Every option below genuinely works for someone. The question is what each one costs — in dollars, in your hours, and in what’s left undone — for the family you actually are.
| Per child, per year | Private tutor | Curriculum + you | Co-op class | Fieldstone course |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash cost | $3,000–6,000 | $100–250 | $300–800 | $199–399 |
| Your hours | ~50 (scheduling, driving) | 250–350 (teach, prep, grade) | ~80 (drive, homework help) | ~5 (a weekly email) |
| Who explains when stuck | The tutor — twice a week | You — at 4pm, again | Teacher — until class ends | The assistant — instantly, endlessly |
| Placement & gap repair | If you ask, if they’re good | You diagnose, somehow | One pace for the room | Diagnostic + automatic repair, built in |
| Real exams & grading | Rarely — you build them | You, with the answer key | Sometimes, teacher-dependent | Verified, hint-free, auto-graded |
| Records & transcript | You assemble | You assemble | Certificate, maybe | Reports, certificate, transcript kit — generated |
| Schedule | Their calendar | Yours entirely | Fixed weekly slot | Yours entirely |
| Guarantee | None | None | None | 30-day + pass-the-final |
Ranges reflect typical US pricing (tutors $40–80/hr × 2 hrs/wk × 36 weeks; co-ops vary widely). Your hours estimated from the workload calculator’s median inputs — run your own numbers.
Choose a tutor when…
Budget is no constraint and your child thrives on a personal relationship with one adult — a great tutor is genuinely great, twice a week.
Choose curriculum + you when…
You enjoy teaching math, you’re confident through the level ahead, and the hours are genuinely available. Real families do this well — it’s just not free.
Choose Fieldstone when…
You want the subject handled completely — taught, graded, documented — for less than a month of tutoring, while you stay principal of everything.