Monta Vista is known for its strong academics, and many students take on a demanding load of honors and AP classes. Our tutors are current and former Stanford students who know that pace well.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.
We help Monta Vista students with AP and honors math, science, English and history, and with SAT and ACT prep and college essays. Sessions are one-on-one, at your home or online, so they fit around a busy schedule.
Planning a Monta Vista course load
Monta Vista asks students to plan their week before they choose their classes. Its Time Management Worksheet has students add up sleep, family time, travel and activities, then the expected weekly workload of each course they request, and it sorts courses by how much time they take. Pre-Calculus Honors, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics 1 and AP U.S. History sit in the heaviest group, with AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP Calculus AB and Algebra 2/Trig close behind. Monta Vista’s counselors also remind families that colleges don’t require AP or honors classes, and that past performance, extracurriculars and mental health all belong in the decision. Once the year starts, a tutor can help a student keep up in their heaviest classes so the schedule they chose stays manageable through finals in December.
Writing at Monta Vista, year by year
Monta Vista’s English courses pair literature with writing all four years. Ninth graders take Literature/Writing. Tenth graders take World Literature or World Studies, which combines English and social studies. Juniors take American Literature/Writing or its honors version, and seniors choose among Myth and Folklore, Contemporary Literature and AP English Literature. That means analytical writing is part of every year, and it grows more demanding as the reading does. One-on-one sessions with a Stanford tutor give a student a place to talk through a text, shape a thesis and revise a draft before it’s turned in. The same skills carry into history papers and, later, college essays. Learn more about our English and writing 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
Learn more about our Cupertino tutoring.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.