Only 15 percent of students with access to Khanmigo actually use it, Khan Academy admits

The organization's Chief Learning Officer says the AI tutor is being reworked after early use showed inconsistent results, with a redesigned experience rolling out to district partners this summer.

Only 15 percent of students with access to Khan Academy's Khanmigo AI tutor regularly engage with it, prompting a redesign rolling out in summer 2026.

Khan Academy has acknowledged that only 15 percent of students with access to its AI tutor Khanmigo regularly engage with it, despite over 108 million total interactions since the tool's 2023 rollout.

Kristen Eignor DiCerbo, Chief Learning Officer at Khan Academy, shared the data in a LinkedIn post linking to a detailed blog update. She wrote that early use of Khanmigo "has varied" and that "some chats help students move forward more than others," adding that the organization is continuing to refine the experience based on classroom feedback.

The candid assessment comes as Khan Academy prepares to roll out a redesigned Khanmigo experience to all district partners in summer 2026, following pilots with select districts over the current school year.

Redesign shifts AI from passive to proactive

The updated version addresses several issues identified through classroom observation and educator feedback. Khanmigo now guides students through assignments and appears more visibly while they work on problems, rather than waiting for students to initiate a conversation.

Drawing on research into help-seeking behavior, the team has differentiated how the AI supports students before and after they attempt a problem. It also adapts based on whether a student is encountering a skill for the first time or reviewing it, and can now prompt a review of prerequisite skills when it detects gaps in mastery.

DiCerbo wrote that some of these changes are already working well, while others still need improvement, and that the organization aims to be transparent about both.

Practice still drives learning gains, not AI

The blog post is clear on one point: the learning that happens through practice remains the foundation. DiCerbo wrote that across multiple studies, students who spend time practicing on Khan Academy make meaningful gains, and that this matters more than any single feature, including AI.

Khanmigo currently averages 269,000 interactions on weekdays during the school year. The organization is now tracking "next-item correctness," which measures whether a student can solve the next problem independently after receiving AI assistance, as a direct indicator of learning transfer rather than AI-supported performance.

Khan Academy has presented peer-reviewed findings at academic conferences including AIED, AIME-Con, NCME, and LAK. With only 15 percent of eligible students currently engaging with the tool, the summer rollout of the redesigned experience will test whether making AI assistance more proactive and context-aware can close the gap between access and adoption.