At Cupertino High School, this year’s grade in one class often decides which class opens up next year. We offer one-on-one tutoring for Cupertino High students, and our tutors are current and former Stanford students who can help yours earn the path they want in math and science.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.
The 85 percent line in Pre-Calculus Honors
Cupertino High’s math department is specific about what each course expects. Geometry Enriched, the version built around formal proofs, looks for a B or better in Algebra 1 plus a teacher’s recommendation, and it sets students up for Algebra 2/Trigonometry. The step that catches families off guard comes later. The school’s honors pre-calculus course is listed as Pre-Calculus Honors/Calculus A, and the department says students who finish it at 85 percent or higher may go on to AP Calculus BC, while the rest head to AP Calculus AB. A math tutor who knows about that line watches the test average from the first unit and firms up trigonometry before it turns into limits and derivatives.
When chemistry and physics depend on the math class
Every Cupertino High ninth grader takes Biology, and the choices widen in tenth grade. Chemistry Honors asks for a B or better in both Biology and Geometry. AP Physics 1 and AP Chemistry each look for a B in Algebra 2, and AP Physics C expects AP Calculus AB already finished or Calculus BC alongside it. With science tied this closely to math, our tutors often cover both in one sitting: the stoichiometry problem and the algebra underneath it. Read more about our science tutoring.
Seven periods on Monday, long blocks after that
On Mondays all seven classes meet for 45 minutes each. From Tuesday to Friday the school runs blocks of about 90 minutes, and a tutorial period is built into Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Since a class may meet only three times a week, one confusing block can sit for days. A weekly session closes that gap, and we help students walk into tutorial with precise questions for their teacher.
Algebra, precalculus and calculus
“We have used Cardinal Tutors for over 4 years for two of my sons in different courses: Algebra, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus.”
Christy S., Portola Valley · Yelp review
What a parent says about organization
“It turns out my son also needed help staying organized with all his assignments, something that the tutor helped with as well.”
Amy C., Palo Alto · Yelp review
Sessions are one-on-one, at your home in Cupertino or online. We work with Monta Vista families the same way. Have a look at our Cupertino tutoring page, then tell us which class is weighing on your student and we’ll suggest a tutor.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.