Gunn is known for challenging classes, especially in math and science. Our tutors are current and former Stanford students who took many of the same courses not long ago, so they know how to break hard material into clear, manageable steps.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.
We tutor Gunn students in everything from Geometry and Physics to AP Calculus BC, and help with SAT and ACT prep and college essays.
What a Gunn parent says
“We have been very happy with Cardinal Tutors and especially with Michael, who tutored our daughter in Calculus BC this year. Michael was extremely professional, polite, and did a fabulous job! He is very attentive and communicative — he would be a great teacher. With his help, our daughter brought her grade up from a C last semester to an A this semester.”
Shane, parent of student from Gunn
Math at Gunn, lane by lane
Gunn offers math in three sequences. The college prep lane runs from Algebra 1 through Geometry, Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus and Calculus. The advanced lane moves through Algebra 2/Trig A and Introduction to Analysis and Calculus (IAC) to AP Calculus AB. The honors lane, Geometry H, Algebra 2/Trig H and Analysis H, ends in AP Calculus BC.
Gunn notes that the more advanced lanes ask for more independence, stronger study skills and resilience after setbacks, and it asks students to finish at least one full assessment cycle before thinking about a change. Requests to drop down a lane from Geometry through Analysis are considered only at the first progress report in September, and moving up can mean summer work, such as a trigonometry course before IAC. A math tutor can help a student settle into a new lane in those first weeks, or get ready for the step up.
Chemistry and physics that build on earlier courses
Gunn’s upper-level science courses expect students to arrive ready. AP Chemistry is taught through lab work and analysis, and the course description says plainly that first-year chemistry will not be retaught, so students need a strong command of it along with Algebra 2. AP Physics 2 expects very strong Algebra 2 and trigonometry and is taken alongside or after IAC, Analysis Honors or Calculus. AP Physics C is calculus-based and moves at an accelerated pace, covering mechanics in the fall and electricity and magnetism in the spring. When a physics problem won’t come together, the math underneath it is sometimes the real obstacle. Our tutors can work on both at once, and help with the lab reports and problem sets that come with these courses. Learn more about our science tutoring.
What parents say
“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. Not only did her grade in math improve, her study habits improved and she’s doing better in all of her classes.”
Eduardo S., San Francisco
“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. … This is a first class operation.”
Christy S., Portola Valley
“My son was a senior this year and I reached out to Cardinal Tutors and was lucky enough to find the most amazing tutor. I wish I had found him earlier.”
Sharon C., Los Altos
Sessions are one-on-one, in person in Palo Alto or online. Learn more about our Palo Alto tutoring.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.