Academic Coaching for High School Students

Academic coaching for high school students is regular one-on-one help with the skills behind good grades: planning the week, starting assignments on time, studying for tests and keeping track of what is due. Blackburn matches each student with one dedicated mentor who meets with them weekly or more, by video anywhere in the United States or in person in Los Angeles, and checks in between sessions so the plan actually happens.

Who academic coaching is for, and who it is not for

Parents usually reach out when grades no longer match what their teen is capable of. The situations tend to sound like one of these:

• Missing assignments pile up, even though the work itself is not too hard.
• Your teen studies the night before, or not at all, and test grades swing up and down.
• Homework turns into a nightly argument; see how to end homework battles.
• A strong student in middle school is now struggling with a heavier high school load.
• Grades have dropped far enough that you are worried about credits or college plans; see when a teenager is failing classes.
• A student with ADHD or a learning difference who needs structure beyond what school offers.

Academic coaching is not tutoring. If your teen does not understand the math, a tutor who teaches math is the right call, and the two work well together. Coaching is also not a replacement for a school evaluation, an IEP or 504 plan or treatment for anxiety or depression. If a mental health concern is driving the grades, a licensed professional should come first. In a crisis, call or text 988.

What academic coaching looks like week to week

1. One dedicated mentor. Your teen works with the same person every week, matched to their personality and needs.
2. A weekly planning session. Sessions are usually 60 minutes. Together they check the school portal, list every assignment and test, and build a plan for the week.
3. Skills, practiced on real work. Breaking a project into steps, making a study plan for a test, organizing a backpack and a digital folder, and estimating how long things take.
4. Check-ins between sessions. Short texts or calls on the days that usually slip, such as Sunday night or the evening before a big test.
5. Grades reviewed together. The mentor and your teen look at what is working and adjust the plan each week.
6. Sessions that fit. Meetings are weekly or several times a week. Cost is reviewed on the free intro call.

Many students also work on the habits around school: sleep, phone use during homework and a steady after-school routine. Our guide to time management for teens explains the planning method mentors use.

How academic coaching differs from other options

• Tutoring: teaches subject content. Coaching builds the planning and follow-through that make tutoring stick. See mentor vs tutor.
• Executive function coaching: very close to academic coaching, with more focus on the underlying skills such as working memory and task starting. Read about our executive function coaching.
• The school counselor: a counselor may have hundreds of students. A mentor has one weekly hour with your teen alone. See working with your teen’s school counselor.
• Parents managing it themselves: it can work, but it often costs the relationship. A mentor takes over the reminders so home can be about something else.

Our comparison of an academic coach, mentor and executive function coach goes deeper if you are deciding between them. New to the idea? Start with what coaching is and how it works.

How parents are involved

For high school students, parents are part of the plan from the start. You share your concerns on the intro call, and you receive regular progress updates on attendance, the weekly plan and how grades are moving. Your teen still owns their goals: coaching works best when the student feels it is theirs, not another form of supervision.

If your teen already works with a therapist, tutor or learning specialist, the mentor can coordinate with them, with your permission, so everyone is pulling in the same direction.

What progress usually looks like

The first change is often small: fewer missing assignments, or a test your teen actually studied for. Over a few months the goal is a student who can plan their own week with less help. We look at progress together on a regular basis, and if coaching is not the right fit, we will say so plainly.

Questions to ask any academic coaching provider

1. Who exactly will work with my teen, and will it be the same person every week?
2. Is this tutoring, coaching or both?
3. What happens between sessions, especially before tests and big deadlines?
4. How will I know how things are going, and how often?
5. How do you work with my teen’s teachers, tutor, therapist or learning specialist?
6. What does it cost?

Ask us the same questions. Our page on questions to ask before hiring a coach and the FAQ cover much of it, and the intro call covers the rest.

What happens after you reach out

1. A short assessment. The assessment takes about five minutes. It tells us about your teen, the main goals and what the weekly schedule looks like.
2. A free 20-minute intro call. A member of our team hosts the call by video in your browser, weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific. You can also book it directly on the intro call page. We talk through fit, scheduling and cost; we do not publish prices, so cost is reviewed on this call.
3. A mentor match within 2 business days. After the call, we match your teen with one dedicated mentor and set the first session. Mentors offer early morning, evening and weekend times.

For families in Los Angeles County, academic coaching in Los Angeles covers in-person sessions, private school students and how grades in 10th and 11th grade fit California plans.

Related

• Mentoring for high school students
• Mentoring and accountability for students with ADHD
• How to motivate a teenager who has checked out of school
• How mentoring works
• Study skills coaching

Common questions

Is academic coaching the same as tutoring?

No. A tutor teaches a subject. An academic coach helps your teen plan, start and finish the work across all classes. Many students use both.

Does academic coaching work for teens with ADHD?

Yes, it is one of the most common reasons families reach out. The weekly plan and check-ins between sessions give outside structure, and the mentor can coordinate with your teen’s doctor or therapist with your permission.

How often does my teen meet with the coach?

Sessions are usually 60 minutes, weekly or several times a week, with text and phone check-ins in between.

Can sessions happen online?

Yes. Coaching is by video anywhere in the United States, scheduled in your local time zone, and in person in Los Angeles.

Will I know how my teen is doing?

Yes. Parents of high school students receive regular progress updates on attendance, the weekly plan and grades.

Get started

Want to talk through whether academic coaching fits your teen? 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 intro call.