Denver Public Schools says Khan Academy partnership scaled districtwide SAT prep

Denver Public Schools has been working with Khan Academy to roll out districtwide SAT preparation that pairs College Board–aligned practice with school-level implementation supports, district officials said during a Khan Academy webinar.

Dr. Ted Thompson, Denver Public Schools' Executive Director of Secondary Schools, said the district started the effort this school year with about 33 secondary schools serving roughly 19,000 students and that SAT results feed three indicators on the state performance framework—achievement, growth and college- and career-readiness (PWR)—which together affect about 14,000 students in grades 9–11. "Access did not necessarily translate into consistent use by schools," Thompson said, describing why DPS shifted to a more intentional, monitored approach.

Khan Academy representatives said the partnership pairs the free, College Board–aligned SAT practice on Khan Academy with hands-on supports for site leaders and regular data reporting. "Moving skills to Proficient or Mastered is what makes the change in learning outcomes," said Cody, Khan Academy's district success manager, describing the program's focus on tracking skills growth rather than solely counting time on task.

Thompson described the district's monitoring system: biweekly reports from Khan show school-level data and district trends; network directors and site teams use those skills-gap reports to set weekly priorities and ensure students meet a roughly 30-minute-per-week benchmark for assigned Khan sessions. Cody said Khan staff worked directly with site leaders to tailor implementation to each campus, aligning Khan modules with the district's curricular scope and sequence so students receive SAT-style practice during regular instruction.

The webinar also emphasized equity and early outcomes. Thompson said the district is "seeing some very promising results for groups that historically have not excelled in their prep experience," while cautioning that final outcomes will depend on upcoming assessments. Khan's Chelsea Hatchard described program goals and participation benchmarks, saying she expects about "two-ish skills to proficient a week" with roughly 30–60 minutes of practice per week, and highlighted Khanmigo, an AI tutoring layer available to partner districts.

Khan outlined options for districts: free student-facing SAT prep linked to College Board practice, or a formal district partnership that includes implementation supports, professional learning and data reports. Hatchard said districts that already purchase College Board assessments can add Khan Academy as a district partner at a reduced rate of $10 per student. "Assess your current infrastructure for system-wide implementation for prep, and then contact Khan," Thompson advised superintendents considering the model.

The webinar ended with contact information and a promotion for a superintendent-focused session; Hatchard provided a replay for registered attendees and an upcoming Superintendents Fireside chat with Amy Alzina and Sal Khan scheduled for March 27. For district inquiries, Hatchard offered a Khan Academy regional contact email (chelseahatchard@khanacademy.org).

The session focused on implementation approach and early monitoring results; no formal district policy change or vote was recorded during the webinar.