Academic coaching in Los Angeles is weekly one-on-one help with study skills, planning and follow-through for high school and college students. At Blackburn Mentoring a dedicated mentor meets your student in person in Los Angeles or by video, builds the week’s plan with them, teaches study methods on their real coursework and checks in between sessions. It is not tutoring: the coach works on how your student studies across every class, and works well alongside a tutor. Start with a free 20 minute intro call.
What a study skills coach teaches
- Studying that sticks: spreading review over several days, practice questions instead of rereading, and a plan for each test that starts before the night before.
- Reading and notes: a simple method for long readings and lecture notes that the student can actually use later.
- Long assignments: breaking a paper or project into dated steps, then keeping to them.
- Keeping up with the portal: a weekly sweep of every class so missing work is caught in days, not at progress report time.
- Asking for help: drafting the email to a teacher, planning office hours and knowing when a tutor is the right call.
These are the same skills our national academic coaching for high school students and academic coaching for college students pages describe. This page covers what is specific to families in Los Angeles County.
Why grades in 10th and 11th grade carry weight in California
For students who hope to apply to the University of California, the University of California A to G subject requirement asks for 15 yearlong high school courses with a grade of C or better, with at least 11 of them finished before the last year of high school. In practice, that puts a lot of weight on sophomore and junior year. A rough semester in those years is easier to steady with help in October than to explain in an application later. Requirements can change, so always check the official UC page and your school counselor.
A coach does not choose courses or advise on admissions. What a coach does is make sure the student keeps up with the courses they are in: steady weekly work, a real plan for finals and an early warning when a grade starts to slip. Our four year high school plan guide covers the planning side for parents.
Support for students at independent and private schools
For students at independent, parochial and other private schools in Los Angeles, the jump in workload in ninth grade or junior year can be steep. Even with good support at school, a student may still need someone to help them use it week to week: plan the week, start early and follow through. A mentor works alongside the school’s advisors and learning specialists when the family wants that, without replacing them. See our guide for independent school families and, for families applying, private high school admissions.
Coaching and tutoring in Los Angeles
Los Angeles has no shortage of subject tutors, and if your student does not understand the chemistry, a chemistry tutor is the right first call. Coaching solves a different problem: the student who understands the material but turns things in late, studies the night before or loses track of three classes at once. The two often work best together: the tutor teaches the content and the coach handles the planning around it. Read mentor vs tutor for a fuller comparison.
In person or by video
Mentors meet students in person in Los Angeles at a convenient, appropriate place worked out on the intro call, and use video when traffic, games or exams make meeting impractical. Video works well for academic coaching because the student and mentor can share a screen and go through the school portal together. Sessions are usually 60 minutes, weekly or several times a week, and mentors offer early morning, evening and weekend times.
Not sure whether the schedule leaves room for real study time? Our free after-school time planner shows how much homework time is left after drives, practice and dinner.
How parents are involved
For high school students, parents can join the intro call, help agree the goals and get regular progress updates on attendance, the weekly plan and how grades are moving. With your permission, the mentor can coordinate with teachers, the school counselor, a tutor or a learning specialist. Your student still owns the goals: coaching works best when it does not feel like another form of supervision. If homework has become a nightly fight at home, how to end homework battles is a good read before the call.
Questions to ask an academic coach in Los Angeles
- Is this tutoring, coaching or both?
- Will my student have the same person every week?
- What happens between sessions, especially before tests and big deadlines?
- Can sessions be in person in our part of LA, and what happens on weeks they cannot?
- How will I know how things are going, and how often?
- How is cost set? We review cost on the free intro call rather than publishing prices.
Looking for free help too? See our list of free education resources for Los Angeles students and families.
For independent and parochial school families, see mentoring for private school students in Los Angeles.
Related
- Executive function coaching in Los Angeles
- Academic coaching for high school students
- Time management coaching for students
- When a teenager is failing classes
- Teen mentor in Los Angeles
- Mentoring and coaching in Los Angeles
Common questions
What is an academic coach?
An academic coach helps a student plan, study and follow through across every class. The coach builds the weekly plan with the student, teaches study methods on real coursework and checks in between sessions.
Is an academic coach the same as a tutor?
No. A tutor teaches a subject. An academic coach works on study skills, planning and follow-through. Many Los Angeles students use both, and they work well together.
Do you work with students at private schools?
Yes. Many students at independent, parochial and other private schools work with a mentor on planning and follow-through, alongside the support their school already offers.
Can sessions happen in person in Los Angeles?
Yes. Mentors meet students in person in Los Angeles at a convenient, appropriate place agreed on the intro call, and use video on weeks when meeting in person is impractical.
Do you help with college admissions?
No. Mentoring is not admissions consulting or test prep. A mentor helps your student keep up with the courses they are in, which supports whatever plan your family makes with the school counselor.
Will grades improve?
We do not promise grades. The first changes are usually fewer missing assignments and tests your student actually prepared for, and progress is reviewed together regularly.
Get started
Want to talk through whether academic coaching fits your student? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free 20 minute intro call.
Free, by video, 20 minutes, with a member of our team. Weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific.