Canyon Crest Academy moves fast: a course that takes a year at most schools is finished here in half a year. Our tutors are UC San Diego students with strong backgrounds in math, science and engineering, and they help CCA students keep up with that pace.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a UC San Diego tutor who fits.
We tutor CCA students in math, the sciences, computer science, English and history, and help juniors and seniors with the SAT, ACT and college essays. Sessions are one-on-one, at your home in Carmel Valley or Pacific Highlands Ranch, or online.
Meet our tutors.
A year of class in one term
CCA splits the year into two terms. Students take up to four 90-minute classes in the first term and four different ones in the second, so each course covers a full year of material in a single term. A student who has a hard two weeks has missed a large part of the course. A tutor goes over what the class covered since the last session, works through the homework that didn’t make sense and looks ahead to the next unit. This matters most in math and science, where each topic builds on the one before.
The schedule has one more effect. A course that ends in January still has its AP exam in May. Our tutors plan review for the months in between, so the material is fresh on exam day.
Envision, engineering and robotics
Students in grades 10 through 12 can join Envision, CCA’s arts conservatory, which covers cinema, dance, visual arts, humanities, music and theater. CCA also has engineering and software pathways, a robotics team and Science Olympiad. These take many hours a week, and the classes don’t slow down for them. A tutor can help your student plan the week around rehearsals or build season. For a student in AP Physics or the engineering pathway, we look for a UC San Diego engineering major. Learn more about our science tutoring.
Our tutors, in parents’ own words
All reviewsFind a math tutor“Our tutor is truly amazing! He is so patient, explains things well, asks great questions, and checks for understanding. Owen really enjoyed working with him and they accomplished so much. This is really a game changer for us! I had high hopes and he exceeded them.”
Find a Tutor“You connected Leo with a great tutor and made the process seamless.”
Find a coding tutor“I have been absolutely impressed by her lessons over the past few months. Lily also loves working with her. She has been making great progress with her programming and writing.”
“I find your tutor quality to be excellent and a perfect fit!”
Find a math tutor“The subsequent long term tutor that we had for pre calc and for ACT tutoring was amazing. She was completely professional, organized, thorough and easy to work with.”
Find a math tutor“You have been a wonderful inspiration for Eli and we are very grateful for having you in the past half-year!”
Find a math tutor“We used Cardinal Tutors and were happy with the level of professionalism and responsiveness we received. The math tutor selected for our son was a good match for him.”
Find a reading tutor“The girls have loved their time with her, and it showed: Clara's CAASPP score was excellent and Ruby has done tremendous improvement in her reading from below grade level to at grade level!”
“Thanks for your tremendous partnership over many years!”
Find a math tutor“My son had a wonderful experience with Cardinal Tutors when he needed help with his High School math and science classes. It turns out my son also needed help staying organized with all his assignments, something that the tutor helped with as well.”
Find a math tutor“Your program really helped us. Henry pulled up his English last year to an A, and his next tutor helped him pull up his math and bio.”
“Everyone is looking for tutors and I said you're the best.”
Find a math tutor“She found a perfect match for my son… He is stellar. My son has grown leaps and bounds in math. Our tutor is not only a subject matter expert but teaches very well, highly prompt, flexible when needed.”
Find a math tutor“Perfect fit to jumpstart my son's new habits and attitudes towards math.”
Find a coding tutor“The program has been awesome for us. Theo loves working with our tutor and has learned so much.”
“Our tutor is just outstanding — great with Theo and very communicative with me. Super helpful!”
Find a math tutor“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.”
Find a reading tutor“We had an incredible experience with our daughter's previous tutor from Cardinal for a couple of years!… She is doing really well with her reading and comprehension and I think our tutor put her at two grade levels ahead.”
Find a Tutor“I reached out to Cardinal Tutors and was lucky enough to find the most amazing tutor. I wish I had found him earlier.”
Find a math tutor“We used Cardinal Tutoring again in the Spring 2018 for precalculus. Once again, she had a great tutor she really liked and who really helped her this year. My daughter is a senior so we won't need Cardinal Tutoring again, but I highly recommend them!”
Find a math tutor“I wanted to thank you for finding our tutor who tremendously helped Sam with his math.”
Find a Tutor“We have had an excellent experience with Cardinal Tutors for the past two years. Neil was very responsive whenever we had any questions. We definitely strongly recommend them and plan on using them again in the near future.”
Find a math tutor“Nora enjoys her sessions with her tutor and it's already helping her confidence with math.”
Find a Tutor“CT is awesome-- they found a great tutor for us. Only wish they could find more!”
Find a Tutor“She is doing great at school, on top of her stuff… We loved working with you and will recommend to friends.”
Find a math tutor“My son looked forward to his time with his tutor and felt good about his efforts and progress.”
Find a Tutor“You and your team are doing an amazing job. Thanks for all the help!”
Find a math tutor“It was great to find a couple of really smart young women who helped not only with the subject matter, but became great role models.”
Find a Tutor“Iris loved working with her tutor!! … Also, I have another student for you — a friend of Iris's that needs help.”
Find a Tutor“Your matchmaking service is very clever and provides great options.”
Find a Tutor“She's a great tutor who has helped June progress.”
Find a Tutor“Thank you for selecting an excellent tutor for her.”
Find a Tutor“We love our tutor! A great start, she is excellent and has jumped right in.”
Find a Tutor“Our tutor is great! We are very happy with the service.”
Find a Tutor“It's been a great experience for our daughter with her tutor.”
Find an online tutor“Their response time is outstanding. Neil responded quickly to my tutoring request for my 15-year-old. Love knowing that I have access to these high-quality services for my children. And, we use them via Zoom since we live in Tennessee. I cannot say enough great things about this business:)”
Find a Tutor“Very professional service with excellent teachers. My son loved his teacher, called him the best he ever had! I can very highly recommend it.”
Find a Tutor“We had our first tutoring session yesterday and it was fantastic!”
Find a Tutor“I am usually not one to write a review, but I wanted to communicate how great Cardinal Tutors was for my child. They had a very flexible plan which helped accommodate my child's needs and I saw a tremendous return (grade-wise) from their services. Could not recommend more highly.”
Getting into CCA
CCA has no attendance area. Families who live in the San Dieguito district request a place in the winter of 8th grade, and when more students apply than there are seats, the district holds a random lottery. Students attending district schools on a transfer from another district can’t take part. Eighth graders at Pacific Trails, Carmel Valley Middle, Earl Warren and the Encinitas middle schools can all apply. There is no admissions test, so the way to prepare is to arrive ready for the pace. We help 8th graders finish middle school math with no gaps.
Tell us which courses your CCA student has this term, and we’ll find the right tutor.
Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a UC San Diego tutor who fits.






