Tutoring for Families

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The Aspire Approach: Transformational Mentorship

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While most tutoring puts students in the passenger seat, the Aspire approach is just the opposite. Through a team of tutors stocked with content expertise and emotional intelligence, our students are asked questions that build on their prior knowledge and bring them to a stronger conceptual understanding of the material. Our approach not only leads to greater confidence and meaningfully better grades, but it empowers our students to be better prepared for the next phase of their educational careers.

“I cannot express enough how I am so grateful that we found Aspire. Aspire connected us to an AMAZING tutor. For his first marking period, my son received a 3.57 GPA; and for his recent marking period, he has a 3.71 GPA! Many thanks to Aspire for being such a wonderful resource – again, I am so grateful that I found this program!”

– Katherine, Aspire tutoring parent

Academic Support, Your Way

Academic Tutoring

Our diverse team of specialists provides academic support in a wide range of subjects for students of all ages and learning levels; many are trained and experienced in working with ADD/ADHD, executive functioning issues, memory and processing challenges, and other learning differences.

Our Standard Rate Tutoring Prices

K-8th Grade Academic Tutoring

All subjects for students in kindergarten through 8th grade

$95/Hour

9th-12th Grade Academic Tutoring

All general academic courses for students in 9th-12th grade

$100/Hour

Eric’s Tutoring Success Story

As an 8th grader on the autism spectrum, Eric found himself with a failing grade in math, once his favorite subject. His family had tried two private tutors, but with little success. Then he met Eliza, an Aspire tutor who helped him reconnect with the subject through patience, clarity, and genuine connection. In just two months, Eric went from failing to earning consistent A’s in Algebra – and regained the confidence he needed to move forward.

Test Prep

Test prep with Aspire goes beyond practice to be strategic and personalized for each student. We start by analyzing your student’s initial SAT or ACT results to pinpoint key areas for improvement. Then, we match them with an expert tutor who tailors instruction to their needs, building essential test-taking strategies, time management skills, and subject knowledge. The results speak for themselves: our students typically gain 100-250 points on the SAT and 3-6 points on the ACT. That higher score can be the difference between merely going to college and getting into your dream school! No matter what, we’re here to help your student reach their fullest potential.

Our Standard Rate Test Prep Prices

ISEE, SSAT & HSPT Prep

$120/Hour

SAT & ACT Prep

$140/Hour

Bria’s Breakthrough Moment

As a senior at Saint Mary’s College High School, Bria had long struggled with standardized tests and entered her final year with an ACT score of 16. After working with Aspire, everything changed. In less than a year, her score soared to a 28 – a transformation her family attributes to the support she received through structured, supportive academic mentorship. “Aspire gave Bria a tutor who not only understood the material but truly believed in her,” says her mom, Letitia. “That compassion and encouragement made all the difference. I would encourage any student or parent to give Aspire a try. You won’t be disappointed.”

Affordable Support for Every Family

As a nonprofit rooted in equity, Aspire is committed to expanding access to tutoring services through our sliding scale pricing.
Income Eligibility
• Households eligible for Free Meals receive a 50% discount on our tutoring prices: tutoring for any subject is $50/hour.
• Households eligible for Reduced-Price Meals receive a 40% discount on our tutoring prices: tutoring for any subject is $60/hour.
Check Eligibility
Income Verification
We may use the following the verify income:
• Proof that your child is eligible for free or reduced lunches at school
• CalFresh verification
• A copy of last year’s tax return

Tutoring FAQs

Our tutors come from a mix of backgrounds but all with education experience, content expertise, and demonstrable emotional intelligence. They range from former teachers to chemical engineers. Every tutor undergoes a thorough reference check before being interviewed and teaching a sample lesson. We then select only the tutors whose skill and enthusiasm meet our standards.

Our diverse team of tutors provide academic support in a wide range of subjects to students of all ages. We tutor virtually all ages, subjects, and backgrounds, from elementary to post-secondary, from low skill levels to extremely high achievers. In cases where we are not equipped to serve a student well, we will be 100% up-front and transparent about it.

We consult with you prior to matching your child with a tutor to ensure that we fully understand his or her learning profile and academic needs.

While a typical session lasts for an hour, sessions usually range from 45 minutes to two hours, depending on the age of the student and the assignment at hand.

Most tutoring is instructional, putting students in the passenger seat. The Aspire approach is just the opposite. Through a team of tutors stocked with content expertise and emotional intelligence, our students are asked questions that build on their prior knowledge and bring them to a stronger conceptual understanding of the material. Then, to ensure they understand it, they teach it back to the tutor. It leads not only to deeper knowledge of the content, but greater confidence to tackle problems when the tutor isn’t there.
We measure success by independence, and endeavor to work ourselves out of a job with every student we serve. This means that we are not homework do-ers. Rather, we form partnerships with our students to help them define and achieve their goals.

As a non-profit organization, our commitment is to our students over our profit margin. We believe that all children deserve to have equitable access to educational tools, whether it is with Aspire or not.

Yes. Although our tutors are not educational therapists, we are skilled customizers and can adapt to many student needs. Our tutors are trained and experienced in working with ADD/ADHD, executive functioning issues, working memory challenges, processing speed differences, and other differences.

While we are happy to send a monthly invoice at the beginning of each month for the previous month’s sessions, most of our parents opt for an automatic credit card payment after each session.

No, there are no additional fees.

In addition to working with students at public schools throughout the Bay, our tutors have supported students from: Aspire Berkeley Maynard Academy, Bay School, Bayhill High, Bentley Upper School, Berkeley High, Berkeley Realm, Bishop O’Dowd High, Chabot Elementary, Cleveland Elementary, College Park High, East Bay Innovation Academy, Encinal Junior & Senior High, Escuela Bilingue International, Head-Royce, Ile Omode, Joaquin Miller Elementary, Laney College, post hs, Manzanita SEED, Marin Academy, Miramonte High, Montclair Elementary School, Montera Middle School, Northgate High, Piedmont High, Prospect Sierra, Redwood Christian Center, Redwood Day School, Roosevelt Elementary, Saint Mary’s College High School, San Leandro High, Sankofa Academy, Skyline High, St. Vincent, The Bay School, and The College Preparatory School.

Click here to navigate to our Join the Team page and fill out the application form!

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Meet the Team

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Meet the Team