Duolingo is a language learning app that uses games to help you learn new languages. It offers short, interactive lessons on various devices, making it easy and fun to practice.
Research from the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) shows that homeschooled students typically score 15 to 25 percentile points higher than public school students on standardized academic achievement tests. Most homeschool families report completing core academic subjects in 3-4 hours per day for elementary students, compared to the 6-7 hours typical of traditional schools, due to the one-on-one instruction and absence of classroom management overhead (NHERI, 2024).
What is Duolingo?
Duolingo is a fun, game-like app for learning languages. It offers quick, interactive lessons on any device. The goal? To make language learning free and enjoyable. You earn points, badges, and can track your progress on leaderboards. Duolingo has over 40 languages for English speakers, including popular ones like Spanish and French, plus even some made-up languages like Klingon. While it’s great for practice, it’s best used as a supplement—not a full curriculum.
Duolingo for schools
Duolingo for Schools is a free tool for parents. It lets you create virtual classrooms, assign lessons, and check on your kids’ progress in real-time. You can see how much they complete, their accuracy, and how long they spend on lessons—all without paying. This makes it easy to keep your homeschool kids accountable. Some parents even get siblings to compete on the XP leaderboard for extra motivation. It's great for older elementary and middle schoolers to practice independently while you handle other things.
Limitations as primary curriculum
Let’s be honest: Duolingo is fantastic for building vocabulary and keeping you engaged, but it’s not enough as a complete language course. It lacks systematic grammar lessons, which are essential for beginners. Speaking practice is still pretty limited, even with updates. You won’t find essay writing or reading real texts on the app either. Students might finish courses yet struggle to hold basic conversations. The game-like features can sometimes focus more on streaks than real learning. To really gain language skills, pair Duolingo with textbooks or conversation lessons.
Duolingo English test
If English isn’t your first language, the Duolingo English Test is a budget-friendly way to show off your skills for college. It costs $70—much cheaper than other tests like TOEFL or IELTS. In just an hour from home, you can take this test accepted by over 2,200 colleges in the U.S., including big names like Yale and Duke. You’ll get your scores in two days, and they can be sent to any school at no extra cost. All you need is a government ID and a computer with a camera and internet. This is a great option for homeschoolers who are non-native English speakers.
The bottom line
Duolingo makes daily language practice easy and fun. The game elements really help keep you consistent, plus it’s free for everyone. But if you rely on it solely for language learning, you might miss out on key grammar skills and speaking abilities. So, for homeschoolers, the best plan is to use Duolingo for 10-15 minutes daily, while also using a grammar book, having conversations with tutors or native speakers, and engaging with real content in the language. That’s how you build real proficiency, not just levels in Duolingo.
