I sent my son to Simon Academics for four years in high school and he was loving it. It was the…read moremost useful classes he ever had in his high school years, as he told me. Thanks to Jon Simon for his guidance, my son now is very strong in his English writing and read WSJ everyday. Notes: Comments and constructive feedback can be harsh on the homework but that's how his strong writing skill had helped him did so well in high school and in college.

I feel Mr. Simon is one of the best kept secrets for Fremont students and parents, so I was torn…read moreabout writing this review. But in the end, he truly deserves to be more well-known than the franchise tutor mills. Our two sons have been in Mr. Simon's classes for the last two years, and we just enrolled them for another year. We can see their improvement in fictional writing style and persuasive organization. Their school teachers have also commented on how articulate they have become. With input from our kids, our thoughts on why his classes are so effective: * Mr. Simon's expectations of disciplined work, enforced with a sense of humor, motivates his students. Oftentimes my kids would tell us the jokes Mr. Simon told them. * Mr. Simon provides personalized feedback for each student, but done in the class such that all can benefit from his teachings. * Mr. Simon also advises the parents not to intervene with students' work. Initially it was hard on our helicopter parenting style, but soon I found that without our meddling, our kids became quite proactive in doing their assignment. Mr. Simon provides for both in-person and live online during class hours, but I'd recommend students attend in-person whenever possible.

I am a current Haiao alumni student. I studied chinese 3, chinese 4, and AP chinese here. Its the…read morebest decision I made. The teachers would dedicate their time to make sure you get good understanding of material. The level of experience of the AP teachers is great. During my AP chinese exam last year, me and 2 other haiao kids finished first out of all our school test takers and all got 5s.

The school is a great Chinese school. My children have been attending this school for the past…read moreyears. I've nothing but good things about this school.

My son is in 7th grade and was struggling with math. After about 2 months of tutoring with Maya,…read morehis grade has improved significantly, and he's understanding the material much better. The personal attention really helped him. He also did very well on a recent quiz. Maya is patient and explains concepts clearly. We appreciate her help.

My son is East Bay Math student for last six months and his math grade is improved a lot. I learned…read morefrom him that Ms Maya is very patient teacher and he looks forward to his classes. She is very open to make up classes and accommodate the request if it does not work out for us. Below is his feedback. "I really recommend East Bay Math because I feel free to ask questions, and she will definitely help you improve your grades. It is a 1 on 2 class which means 2 students and one tutor. Before my grades weren't so pretty but now, I'm an A+ student in Math! She does give homework but only 5-10 questions."

The tutors at Eye Level are excellent. They've helped our…read more3rd grade son with his Math and writing skills. Highly recommend if your child is struggling a bit in school.

This is a great class. I like how they help kids one on one to their level. Every day, 1 page…read morehomework on an average. They follow common core just like school, so that's a plus kids won't get confused with the methods. The only suggestion is to start early for your kids. It sure will help them to do good at school and gives more knowledge & practice about all the topic.

Great place to learn for kids , kept my daughter here throughout the summer and it really helped…read moreher get ahead. She has surpassed the math level she does at school because after she started the 2nd grade (after summer was over) the math homework she started in the 2nd grade was a bit of review from the first grade seeing how kids that take the whole summer off doing zero amount of math need to catch up with what they did to prepare them for what they are going to do. Going to best brains has helped keep my daughters mind fresh throughout the summer and keeps her math skills sharpen by consistently moving her into higher level math. I really like there curriculum and the price is very reasonable. Her grades are good, I see the results. Hopefully this continues .

Teachers change every month, no communication to the parents about the changes. Hard to deal with…read morestaff don't want to know the parents pain.

I just recently went back to college full time after 10 years! yikes! I always thought I was good…read moreat math so when I signed up to take a Pre-Calculus class I thought I had this in the bag! Boy was I wrong...after crying in my car after receiving a "D" on my first test I decided to be proactive and hire a tutor. Dr. Bo aka Dr. Math was able to explain the concepts in a way I could understand. He examines how you naturally solve a problem and helps you refine your instincts when it comes to math. It has been about 7 weeks that I have been working with Bo and my final grade for the Pre-Calculus class is.....drumroll please....a "B"!!!!!!! Woo hoo! Dr. Bo rocks! He's the only math tutor I recommend and will ever need. He tutors ALL levels of math from middle school to advanced college math. Thank you Bo see you next semester!

Stellar saved our family!…read more Our daughter is smart, creative and funny. But reading was destroying her confidence. We watched her go from a kid who loved learning to one who resisted school and just shut down. She could not keep up. She was not even able to participate in video games during computer class due to reading challenges. One day, she came home and said "I am the dumbest kid in my class." It was heartbreaking. We tried everything. We tried to talk to the teachers and the school and got no where. We hired tutors, in person and on zoom, and saw only mild progress despite a very loaded tutoring schedule. I also sat with her daily to try to "help" her with homework. It was worse than pulling teeth and really hurting our family time. Then one week before the start of the next school year, we found Stellar!!!!! A tiny non-profit school in Newark, CA that specializes in helping kids with dyslexia. After the first info session, I knew we had to take a chance. I was worried about making my kid leave her friends and go to a new place, but it was the best decision. It has been life-changing for our daughter. We stopped fighting at home, and she was finally learning at school. !!! What makes Stellar special: Teaching methods that actually works! -- The teachers are experienced and certified on ways to teach specifically for how dyslexic brains learn. My child is making significant progress. In contrast, our local public school has no specialized support for dyslexic learners, even if you do qualify for extra support via IEP. Just extra reading exposure without the right methods just trying to brut force the solution. It is painful and does not work. Real small-group attention -- For core academics (reading, writing, math), my daughter's leaning cohorts has been around 1 teacher to 4 kids. I think that changes year to year depending on cohorts, but that is a ton of specialized, individualized attention. Recess and afternoon classes like art, PE, and science have a larger group of 10+ mixed age kids, which is great for socialization. Deep neurodivergent expertise -- The staff really get dyslexia. They been through it with their own kids. They get it on a level that goes beyond training. Beyond dyslexia, the staff is skilled in supporting kids with ADHD and morel. There is thoughtful SEL classes also weaved into the curriculum. Genuinely kind and warm -- I can't say enough nice things. It's all the little things, like the head of school is there each morning to receive the kids and greet them all individually. And when my daughter broke her toe and had limited mobility in a boot for a few months, the staff brought out bubbles, chalk, and hula hoops so she could still play at recess. During a field trip to a local park, they added a "walking contest" alongside the running contest so she could participate -- she was a speedy walker in her boot! lol Lean and financially accessible (this matters) -- Most Bay Area schools specializing in dyslexic learners are close to $60k/year. The sticker shock was real for me. Stellar was a bit less than $30k! That's a real difference for a lot of families. You can tell they work very hard to keep it accessible. This investment is truly worth it. Last bit, here's what my child has to say about Stellar: 1. the teachers are the nicest in the world. She loves all the teachers and staff and feels close to every one of them. 2. The school is so small that every kid becomes friends with each other, even across wide age ranges. This was an unexpected bonus! The small school environment did wonders for her confidence and social skills. This is a hidden gem of a school with decades of expertise and so much heart. If you're a Bay Area parent navigating how to support your kid, I cannot recommend Stellar Academy enough. They also offer summer camps and dyslexia screening.

When my son Sam started 6th grade at Stellar Academy, he was struggling. He couldn't subtract,…read moremultiply, or divide, and he was reading at a 2nd-grade level. I felt helpless, knowing he needed significant dyslexia support that his public school district simply couldn't provide. It was my parents who had the wild idea to enroll Sam at Stellar Academy--a school 133 miles away from our home. At first, I thought they were out of their minds. But after reading reviews and seeking advice from family, friends, and advocates, I decided to attend Stellar's orientation. I fell in love with the school and made the decision to enroll Sam. It was, without a doubt, the craziest decision I've ever made--but it turned out to be the BEST! The Slingerland Approach and multi-sensory mathematics instruction worked immensely for Sam. By the end of that same school year, he was reading at grade level and had mastered subtraction, multiplication, and division. But the most remarkable transformation was how much he grew to love school--something I had never seen before. He adored his teachers, his friends, and even the schoolwork. For the first time in his life, Sam felt confident in his abilities as a student. He came home every day energized and excited to share something new he had learned. As a parent, I've never felt more supported by a school. The commute was no small feat... Fridays were especially tough, with rush-hour traffic stretching the drive to 4.5 hours. At one point, I mentioned to Heather, the incredible director of Stellar, that switching the school's minimum days from Wednesdays to Fridays would make our weekly commute more manageable. Heather spoke with her staff, and together they agreed to make the change. That simple act of kindness showed just how deeply the staff at Stellar care about their students and families. Even though it's been three years since Sam attended Stellar, I still reach out to Heather for advice. She remembers Sam and always takes the time to help, no matter how busy she is. Stellar Academy wasn't just a school for my son--it was a lifeline. It's a community of people who are truly dedicated to children, families, and education. I will always be grateful for what they did for Sam. Looking back, I'd sit in that 4.5-hour traffic all over again. The end absolutely justifies the means.

My sister goes here for her SAT test prep and Miss Gwen has been a great help. She has great…read moreknowledge about what the test entails and tries her best to explain it to us and what we need to do to achieve the best result. There's so many changes in the education system so sometimes we, family, can't keep up with them all but Miss Gwen did a great job keeping us on track so we have a better understanding of how we can support and encourage my sister. I saw my sister's note and Miss Gwen really focuses on the root of the problem to help my sister learn better, and not just for the test. She also does many mock tests to get used to the real test environment. She's been going here for less than 6 months but I already saw her improvement. She also said she likes Miss Gwen a lot and I think that's also important in finding a good tutor.

I had a disappointing experience with Apollo Test Prep. The tutoring approach I received placed too…read moremuch emphasis on general comprehension and not enough on the elimination process that is essential for difficult LSAT questions. In my experience, this actually disrupted a method that had been working better for me, and my performance suffered rather than improved. I later reached out to Jack to explain my concerns and hoped to discuss what had gone wrong, but I did not receive a meaningful response. I also scheduled a strategy call, which was canceled on the basis that only one complimentary strategy call is allowed per student. This was particularly frustrating because I had previously been permitted to schedule more than one strategy call before becoming a paying tutoring client. Taken together, the lack of follow-up and cancellation made me feel that my concerns as a paying student were not being taken seriously. I would have appreciated accountability, a substantive discussion of the tutoring issues, and an effort to address the problem rather than simply ending communication. Based on my experience, I would not use their tutoring services again.