More than ever, parents and guardians are seeking out online tutors for their K-12 kids. Whether students need extra help with their math homework or a boost in reading comprehension, one-on-one tutoring is a time-honored way to help kids succeed in school.
Many parents are also discovering that an online platform is ideal for them, regardless of current constraints due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"I'm hearing from families that they're happy not to be driving around to a hundred different activities like they were before. It's so much easier to have people at home," said Teresa Lubovich, spokesperson for the National Tutoring Association and owner of Poulsbo Tutoring in Washington. "They are finding that it works, even if they were hesitant at first."
The one-on-one tutoring services in this guide provide K-12 subject tutors, not tutors who teach standardized test prep alone. We also avoided traditional in-person franchises in favor of services with an online focus. However, many tutoring franchises like Huntington, Mathnasium, and Sylvan Learning offer highly rated online programs.
Importantly, this guide only features national online tutoring companies. Parents can also look for options within their school districts. Local online programs are often specifically tailored to the district curriculum, and the tutors may be deeply integrated into the school system in ways that national tutors are not.
Insider Reviews spoke with Lubovich and Mel Jackman, managing director of the East Harlem Tutorial Program, to gather selection criteria for the best online tutoring services (read more about our criteria at the end of this guide). Neither expert is affiliated with any of our picks.
We then reached out to K-12 online tutoring programs across the country to see if they fit our criteria and considered whether they stand out in any one category. Here are our top five picks as well as some wonderful programs that didn't necessarily fit into a category.
These are the best online tutoring services for K-12 students: