Free Audiobooks for K-12 Students & Teachers

Do audiobooks have a place in K-12 learning? Absolutely! Some educators are finding that audiobooks can fill gaps in student learning and give struggling readers a boost. 


Teachers at Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia found that audiobooks “are improving access to grade-level content and helping students develop a love of reading that motivates continued improvement.”

Reporting on an edWeb webinar, Rob Low from the EdScoop blog said that audiobooks can “provide more equitable access to grade-level content and enable struggling readers to share more of the engagement, pride, and enjoyment of reading that their classmates experience.”

Fairfax County teachers also said that for some students, an audiobook is the first book they’ve ever fully completed. The achievement gives them confidence and positively influences their attitude toward their studies. Some even realize that they like books, a conclusion that can be surprising for students who have never finished a book before. 

Audiobooks Introduce Students to Ideas
When K-12 students struggle with reading mechanics, they’re closed off from the ideas conveyed in books, blogs, news articles, and more. Their intellectual growth may be stunted, not because of an inherent mental deficiency, but because they haven’t yet acquired solid reading skills.

Listening to audiobooks can bridge this gap by introducing students to all kinds of ideas they may not encounter outside of books. They’ll acquire the knowledge even though they struggle with reading mechanics.

With new ideas and knowledge, struggling readers can keep up with their peers during class discussions. They’ll have valuable insights to contribute, and they’ll gain confidence. That confidence might help them as they conquer reading obstacles.

Where to Find Audiobooks
Local libraries often have impressive collections of audiobooks that can be checked out and downloaded onto phones, laptops, iPads, and other devices. Like other library checkouts, these books have due dates (but thankfully, they don’t lead to fines). Your students may have to wait for audiobooks to be available, but libraries are a good option.

Subscription services like Audible give you access to just about every audiobook under the sun, but it can be expensive. As of January 2020, it’s $14.95 per month, and you get one book per month. That can get pricey, but as I mentioned, the selection is outstanding.


New audiobook options are popping up all the time, though. Chirp sells audiobooks for discounted prices. You have access immediately, and you never have to return the books. It’s not uncommon to find audiobooks for as little as $1.99 on Chirp.

What About Free Audiobooks?
If you’re looking for free audiobooks, you’ve got to check out LibriVox. These audiobooks are recorded by volunteers. They only produce books in the public domain, but do you know how many books are in the public domain? More than you could listen to in a lifetime. Some popular books have been recorded by multiple volunteers, so you can choose the reader you like best.


Tell your students about LibriVox. If they love to read aloud, they might just want to volunteer and add to the ever-growing library of free audiobooks.

It’s a wonderful time to be a student or an educator. With more and more free resources available online, it’s increasingly possible to customize education and find workable solutions for learning challenges.