FAQ
Frequently asked questions about tutoring in the Chicago suburbs
Rates, scheduling, tutor matching, test prep, reading intervention, and where sessions happen. If your question is missing, call either learning center and ask a person.
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Tutoring questions, grouped by what you came to find out
Every answer below is written the way the team would say it on the phone. Pick a topic to jump straight to it.
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Getting started
What the first week looks like, from the phone call to the first session.
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Pricing and scheduling
Published hourly rates, and the flexibility to change a schedule mid-year.
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Our tutors
Who works with your student, and how the match gets made.
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Test prep
How prep starts from a real score report instead of a generic curriculum.
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Dyslexia and reading
Structured literacy for students who were told to just read more.
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Locations and online
Two centers, your kitchen table, or a screen. All three work.
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Getting started with tutoring
How do we get started with tutoring?
Call the learning center nearest you or complete the two-minute signup form, and the team will talk through your student's goals, recommend a plan, and match them with the right tutor, usually within a few days. Barrington answers at (847) 305-2952 and Wheaton answers at (847) 305-2952.
How soon can my student start working with a tutor?
Most families are matched with a tutor within a few days of signing up, and sessions begin as soon as a weekly time works for your family and the tutor. Starting early in a term gives your student room to recover a grade before final exams arrive.
Do you assess a student before tutoring begins?
Yes. Diagnostic assessments show where your student actually stands before any plan is written, whether that means a baseline reading assessment for dyslexia intervention or a first official practice test for ACT and SAT prep. You can read what each assessment measures on the assessments page.
Tutoring rates, contracts, and scheduling
How much does tutoring cost at College Tutors Chicago?
Sessions at a learning center and online are billed hourly: $65 per hour for middle school and younger, $75 per hour for high school subjects, and $85 per hour for ACT and SAT test prep. In-home sessions are $5 per hour more. There are no long-term contracts, and dyslexia intervention programs are quoted after a free consultation.
Do we have to sign a contract?
No. Tutoring is billed by the hour with no long-term contract, so you can add hours, cut back, or pause your schedule whenever your student's needs change. Families stay as long as tutoring is helping and stop when it has done its job.
Does it cost more for a tutor to come to our home?
Yes, by $5 per hour. Sessions at the Barrington or Wheaton learning center and online bill at the published rate for your student's grade level, and an in-home session adds $5 an hour for the tutor's travel. The full rate list lives on the pricing page.
Can we change or pause our schedule during the school year?
Yes. Families shift sessions around sports seasons, exams, and travel all year, and because there is no long-term contract you can change the cadence whenever you need to. Call your learning center with the new schedule and they update it going forward.
Tutor matching, subjects, and session format
Who will be tutoring my student?
Your student is matched with a tutor chosen for the subject and grade level they need, after the team hears what is actually going wrong in class. Call your learning center any time to talk about the fit, because the right match does more for a student than any schedule.
Will my student work with the same tutor every session?
Consistency is the aim, so students keep working with the same tutor rather than starting over with someone new each week. That continuity is a large part of why progress compounds, and it matters most in reading intervention where lessons build in a deliberate order.
What subjects do you tutor?
Tutoring covers math, science, English, reading, study skills, ACT and SAT prep, and any other subject your student needs help with. Tell the learning center which class is causing trouble and they will match a tutor to it.
Looking for the full rate list? Every hourly price sits on the pricing page. Wondering which center is closer? Compare both on the locations page.
Still wondering
Tutoring questions we are happy to answer by phone
Some questions deserve a real conversation about your student, their classes, and what has already been tried. Call the center nearest you and ask.
ACT and SAT test prep questions
Do you offer ACT and SAT test prep?
Yes. ACT and SAT prep starts with a free official practice test, then works from that score report through content review, pacing, and test-day strategy, with later practice tests tracking the change. The test prep page walks through the whole sequence.
Is the first ACT or SAT practice test really free?
Yes. Your student's first official ACT or SAT practice test costs nothing, and its score report is what the prep plan gets written from. Prep sessions after that are billed at the hourly test prep rate of $85, with an optional workbook if you want practice material at home.
Dyslexia and reading intervention questions
Do you offer tutoring for students with dyslexia?
Yes. Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia is a Tier III intervention from Scottish Rite for Children, delivered one-on-one. It encompasses all five components of Effective Reading Instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Where does the dyslexia program take place?
Take Flight runs on site at the Barrington Learning Center in Barrington, and that is the only setting for it. Families from across the west and northwest suburbs travel there for sessions, and every other tutoring service is available in your home, at either center, or online.
How often and how long is the dyslexia program?
Your student meets 4 times a week for one hour, and the full program takes about two years. That cadence is a requirement of the program rather than a scheduling preference.
Do we need a dyslexia diagnosis before starting reading intervention?
No. A formal diagnosis is useful and we work happily alongside one, though it is never required to begin. Every student takes a baseline reading assessment that shows where decoding, fluency, and comprehension stand today, and every student then begins at lesson 1.
How much does the dyslexia program cost?
Reading intervention is structured differently from hourly subject tutoring, so programs are quoted after a free consultation. Call (847) 305-2952 and you will hear the assessment results, the plan, and the cost before committing to anything.
Learning center locations and online tutoring
Where are your learning centers located?
We have two learning centers: one in Barrington at 109 W Main St, Door B, serving the northwest suburbs and reachable at (847) 305-2952, and one in Wheaton, serving the western suburbs and reachable at (847) 305-2952.
What areas does College Tutors Chicago serve?
We serve Chicago's west and northwest suburbs from the Barrington and Wheaton learning centers, including Barrington, Arlington Heights, Palatine, Schaumburg, Lake Zurich, Hoffman Estates, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Downers Grove, Carol Stream, Lombard, and the communities around them. Tutors meet students in-home, at either center, or online.
Do you offer online tutoring?
Yes. Homework help, subject tutoring, ACT and SAT prep, and study skills coaching all run online with the same tutors who work in our Barrington and Wheaton centers, at the same hourly rate as a center session. Dyslexia intervention is the exception, because Take Flight runs on site in Barrington only.
Ready to begin? The signup form takes about two minutes, and reading intervention families can start with a free consultation instead.
Tutoring programs these answers cover
Questions answered. Ready when you are.
Two minutes to sign up, a matched tutor usually within days, and no contracts to sign.