Goblins vs. DreamBox
The adaptive path vs. a tutor inside the problem.
Why we built Goblins
Goblins lets students speak and draw to learn math. That lets the tutor pinpoint exactly where mistakes and misconceptions arise. The tutor watches live and moves first when a kid stalls, with a question small enough to answer out loud.
“They can't just look on somebody else's screen and put an answer down. They can't Google it somewhere and just put an answer down. They actually have to understand what they're doing in order to move on.”
Renee Schuch · 6th Grade Math · Deer Valley
“It's a little me in the computer. And it's like telling them, guiding them, questioning their thought processes. ... You have automatic homework help built into the program. And it's so powerful.”
Bobbye Graboyes · 26-year math teacher
“It forces them to really think about what they're doing and understand their process. ... They have to prove it. They have to show all of their work and it's been great.”
Renee Schuch · 6th Grade Math · Deer Valley
Why not just use DreamBox?
DreamBox reads clicks, and a click never carries the why. It advertises around 50,000 data points per student per hour, all clicks and answers, and the engine reroutes. Easier lesson, slower pace. A dragged bead can say the answer was wrong, never 'this kid thinks you add the tops and the bottoms.'
Rerouting is not teaching. The engine reroutes a stuck kid downward for weeks, politely, and never once asks what they were thinking. We built Goblins so someone steps in.
Thousands of Teachers ❤️ Goblins
"A kid who'd never do homework is now 100% in my class."
Rich Grell
HS Math Teacher, 22 yrs
"A little me in the computer, guiding them. So powerful."
Bobbye Graboyes
26-year math teacher
"They can't just Google it. They have to actually understand."
Renee Schuch
6th Grade Math · Deer Valley
"Stuck? It walks them back two chapters, then builds them up."
Rich Grell
HS Math Teacher, 22 yrs
"I can't split into 30. Goblins is 30 of me."
Bobbye Graboyes
26-year math teacher
"It forces them to fill the gaps and prove their work."
Renee Schuch
6th Grade Math · Deer Valley
"Like I'm sitting with every kid, and I can see who's faking it."
Rich Grell
HS Math Teacher, 22 yrs
"She did every Goblins assignment and aced the makeup."
Bobbye Graboyes
26-year math teacher
"I see who's stuck in real time and pull them aside."
Renee Schuch
6th Grade Math · Deer Valley
"The AI's on every question when I can't reach everyone."
Kaleb Bembenek
7th Grade Math
"I'd love to move my teachers from Study Island to this."
Carol Howe
Principal · Sharpsville Area HS
"It breaks down every misconception in real time."
Jenn Tifft
Math & Science
"It reaches every student I can't get to in person."
Rebecca Mello
Algebra I & II
"My kids customize the goblin to look like them."
Kaleb Bembenek
7th Grade Math
"I'd love to move my teachers from Study Island to this."
Carol Howe
Principal · Sharpsville Area HS
"It breaks down every misconception in real time."
Jenn Tifft
Math & Science
"It reaches every student I can't get to in person."
Rebecca Mello
Algebra I & II
Frequently asked questions
No. As of July 2026 DreamBox has no student-facing conversational AI, and the AI classroom assistant Discovery Education announced is a teacher-facing tool, so a confused student's options are the lesson's built-in supports or a raised hand. Every Goblins student has a live 1-on-1 tutor already watching, and it steps in mid-problem.
No. The engine reads clicks and answers, and a click never carries the why, so a stuck student gets rerouted to easier lessons instead of taught. Goblins sees the work as students write and hears them reason as they speak, then fixes the misconception with Socratic questions and a mini lesson drawn next to the problem, never by handing over the answer.
Discovery Education claims ESSA Tier I through IV, but the independent Harvard CEPR study called the causal evidence 'encouraging but mixed' and found most students never reached the recommended usage. Software only helps at a dose students will actually take, and engagement is the first thing Goblins teachers report.
Yes. The live classroom view shows every student's work as it happens, and every problem rolls up against your state's standards with analytics you can export per student, per standard, and per skill. Goblins Max adds standards and engagement reporting across your school or district.
K-12 math, with grade 4 and below in beta. DreamBox stops at grade 8, so students moving into Algebra and beyond keep the same tutor on Goblins.
DreamBox Math lessons come in English and Spanish. Goblins students speak and draw in whatever language they think in, with no cap at a number, and we add new languages whenever a classroom asks.
Goblins is free for teachers, with 15 live help-enabled problems per student each month, worksheet uploads, and teacher avatars included, no credit card. Goblins Max, priced per school or district, makes live help unlimited and adds standards and engagement reporting. DreamBox charges families $19.95 a month.
Yes. Goblins complies with COPPA, FERPA, and student data privacy laws in all 50 states. The Gates Foundation funds Goblins and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative partners with it, and both hold student data handling to the strictest bar.
Weighing other options? Read Goblins vs. IXL and Goblins vs. Khanmigo, or see how schools run Goblins across intervention tiers in our MTSS math guide.