Beast Academy

Art of Problem Solving Grades 1-5 Updated July 2026

Who it fits

Made for mathematically strong kids who read well and enjoy being stuck on a puzzle for fifteen minutes, often the ones headed toward competition math later. Kids working at grade level, kids with math anxiety, and kids who need the steps demonstrated first tend to bounce off it hard.

How it scores

Rigor
?

How demanding the material is versus grade level. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:

  1. 1gentle, below grade
  2. 2relaxed
  3. 3on grade
  4. 4demanding
  5. 5advanced
Read the rigor guide
Parent involvement
?

How much the parent is present and teaching. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:

  1. 1hands-off
  2. 2light
  3. 3shared
  4. 4leading
  5. 5parent-taught
Read the parent involvement guide
Prep load
?

How much the parent prepares before a lesson. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:

  1. 1open-and-go
  2. 2minimal
  3. 3moderate
  4. 4involved
  5. 5heavy
Read the prep load guide
Screen time
?

How much daily work is on a device. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:

  1. 1fully offline
  2. 2mostly offline
  3. 3blended
  4. 4mostly digital
  5. 5fully digital
Read the screen time guide
Independence
?

How much the child can do alone. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:

  1. 1adult-led
  2. 2guided
  3. 3semi-independent
  4. 4mostly independent
  5. 5fully independent
Read the independence guide
Time commitment
?

How long a daily lesson takes the child. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:

  1. 1under 15 min
  2. 215 to 25 min
  3. 325 to 40 min
  4. 440 to 60 min
  5. 560+ min
Read the time commitment guide

At a glance

Faith content None
Approach Mastery
Format Textbook Two tracks covering identical content. Print is a full-color comic guide paired with a black and white practice book, four of each per level. Beast Academy Online is a subscription with short videos, interactive puzzles, and a parent dashboard. Many owners run both.
Used as Spine
Philosophy Problem-solving/Socratic
Best for Advanced/gifted

What parents consistently praise

  • Problems that force real thinking
  • Comics kids reread for fun
  • Builds visible perseverance
  • Guide books reuse across siblings
  • Clean handoff into AoPS Prealgebra

What parents report as challenges

  • Overwhelms kids working at grade level
  • Reading load sits above the math level
  • Standard algorithms never get taught
  • Less independent than parents expect

How it shifts by grade

Level 1 combines the guide and practice into one book. Owners and the publisher both flag the shapes chapter in 3A as a wall worth skipping and returning to. After Level 5 students move to AoPS Prealgebra, usually around ages 11 to 13.

Additional notes

Print and online cover the same material but play differently. Print needs a parent to grade and talk through stuck points, while online runs closer to self-driving and adds diagnostics. Owners flag three walls worth planning around: the shapes chapter in 3A, perfect squares in 3B, and Level 5 as a whole. Most families run it a level below the child's nominal grade.

Cost

Price~$99/yr online, ~$135/level print
ConsumablePartial
Per child / year~$99 online, ~$135 print
Check price Art of Problem Solving

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Descriptions aggregate what homeschool parents consistently report across public community sources (forums, Facebook groups, Reddit, and long-form reviews) together with the publisher's own materials. Prices and editions change over time.

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