How Much Does Sylvan Learning Center Cost?
How Much Does Sylvan Learning Center Cost?
$290+ cost per month
Sylvan Learning Center costs $45 to $110 per hour for private tutoring and STEM programs. Sylvan costs $299 per month for academic coaching or advancement classes. Sylvan learning prices for test prep start at $1,299.
Sylvan Learning Center Cost
Sylvan Learning Center costs $45 to $110 per hour for private tutoring and STEM programs. Sylvan costs $299 per month for academic coaching or advancement classes. Sylvan learning prices for test prep start at $1,299.
| Service | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Personalized tutoring | $45 – $110 per hour |
| Academic coaching | $299 per month and up |
| Advancement classes and camps | $299 per month and up |
| College test prep | $1,299 and up |
*Based on prices from Sylvan Learning Center in Minneapolis, MN. Prices may vary by location.
Sylvan operates in every US state and in Canada, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, China, Guam, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam. It offers small group learning, in-home tutoring, computerized training, and online learning.
Payment Plans
Payment is based on a retainer concept, where you pay a fee in advance of classes given. If you pay for a few months up front in one payment, you receive a discount. Be sure to ask in advance about refunds if your child becomes ill or you face difficult circumstances, and make sure the response is included in the contract before you sign it.
Sylvan Learning Center in Homewood, IL, says, "Our tutoring sessions cost between $39 and $49 per hour. We have a number of different payment options to help parents fit tutoring into their budgets. The hourly rate covers all materials and supplies, time with a certified teacher, progress monitoring, our Sylvan motivational system, communication with the student's classroom teacher, a parent portal for reviewing daily lessons and any further testing."
Most centers offer incentives of $100 or more off the first set of classes.
Why Sign Your Child Up for Sylvan?
Sylvan's teaching system uses a proven approach to mastering new skills, focusing on tracking one skill at a time to ensure retention and mastery through interaction and engagement. Lessons are delivered via tablets and interactive technology, capturing students' attention and maximizing results.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Teaching method | Tablet-based, interactive lessons with certified teachers |
| Class size | Small groups of 3–4 students or one-on-one tutoring |
| Personalized plan | Customized learning plan based on initial skills assessment |
| Homework support | In-center and online homework help available |
One-on-one Tutoring
One of the biggest issues a parent faces when trying to figure out how to improve a child's learning is how to free up time after a full day of work and every other task that must be taken care of before bed. There is simply no time available to sit with children and go over their homework or explain fractions or help with reading comprehension.
Sylvan tutors make all the difference. By going to the center or having a tutor teach your children online, your children can get the help they need. While it is not usually one-on-one unless you are signed up to the personal tutoring program, classes are usually no larger than 3 to 4 children, providing much more attention than in a class of 20 to 25 peers.
Personalized Learning Plan
Each child takes an initial skills test to assess strengths and weaknesses, and a customized learning plan is put together from Sylvan's library of lesson plans and worksheets to bring those weaknesses up to grade level or higher.
Where most children start to feel overwhelmed is when they haven't grasped earlier concepts that lay the groundwork for harder problems. Sylvan identifies which concepts must be learned first before moving on to more difficult ideas.
"Your child will learn from leading curriculum that aligns with state, college and career readiness standards. Our education experts continually update our learning materials to meet today's changing education needs, and our curriculum is tailored to your child's unique needs." — Sylvan Learning of Edina
Homework Help
When at the learning center, children work on worksheets or go through their homework and ask the tutor for help understanding the concepts.
Benefits of the Sylvan Learning Center
Berry Fowler founded Sylvan Learning in 1979 in Portland, Oregon, as an educational center for children of all ages and grade levels. A year later, he began franchising the business, and by 1986, he had set up corporate learning centers in major cities across the US. Today, Sylvan operates over 710 locations across North America and internationally.
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Confidence building | Students gain self-esteem by mastering foundational skills at their own pace |
| Study skills development | Learn effective study habits in a distraction-free environment |
| Improved reading speed | Vocabulary growth and comprehension exercises boost reading fluency |
| K–12 coverage | Programs for kindergarten through twelfth grade, including ACT/SAT prep |
Confidence and Self-esteem
Children can often feel overwhelmed when they don't understand something and the work in class keeps getting more difficult. They are slowly getting left behind and wonder if they are incapable, when in reality they may have a different learning style or they never learned basic phonics or counting skills.
Having a tutor available to teach them basics until they're certain they understand them gives children the confidence to keep learning new things and move forward, until they are once again at the grade level of their peers.
Study Skills, Habits, and Attitudes
Some children have never learned how to study in a distraction-free zone with a teacher's focus on just 1 to 4 students. With Sylvan, they learn how to study and how to approach tasks one step at a time rather than give up before they even start. Teachers gently encourage and model ways to learn without tears and frustrated anger. One aspect of the program kids love is the motivational rewards they earn as they progress.
Boost Reading Speed
As children learn more vocabulary and learn how to examine a text and understand the points being made, they can read faster and complete English comprehension and writing homework more efficiently. Reading retention also improves.
Long-term Success
Sylvan's teaching programs cover kindergarten through twelfth grade because they aim to provide help at every level of a child's learning. They match the learning goals of the public-school system for math, language arts, and science at all grade levels; give homework support to elementary and middle school students; and offer ACT and SAT test prep courses.
They also offer educational games to help students between sessions: students can download apps and play educational games to increase their academic skills all week long.
"Results showed that students who attended the Sylvan Learning Center improved their grades, as well as their foundational and fundamental skills." — DePuy, Jessica, "The Effect that Using a Tutor or Learning Center has on Student's Grades" (2007). Mathematical and Computing Sciences Masters. Paper 81.
Pros and Cons of Sylvan Learning Center
Different centers appear to adopt different models. Make sure teachers teach the grades they have experience teaching. Do thorough research on the center you are considering to confirm the director is hiring and assigning teachers and students wisely.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Personalized learning plans based on assessment | Costs can add up quickly over several months |
| Certified, experienced teachers | Quality varies by franchise location |
| Flexible scheduling (in-center and online) | Retainer-based payment requires upfront commitment |
| Proven track record since 1979 | Not always true one-on-one (small groups of 3–4) |
| Progress tracking and parent portal | Long-term contracts may be difficult to cancel |
Ask other parents if their children have the same teacher(s) every week and that they are well suited to teaching from their wealth of experience and knowledge. To read about other parents' experiences, read the recent and helpful reviews here.
The Sylvan Insight™ Assessment is similar to the school's yearly tests, which are mailed and emailed to you. You can usually assess your child's weaknesses from those results and see if the results from the Sylvan assessment match them.
Scheduling and Access
Sylvan provides flexible options for families with busy schedules, including in-center, online, and hybrid learning formats.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Flexible scheduling | After school, evenings, and weekends available |
| Online tutoring | Live, one-on-one sessions from home |
| Progress reports | Regular updates from teachers, in person or via the center director |
| Online access | 24/7 parent and student portal for programs and reports |
Flexible scheduling – Many Sylvan teachers are available after school, in the evenings, and on the weekend, so you can set up a schedule that suits you. Online tutoring options are also available.
Progress reports - Teachers give progress reports regularly, either in person or via the center's director.
Online access – Parents and students have 24/7 access to their programs and reports.
Before You Sign Up Your Child for Sylvan
Because you will be paying by the hour for quality results, and possibly going out of your way to drive to and from the center every week, it is best to do thorough research first to confirm the center has already made a visible difference in other students' lives.
| Step | What to Do |
|---|---|
| Get referrals | Ask trusted friends and family for recommendations |
| Verify qualifications | Ask about teachers' certifications and experience levels |
| Read reviews | Check online reviews specific to the center you plan to visit |
| Schedule a consultation | Most centers offer a free initial assessment and consultation |
Get referrals from trusted friends.
Ask about the teachers' qualifications.
Read reviews about the center you are thinking of visiting.
For instance, Robyn Bard of the Sylvan Learning Center in Palm Harbor, FL, is "a veteran math teacher who tutors elementary age children, ages 7-12. She has been teaching statistics to high school levels, college students and professionals."
Sylvan Learning Center in Homewood, IL, says, "We have a staff of over 20 tutors who specialize in many different areas. Over half of us have our Master's Degree in Education."
One father said of Sylvan Learning Center in Woburn, MA, "My son's SAT score went up 100 points! It was last minute but I contacted Sylvan to prep my son 3 weeks before the test."
Of Sylvan Learning Manteca in CA, a mother said, "Thanks Sylvan for giving my son confidence in his learning and helping him to improve his grades on his report card."
Find your Sylvan Center today. Get free quotes from local Sylvan Centers, as well as private tutors on Tutors.com.