Los Altos High School gives students real choices in English and science, and each choice changes the homework that comes home. Our tutors are Stanford students, and our one-on-one tutoring follows the exact courses your Los Altos High student is taking.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.
Meet our tutors
From Survey to AP Language: the LAHS English ladder
Ninth graders at Los Altos High all start in Survey of Composition and Literature. Sophomores choose between World Literature and World Literature Honors, and juniors between American Literature Survey and AP Language and Composition, for which the course catalog recommends a B or better in the honors course or an A- in the regular one. Seniors can take AP English Literature, Film Analysis or Global Connections, a two-period course taught by a team that blends English with civics. Each step up asks for sharper argument and faster reading. Our tutors help a student outline before writing, find the evidence that carries a claim and revise with a purpose. More on our English and writing tutoring.
Biology Honors in ninth grade, and where it leads
Freshmen choose Biology or Biology Honors, which the catalog describes as the course for students who intend to take more advanced science. Chemistry follows from tenth grade and physics from eleventh, and juniors and seniors can audition and interview for Advanced Science Investigations, a capstone research course. A science tutor can help a ninth grader keep the honors pace, write clearer lab reports and build the habits those later courses assume. For the strongest math students, the catalog also lists Foothill College dual-enrollment math after AP Calculus BC.
Our high school tutors, in parents’ own words
All reviewsFind a writing tutor“Our tutor was a senior at Stanford who tutored my son in English, and also SAT preparation. My son received great marks on the SAT exam and also improved his grade in AP English from B to A.”
Find a math tutor“Your program really helped us. Henry pulled up his English last year to an A, and his next tutor helped him pull up his math and bio.”
“Everyone is looking for tutors and I said you're the best.”
Find an online tutor“Their response time is outstanding. Neil responded quickly to my tutoring request for my 15-year-old. Love knowing that I have access to these high-quality services for my children. And, we use them via Zoom since we live in Tennessee. I cannot say enough great things about this business:)”
Find a math tutor“My son had a wonderful experience with Cardinal Tutors when he needed help with his High School math and science classes. It turns out my son also needed help staying organized with all his assignments, something that the tutor helped with as well.”
Find a math tutor“Our tutor is truly amazing! He is so patient, explains things well, asks great questions, and checks for understanding. Owen really enjoyed working with him and they accomplished so much. This is really a game changer for us! I had high hopes and he exceeded them.”
Find a math tutor“I wanted to thank you for finding our tutor who tremendously helped Sam with his math.”
Find a Tutor“Iris loved working with her tutor!! … Also, I have another student for you — a friend of Iris's that needs help.”
Find a Tutor“Fantastic tutoring service. The tutor (who was a Stanford junior) really connected with my son and inspired him to learn. He had some great study tips and was able to help my son raise his grades by quite a bit.”
Find a math tutor“She found a perfect match for my son… He is stellar. My son has grown leaps and bounds in math. Our tutor is not only a subject matter expert but teaches very well, highly prompt, flexible when needed.”
Find a math tutor“My daughter went from a C in Algebra II to an A- in one semester. The tutor was great, she really related to my daughter and made learning fun for her.”
Find a Tutor“Very professional service with excellent teachers. My son loved his teacher, called him the best he ever had! I can very highly recommend it.”
Find a Tutor“I am usually not one to write a review, but I wanted to communicate how great Cardinal Tutors was for my child. They had a very flexible plan which helped accommodate my child's needs and I saw a tremendous return (grade-wise) from their services. Could not recommend more highly.”
Find a math tutor“The tutors themselves have been great: well-prepared, thoughtful and on-time. At each level of math needed, we found these Stanford students to be not just helpful tutors but great mentors as well.”
Find a math tutor“The subsequent long term tutor that we had for pre calc and for ACT tutoring was amazing. She was completely professional, organized, thorough and easy to work with.”
Find a math tutor“You have been a wonderful inspiration for Eli and we are very grateful for having you in the past half-year!”
Find a coding tutor“The program has been awesome for us. Theo loves working with our tutor and has learned so much.”
“Our tutor is just outstanding — great with Theo and very communicative with me. Super helpful!”
Find a Tutor“I reached out to Cardinal Tutors and was lucky enough to find the most amazing tutor. I wish I had found him earlier.”
Find a math tutor“We used Cardinal Tutoring again in the Spring 2018 for precalculus. Once again, she had a great tutor she really liked and who really helped her this year. My daughter is a senior so we won't need Cardinal Tutoring again, but I highly recommend them!”
Find a Tutor“We have had an excellent experience with Cardinal Tutors for the past two years. Neil was very responsive whenever we had any questions. We definitely strongly recommend them and plan on using them again in the near future.”
Find a math tutor“It was great to find a couple of really smart young women who helped not only with the subject matter, but became great role models.”
Block days and Academic Collaboration Time
Los Altos High meets all seven periods on Monday, then alternates odd and even periods in 90-minute blocks. Wednesdays and Fridays include Academic Collaboration Time in the morning. We plan sessions around that rhythm: reviewing a block lesson while it’s fresh, and deciding which questions to bring to a teacher during ACT.
Sessions are one-on-one, at your home in Los Altos or online, and we also tutor students from Mountain View High. Visit our Los Altos tutoring page, or write to us about your student’s classes and goals and we’ll find the right tutor.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.












