Beast Academy vs Singapore Math
The main differences
Both are demanding elementary programs. Beast Academy teaches from comic-style guide books and hard puzzle-filled practice books, online, in print or both, and the publisher suggests most children start about a level behind their grade. Singapore Math's Dimensions sets are textbooks and workbooks the parent teaches from with a guide, and they continue to 8th grade where Beast Academy stops at Level 5.
| Beast Academy | Singapore Math | |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | Math | Math |
| Grades | Levels 1 to 5 for ages 6 to 13, covering 1st to 5th grade topics | Pre-K to 8th grade (Dimensions Math); Primary Mathematics covers the elementary grades |
| Method | Mastery | Mastery |
| Format | Books and screen | Books and workbooks |
| Faith label | Secular | Secular |
| Cost a year | $160. Level 3 bundle (Guide and Practice books for units 3A to 3D plus one year of BA Online): $160. The Level 3 books alone are $120; BA Online alone is $100 a year or $16 a month. | $169. Dimensions Math Grade 3 set with Home Instructor's Guides (textbooks, workbooks, guides, tests and printouts for both halves of the year): $169. The same set with Teacher's Guides is $152. |
| Placement | Online placement test ↗ | Free placement tests ↗ |
| Parent time | Not stated by the publisher | Not stated by the publisher |
| It fits | A child who enjoys puzzles and hard problems, with a parent who is happy to let them wrestle with a question before stepping in. | A parent willing to learn the material and teach each lesson, with a child who likes thinking problems through rather than repeating the same steps. |
| It doesn't fit | A family that wants a short, predictable daily lesson, or a child who gets upset when a problem cannot be solved quickly. | A family that wants the child to work alone from the start, or an older child who already finds math hard and is switching in at 4th grade or later. |
Beast Academy
Beast Academy is a math program for ages 6 to 13 in five levels, each split into four units. Children learn each topic from comic-style Guide books, then work through Practice books of harder problems and puzzles, or do the same lessons with videos and interactive problems in BA Online. You can buy the books, the online subscription or both; the price below is the bundle of both.
Does well: Topics are taught in more depth than a typical elementary course, with many puzzles and word problems that build reasoning.
Watch for: Because the problems are hard, the publisher suggests most children start about a level behind their school grade.
Singapore Math
Singapore Math Inc. sells two core math lines: Dimensions Math, from pre-K to 8th grade, and the older Primary Mathematics series in several editions. Each grade is split into an A half and a B half, with a textbook that presents each idea, a workbook for practice and a guide the parent teaches from. An optional video course for grades 1 to 6 has a teacher present every lesson; the price below is for Dimensions Math.
Does well: One grade set holds the textbooks, workbooks, tests and home instructor's guides for the whole year, both the A and B halves.
Watch for: The parent teaches each lesson from the guide, and the publisher says it works when the adult takes time to learn the content first.
Lists with both
How we label
Every fact on a card was read on the publisher's own website on the date shown, and the page it came from is linked. A fact we could not confirm there is left out. Costs are for one child and one year of the main package, as the publisher's page showed them that day; prices and sales change. Method and format are the publisher's own description where it gives one. The only thing we say about religion is one label, secular or faith-based, given by the rule above; where the publisher's pages don't settle it, the card has no label.
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