Paly students take on a lot: demanding classes, sports, clubs and, for many, the long road to college applications. Our tutors are current and former Stanford students who remember that balance well, and we’ve been working with Paly families for years.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.
We help with whatever your student needs, from Algebra 2 and Chemistry to AP Calculus and English essays. We also help Paly juniors and seniors with SAT and ACT prep and college essays.
English at Paly, from 9A to AP Lit
Paly English follows a clear path. Freshmen take English 9A, and sophomores take English 10A, where the writing centers on literary analysis and argument. In 11th grade students choose yearlong AP English Language or two semester electives, and seniors pick from AP Language, AP Literature, the dual-enrollment ERWC course with Foothill College, or electives. AP Language focuses on rhetorical analysis, argument and synthesis. AP Literature is all fiction and poetry, with reading due at each class meeting and a formal graded essay each quarter. A Stanford tutor can help a student build a thesis, find the right evidence in a text and revise a draft before it’s due, so the choices in junior and senior year come from interest and confidence. Learn more about our English and writing tutoring.
Choosing a lane and an AP load at Paly
Paly offers math in three lanes, college prep, advanced and honors, and the honors lane ends in AP Calculus BC. Students choose their courses each year with their current teacher’s recommendation in mind. Any move up or down a lane has to happen within the first six weeks of the school year, and the grade comes along to the new course. In second semester, students can only move down, and only in the first two weeks. Paly also suggests no more than two AP classes per semester, and most of its AP courses are reserved for juniors and seniors. Since those first weeks matter so much, it helps to start tutoring before the first big unit test. We can also help a student think through how much a new honors or AP course will add to the week.
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 around 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.