Hillview Middle School sorts its 6th, 7th and 8th graders into academies, smaller communities of about 100 students who share the same teachers. Our tutors are current and former Stanford students, and Hillview tutoring with us is one-on-one, at your home in Menlo Park or online.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.
Academies, and the math class outside them
A 6th grade academy at Hillview means two humanities core teachers and a science teacher, and by 7th and 8th grade it covers English and social studies only. Math is scheduled by course instead, so a Hillview student’s math teacher may not belong to their academy at all. Hillview teaches math at four levels and uses compacted courses such as Math 6B/7A and Math 7B/8 to move students ahead. Our math tutors help a Hillview student hold the pace of a compacted year, or get ready to step into one.
Reading a Hillview report card of 1s through 4s
Hillview grades each standard from 1 to 4, where a 3 means at grade level and a 4 shows deeper understanding. Most Hillview homework is practice and goes ungraded, and anyone who scores below a 3 on an assessment can reassess after filling out a plan. A tutor can turn a Hillview Reassessment Plan into real preparation: find the standard that slipped, reteach it and practice until the retake feels routine. Homework and preparedness are tracked separately as Hawk Habits, and that’s where our academic coaching comes in.
Seven periods, Qu3ST and the step after 8th grade
Hillview’s seven-period day leaves two periods for electives, and many students give one of them to Qu3ST, a quiet supported study time. A Hillview student who would rather keep a language or the Exploratory Wheel can do that studying at home with a tutor, building a routine they can repeat without us. Most Hillview families are assigned to Menlo-Atherton, and Hillview’s counselors keep a separate checklist for those applying to private high schools. We help 8th graders steady their algebra and writing before M-A, and offer ISEE and SSAT prep to applicants.
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
Patient, organized teaching
“She was completely professional, organized, thorough and easy to work with.”
Melissa H., Redwood City · Yelp review
Tell us your Hillview student’s academy, math course and what the last report card showed, and we’ll suggest a tutor who fits.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.