About Us
About College Tutors Chicago, tutoring the west and northwest suburbs
A locally owned tutoring company serving Chicagoland since 2016, with learning centers in Barrington and Wheaton. Every student works one-on-one with a tutor matched to their subject, their schedule, and the way they learn.
Local company, national family
A Chicago-area tutoring company, locally owned since 2016
Families here work with a local team. The people who take your call know which high schools run block schedules, when the district calendar puts finals, and which teachers assign the hardest chemistry unit in the spring.
That local team is part of the national College Tutors family, which is where the tutoring model, the assessment approach, and the structure behind each program come from. You get neighborhood familiarity with the backing of an organization that does this across the country.
Two learning centers anchor the work: Barrington for the northwest suburbs, and Wheaton for the western suburbs. In-home and online sessions reach the rest of Chicagoland at the same hourly rates.
Northwest suburbs
Barrington Learning Center
109 W Main St, Door B
Barrington, IL 60010
Serving Barrington, Arlington Heights, Palatine, Schaumburg, and nearby communities.
Call Barrington: (847) 305-2952Western suburbs
Wheaton Learning Center
Serving Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Downers Grove, Carol Stream, and nearby communities.
Call Wheaton: (847) 305-2952Ready to begin
Register in about two minutes
Sign up online and tell us the subject and the grade level. We take it from there and come back to you with a tutor match.
Get Started TodayThe model
What one-on-one tutoring means in practice
Every session is one tutor and one student. Here is what that changes about the hour your family is paying for.
- One student per session
- Your student is the only student in the room. Nobody waits their turn, and nothing gets paced to a class average.
- The plan starts where your student is
- Sessions begin from what they actually missed. A gap from two years ago gets fixed before this week’s chapter gets pushed.
- The same tutor, week to week
- Consistency is part of the work. A tutor who already knows your student picks up mid-thought instead of starting over.
- Progress you can see
- You hear what happened in the session, what improved, and what still needs work, so you are never guessing whether it is helping.
- Scheduling that flexes
- No contracts. Move a session, add one before finals, or pause when the season gets busy.
Tutor matching
How a tutor gets matched to your student
Tutors are matched, so the fit is the whole point. A student who has stopped raising their hand needs something different from one who is chasing a higher ACT score.
- 1
Tell us what is going wrong
Start with the real picture: the class, the grade level, the last few test scores, and what your student says about it. That conversation is free, and it shapes everything after it.
- 2
We look for the right tutor
Subject strength comes first, then schedule, then style. A quiet student who shuts down under pressure needs a different tutor than one who wants to be pushed hard.
- 3
Sessions start, in the setting you pick
In your home, at the Barrington or Wheaton center, or online. Same tutor, same rate, whichever setting keeps your family consistent.
- 4
You tell us how it is going
If the fit is right, you keep the same tutor for as long as you need them. If something feels off, say so and we will look again.
Three ways to meet
Tutoring in your home, at a center, or online
The rate is the same in all three settings, so pick whichever your family can hold to through the school year.
-
In your home
A tutor comes to your kitchen table, which spares you the drive and keeps younger students in a place they already feel settled.
-
At either learning center
Barrington or Wheaton, away from the phone, the siblings, and every other distraction at home.
-
Online
Live one-on-one sessions with a shared screen, which keeps things running through winter weather and busy sports seasons.
Subjects
Elementary through high school, and test prep
Tell us the class and we will tell you honestly whether we have the right tutor for it.
- Math
- Algebra
- Geometry
- Science
- English
- Reading
- Writing
- Study skills
- ACT & SAT prep
- and any other subject your student needs
Programs families ask for most
Our team
The people behind College Tutors Chicago
Tutoring is personal, so it helps to know who you are calling. This is the team running both centers.
Linda Gump
Owner
Linda has owned College Tutors of Barrington since 2016 and later purchased College Tutors of Wheaton in 2020. She has a BA in Biology from Washington University and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Chicago. Her goal for College Tutors is to provide an environment that fosters lifelong learning. She is a local and has raised a family of three girls with her husband, Joe. She strives to make a difference in her community by supporting local schools and families.
Lauren Emery
Director of Tutoring Operations
Lauren has a degree in Secondary Education and Mathematics from the University of Dayton. She taught 8th grade math while living in Dayton, Ohio, and has experience in Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry. She is passionate about Social Emotional Learning (SEL) for all ages in the classroom. She values getting to know every student and family.
Angelica Carrillo
Marketing Coordinator
Angelica has been with College Tutors since May of 2023. She graduated from North Central College with a degree in Organizational Communications and a minor in Marketing. She is passionate about making a difference in the community by being involved with the chamber and giving back to local schools.
Rated 5.0 on Google
What Chicago-area families say
"I highly recommend College Tutors of Barrington. My daughter spent much of the school year stressing over Math and not learning in class. Thanks to College Tutors she began to understand her lessons and pass her tests..."
Connie Z.
Google review
"I have been with College Tutors of barrington for 4 years. I have been seeing Lauren Emery as a Tutor and she has helped me with math and literature. She always makes me feel comfortable and explains my work to me until I understand it..."
Angelica A.
Google review
"Linda, Lauren, and the team are wonderful people I highly recommend working with them! Super friendly and easy to talk to :)"
Micah D.
Google review
About us
Questions families ask about our company
Who is College Tutors Chicago?
College Tutors Chicago is a locally owned tutoring company that has served Chicago's west and northwest suburbs since 2016, with learning centers in Barrington and Wheaton. It is part of the national College Tutors family, so families get a local team backed by a national tutoring organization.
Where are the learning centers?
The Barrington Learning Center is at 109 W Main St, Door B, Barrington, IL 60010, and serves the northwest suburbs. The Wheaton Learning Center serves the western suburbs and can be reached at (847) 305-2952. Tutoring also happens in your home or online, at the same rates.
What makes one-on-one tutoring different from a group class?
In a one-on-one session your student is the only student, so the tutor works from what that student actually missed rather than from a class average. Every minute goes to their gaps, their pace, and their questions, and the plan changes the moment something clicks or stalls.
How do you match a tutor to my student?
Tutors are matched to students rather than assigned by whoever has an open slot. You tell us the subject, the grade level, the schedule, and what has been going wrong, and we look for the tutor whose subject strength and teaching style fit that student. If the fit turns out to be wrong, tell us and we will look again.
Which subjects and grade levels do you tutor?
Tutoring covers elementary through high school: math, science, English, reading, writing, study skills, ACT and SAT prep, and any other subject your student needs. Call (847) 305-2952 and describe the class, and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right fit.
Explore our tutoring programs
Let's find your student's tutor.
Register online in about two minutes, or call a center and talk it through first.