Pinewood teaches writing and literature as separate classes starting in seventh grade, and every ninth grader takes physics. Our tutors are current and former Stanford students who write and reason carefully themselves and know how to teach a student to do the same.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.
We tutor Pinewood students in everything from Algebra 1A and Physics to AP Calculus AB and AP Chemistry, and help with research papers and essays. Sessions are one-on-one, at your home or online.
Writing as its own subject
Seventh graders in Writing 7 work on a personal narrative, a persuasive essay and a short story. In Writing 9, students begin a research project on a topic they choose that runs into tenth grade and ends in both a paper and a presentation, and most juniors take a semester of AP English Language. A tutor helps a student pick a topic that will hold up for two years, keep research organized, and write a paper that argues something instead of just reporting. Learn more about our English and writing tutoring.
How math placement works
Pinewood publishes exactly how students move up in math: each step toward an honors course depends on the year’s grades and a teacher’s recommendation, and the school runs its own summer bridge courses for students moving up. Placements are set in March and revisited if third-quarter and second-semester grades don’t support them, and eighth graders in Algebra 1B take an algebra skills test before high school. A tutor helps a student do strong, steady work all year and makes the algebra that later courses rely on automatic. Learn more about our math 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
Physics, chemistry, biology
After Physics in ninth grade, Pinewood students take Chemistry or Chemistry Honors in tenth and Biology or Biology Honors in eleventh. Seniors can take AP Chemistry, AP Physics C: Mechanics or AT Biology, a college-level course that ends in an original research project or research review. A Stanford tutor helps a student set up physics and chemistry problems step by step and get ready for finals. Learn more about our science tutoring.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.