles here.
This is present in 2A as well.
Check out Beast Academy from Teachers Pay Teachers as well. They have a few more free puzzles in there. They also have the full version of some of the puzzles (not all)
While these are supplementary, I would highly recommend doing them. Apart from being fun, it also helps develop your thinking skills.
The books are available on their website. You can buy them individually or as a set. You can also buy them from Amazon. If you want to just get the puzzle book, you can get it from Amazon.
2. Online Version
The online version consists of Class, Library, Theater, and Lab. This is subscription-based. One year of subscription costs $100 USD for the first child and $64.99 for any additional child. Once you have subscribed, you have access to all 5 levels.
Class:
Class is where you go to practice the problems. Every problem set is accompanied by a set of instructions. Do make sure the child reads the instructions. Once each problem is answered, they give a detailed solution as well. They have multiple problem sets for the same topic, and the questions in the books and the online version are different.
The following screenshot is from the demo version.
Library
The Library has access to all the guidebooks. The online guidebooks are the same as the physical ones. You can choose any level you want, but going in order will definitely help you understand the concepts better.
Theater
This is the part I love about online. Young kids love videos, and this is where you can go to watch videos. Videos make the online version unique, as this feature is not available when you just purchase the books. Even while you are doing the problems, if you have trouble with a particular topic, you can go and watch the videos.
Let's say you run into trouble while doing Block Mountains, you can click on the video button at the top. It'll take you to the video explaining the idea. You can also click the book symbol right next to it to read the corresponding section from the book.
Lab
Lab consists of awesome puzzles. It ranges from easy to hard in difficulty levels. Even though it is not a part of the core curriculum, I highly recommend playing/ working on this, as this improves your reasoning skills.
How to start using Beast Academy for gifted students
Take their placement tests to determine which level to start at.
Their general recommendation
Level 1: Age 5+
Level 2: Ages 8–9
Level 3: Ages 9–10
Level 4: Ages 10–12
Level 5: Ages 11–13
But as I said, I've seen kids as young as 5 start BA Level 2. I usually ask kids to finish Grade 2 in Khan Academy before starting BA Level 2. You can use the placement test and the age as a guide to see which level you want to start at.
How to use the online version
Even while using the online version, I would still suggest reading the guides (from the library or physical guides). After you've done that, do the problems from the "Class".
Read the instructions at the beginning of each unit.
That'll tell you what's to be done. This is the most important part of the online version. This is what makes kids independent. Even after this, if you're in doubt, watch the videos.
After every problem, whether you got it right or wrong, look at the solution given. See if that is different from the approach you've used. You can learn a lot from the solutions as well.
Books vs Online - which one to choose?
Advantages of using books
Reduced screen time - With everything being online these days, I cannot emphasise being away from any screen. Kids are so used to stimuli that I often find them unable to sit for a few minutes without fidgeting.
Harder star problems - Some of the problems in the books (the star problems) are slightly harder than the online version. For some parents, this has been really important.
Advantages of using the online version
All the levels are open - For a lot of kids, this is a huge advantage. For my own son, I knew he was ready for Level 3, but making him do Level 2 was really advantageous. He finished Level 2 in a month and moved on. I've also done this with a lot of my students.
I've found that doing a level below a student's actual level often boosts confidence.
I ask them to do their right level, along with the previous level. A lot of my students do the previous level during their free time.
They get immediate feedback - the kids love this. They like to know whether they've done it right or wrong. The solutions after each problem help them do the next problem better.
Tests at the end of each chapter - this is available only in the online version. I do ask my students to take the test. Sometimes this makes them revisit units that they have trouble with.
Redoing some of the units - Some of the kids forget what they've done a few months back. I get them to redo some of the units. For example, I usually get them to review the shortcuts to multiplication after they've finished Level 3.
There are also some cases like my kid, who'll scribble all over the book if he gets frustrated. And then he cannot do that unit again in the books. With online, I monitor him, and even if he gets frustrated and answers all of them badly, he can still redo it after some time. (Should probably get a pic of the pages to show how bad his workbook gets occasionally).
Should you get both?
You can get the bundle, which is $160 for one Level's worth of books and a one-year online subscription. This is a great deal. The books alone cost around $120, and the online version for a year is $99.
Getting both is certainly useful to reduce screen time. You can always read the guidebooks offline. The questions in the books are different from online, so if you need extra practice or want to go the extra mile, this is good. You need to make sure that you have the extra time to spend on them, though.
If you like your child to do the harder problems, but the kid still likes the online version, then you can go for both.
Extra help/ where you can learn from
You can work independently on your own. You have the books and the videos to help you.
AOPS has their own online classes that you can enrol in.
A few tutoring organisations hold online group classes as well.
I tutor a lot of kids in the Beast Academy curriculum. I also coach for math competitions, and they complement each other.
My Tutoring & Coaching Approach for Beast Academy
One thing I appreciate about Beast Academy is that it rewards thinking, persistence, and problem-solving rather than memorizing procedures. When working with students, I guide them with questions and hints rather than immediately showing them how to solve a problem. This helps them develop confidence, independence, and resilience when tackling challenging problems. That's also one of the reasons I enjoy teaching it.
If you'd like to learn more about this philosophy, you can read my article:
Since I do one-on-one classes, we go as per the speed of the student. We've completed 3 levels (BA3, BA4 and BA5) in less than 9 months, too. Typically, it takes about 8–10 months to complete a level at a leisurely pace - working around 3 hours per week
Is Beast Academy a good fit for everyone?
Can struggling students use Beast Academy?
However great a curriculum is, it has to be a good fit for your child. It is not a great fit if
Your child dislikes puzzles
Your child struggles with reading
Your child needs extensive repetition
You want a traditional school-style curriculum
What to do when a student is not ready for Beast or struggles with math?
Overall, Beast Academy is a great curriculum for students who enjoy math and for mathematically advanced learners. But for kids who aren't yet ready and struggling in math, this can go both ways.
Some tips to do:
For students struggling with math, I would suggest that you supplement with a much lower-level BA math (if necessary). To keep up with their grade level work in school, I've used Khan Academy, Aleks or Math Mammoth. Math Mammoth is especially useful when I like to go in-depth into a particular topic, like Fractions.
Start with a different curriculum - For example, a child reasonably good at math might start with Singapore Math to solidify their basics. Singapore Math's bar modelling is excellent for students to visualize algebraic concepts. I've seen a couple of students shift from Singapore to Beast, and they've loved it. I occasionally use Singapore Math's idea of bar modelling to reinforce concepts in Beast Academy. Especially in Level 3 variables!
Some pathways that different children take
Path 1: Gifted student who loves puzzles
➡️ Beast Academy → AoPS Prealgebra → AoPS Algebra
Path 2: Strong student needing more structure
➡️ Singapore Math → Beast Academy Supplement → AoPS
Path 3: Student struggling in school math
➡️ Math Mammoth → Singapore Math Word Problems → Maybe AoPS or continue with the Singapore Math curriculum
➡️ Khan Academy → Lower level of Beast Academy as a supplement
Supplements to the Beast Academy curriculum for strong mathy kids
I use a lot of past competition papers. Why? Because a lot of students are confident and can solve problems if they know the topic it is from. When they do competition papers, it is a mixed bag. This helps them think fluidly across topics and helps the brain to switch from one to another. A good challenge.
Interestingly, all my students seem to love the competition papers. It gives them a nice break from routine, and they get excited about how much they can get right if they do the competition. It gives them a nice boost and also helps them evaluate where they are. Sometimes we also revisit topics in Beast based on how they do in those papers (and this is the part I love. It's like a diagnostic without telling the kids it is a diagnostic)
About the Author
I'm Vasudha, founder of V's Online Math Tutoring. I specialize in working with elementary and middle school students using Beast Academy, AoPS, and math competition materials.
Over the years, I've taught students ranging from those who need extra support in math to highly gifted students preparing for competitions. Beast Academy is one of the curricula I use most often because of its emphasis on problem-solving and mathematical thinking.
I've worked with students across multiple Beast Academy levels and regularly help families decide where to start, how quickly to move through the curriculum, and when students are ready for AoPS courses.
If you're considering Beast Academy for your child and aren't sure where to start, feel free to reach out.
Contact Me What's Next After Beast Academy?
If you're wondering when students should move from Beast Academy to AoPS, you may also enjoy:
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