Every grade has a job. When a student struggles, it’s almost never because this year is too hard — it’s because something from a previous year didn’t finish its job. That’s why we built a guide for every grade: what students should know walking in, what the year covers in California classrooms, and the early signs of falling behind.
Find your student’s grade below. And if something on their page sounds familiar, a free assessment will tell you exactly where they stand — no obligation, no guesswork.
Tutoring by grade level
- Kindergarten — readiness: letters, sounds, counting, and the skills that make the first year of school smooth
- 1st grade — learning to read — phonics, sight words, and math within 20
- 2nd grade — reading fluency and arithmetic within 1000, the foundations 3rd grade assumes
- 3rd grade — times tables, first fractions, and the shift to reading-to-learn — the make-or-break year
- 4th grade — long division, equivalent fractions, and essays with evidence
- 5th grade — fraction operations and decimals — the last stop before middle school
- 6th grade — ratios, negative numbers, and the six-teacher organization cliff
- 7th grade — integers, proportions, and two-step equations — the dress rehearsal for algebra
- 8th grade — slope, linear functions, and the year that decides high school math placement
- 9th grade — Integrated Math I and the first GPA colleges will ever see
- 10th grade — Integrated Math II, quadratics, chemistry, and a practice PSAT
- 11th grade — Math III, the PSAT/NMSQT, and SAT season — the hardest year, mapped
- 12th grade — AP Calculus, college applications, and finishing strong
How the grade guides work
Each guide has three parts: the going-in checklist (what the previous grade should have delivered), the year’s actual curriculum in math and English, and the grade-specific warning signs — because a struggling 3rd grader and a struggling 9th grader look nothing alike.
Prefer to browse by subject instead? See math, English, SAT & ACT prep, or the full course list.
Not sure which grade level fits?
Grade levels are a map, not a diagnosis — plenty of 7th graders need 5th grade fractions first. Call or text 619-938-5383, or begin with a free academic assessment — no obligation, and you leave knowing exactly where your student stands.