Tutor Doctor
A franchise network that matches students with one-on-one tutors who come to your home or meet online. A local office runs a free consultation, picks the tutor and sends a report after each session.
What is Tutor Doctor?
Tutor Doctor is a tutoring franchise that sends one-on-one tutors to your home or connects them with your child online. It started in Toronto in 2000 and now operates in the US, Canada and about ten other countries. Each office is locally owned. The office handles the consultation, chooses the tutor and checks in with your family over time.
The pitch is personalized matching. Instead of browsing tutor profiles, you talk with the local office, and it picks a tutor based on your child's needs, personality and interests.
How it works
Tutor Doctor describes four steps:
- Assess. A free consultation covers your child's goals, challenges and learning style.
- Match. The office selects a tutor with related experience and a good personality fit.
- Tutor. Sessions happen one-on-one at home or online. Online sessions are recorded so students can review before tests.
- Support. Parents get a session report after each visit, and the office follows up on progress.
If the match isn't working, the Tutor Fit Guarantee says the office will adjust the plan or assign a new tutor. Tutors are interviewed and background-checked.
A typical week might be one or two hour-long sessions at the kitchen table. Your job is mostly scheduling and reading the reports.
What it covers
| Area | Examples |
|---|---|
| Core subjects | Math, English, reading, writing, science, chemistry, biology, physics |
| Languages | Spanish, French, ESL and others |
| Executive function | X-Skills coaching for organization, planning and time management |
| Test prep | SAT, ACT, PSAT, AP, SSAT and ISEE |
| Other | Homeschool support, special needs tutoring, summer programs |
Who it's best for
Tutor Doctor suits families who want a tutor at home and would rather have someone else do the vetting. It is also a good match for students whose real problem is organization; X-Skills targets that directly.
Look elsewhere if you want to compare tutors and prices yourself, which marketplaces like Wyzant and Varsity Tutors allow, or if your child needs an intensive reading program such as Lindamood-Bell.
Pricing at a glance
Tutor Doctor does not publish prices. Rates are quoted by each office and usually sold as prepaid packages of hours. For a real-world example, Tutor Doctor Phoenix/East Valley's posted regular rates were $68 to $85 an hour for general tutoring and $79 to $90 an hour for special education or advanced work, with a $129 to $189 enrollment fee. Before you pay, ask how many hours the package includes, when they expire and what happens to unused hours.
Can a scholarship or ESA pay for it?
Possibly. Tutoring is allowed in several education savings account programs, including the Arizona ESA, but each program sets rules for which providers qualify. Some offices also work with local charities. Ask your office what it accepts, then check scholarships in your state.
You can save Tutor Doctor to your Edulist wishlist and apply once to the programs that fit. Each program decides what it covers.
How it compares
- Club Z Tutoring is the closest match: another in-home and online franchise with a similar model.
- Sylvan Learning and Huntington Learning teach in a center instead of your home.
- Learner is online-only but publishes its monthly plans.
Browse more in tutoring, high school tutoring and test prep.
Who Tutor Doctor is for (and who it isn’t)
Best for
- Families who want one-on-one tutoring at home
- Students who struggle with organization and planning (X-Skills)
- Busy parents who want someone else to find and vet the tutor
- High schoolers who want SAT, ACT or AP help with a single tutor
Look elsewhere if
- Families who want to compare tutor profiles and choose themselves
- Budget shoppers who want published, pay-as-you-go rates
- Students who need a structured, intensive reading program
Tutor Doctor pros and cons
Pros
- True one-on-one sessions, in person or online
- Free consultation and a tutor chosen for your child
- Tutor Fit Guarantee: the office will adjust the plan or switch tutors if the match isn't right
- Session reports keep parents in the loop
- Executive function coaching, not just subject help
Cons
- No published prices; you must call for a quote
- Hours are usually sold in prepaid blocks
- Experience varies by franchise owner and tutor
- Some public complaints about refunds on unused hours
What’s included
- One-on-one tutoring in your home or online
- Free consultation and needs assessment with a local office
- Tutor matched on personality, interests and experience
- Session reports to parents after each visit
- X-Skills academic coaching for organization, planning and time management
- SAT, ACT, PSAT, AP and SSAT/ISEE prep
How much does Tutor Doctor cost?
Tutor Doctor does not publish prices on its national site. Each franchise quotes based on the subject, grade and hours. One example: Tutor Doctor Phoenix/East Valley's vendor listing with the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation (posted September 2024) gave regular rates of $68–$85 an hour for general tutoring, $79–$90 an hour for special education or advanced tutoring, and a $129–$189 enrollment fee. Expect hours to be sold in prepaid packages; ask for the package size and the expiry date.
Free trial: No free tutoring session is advertised. The consultation and needs assessment are free.
Prices from the provider, checked 2026-10-13. Always confirm on the official site.
Future opening updates
Applications are not open on Edulist. Saving a product does not subscribe you or establish eligibility. Visit your wishlist to opt in for updates.
View wishlistWhat parents say
A summary of public parent feedback we read on forums, app stores and review sites. It is not a set of Edulist family reviews.
Families often praise individual tutors and the matching process, and some local offices earn strong local reviews. Complaints focus on billing: prepaid packages, refunds for unused hours that were hard to get, and sales pressure. Because each office is independently owned, experiences vary widely.
Common praise
- Good tutor matches and caring tutors
- Convenience of in-home sessions
- Responsive local owners at some offices
Common complaints
- Large prepaid packages
- Difficulty getting refunds for unused hours
- Inconsistent experience between offices
Sources: myengineeringbuddy.com · tutor doctor reviews alternatives pricing offerings
Tutor Doctor family reviews
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Tutor Doctor FAQs
How much does Tutor Doctor cost?
Prices are set by each local office and are not posted on the national site. One Arizona office's posted regular rates were $68 to $85 an hour for general tutoring and $79 to $90 for special education or advanced tutoring, plus a $129 to $189 enrollment fee. Call your local office for a quote.
Is Tutor Doctor in-home or online?
Both. Tutors come to your home or meet your child online, and every session is one-on-one. Some offices also run small pods or group sessions.
What is X-Skills?
X-Skills is Tutor Doctor's academic coaching program for executive function skills like organization, planning, prioritizing and time management. It can be paired with subject tutoring for students who know the material but struggle to stay on top of it.
Can I choose my tutor at Tutor Doctor?
Not from a marketplace. The local office matches a tutor after the consultation, based on your child's needs and personality. If the fit is wrong, the Tutor Fit Guarantee says the office will adjust the plan or provide a new tutor.
Does Tutor Doctor offer test prep?
Yes. Offices offer SAT, ACT, PSAT, AP and SSAT/ISEE prep, and the national site offers a free SAT/ACT practice test.
Is Tutor Doctor a franchise?
Yes. Tutor Doctor started in Toronto in 2000 and now runs as a franchise network in the US and about a dozen other countries. Each office is locally owned, which is why prices and policies differ.
Can an ESA pay for Tutor Doctor?
It may. Tutoring is allowed in some ESA programs, but each program sets provider rules. Ask your local office whether it is a registered vendor in your state's program.
Sources and last checked
Checked 2026-10-13 against these sources: