2022 Kumon Prices | How Much Does Kumon Cost? // Tutors.com (2023)

While math and reading tutoring used to be only given to help kids pass exams, it’s now a standard practice whenever any child is struggling in school. What’s made it even easier is the accessibility of tutors or learning programs at a price point you can afford. With current money being diverted from the classroom, the onus is falling more and more on parents to make up the difference in a child’s understanding and knowledge. Kumon is one resource parents can use to get their kids all the help they need.

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Why do tutoring with the Kumon method?

Prepares children for life

Part of the reason why many students don’t get into college is because they can’t get high enough scores in math and English, and it’s not only because of a lack of understanding; it’s because they haven’t been taught basic math and vocabulary facts they can recall instantly during exams. Students often decide they won’t need math or reading in their future careers, and that if they do, they’ll have their phones for looking up what they need; but there are too many degrees that require students to pass basic math and English in their first year of study. Not having these skills can set them back severely from a well-paid future career.

One student says that going through the program has helped her so much more in her fashion studies because of the amount of math and technology she needs to know. The Kumon Math and Reading Center of Westchester says, “With a strong academic foundation, critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, your child has the potential to achieve whatever he or she desires.”

Poor curriculum in schools

Each school and each school district is dependent on many things which will affect the student’s overall ability to learn what he or she needs to, including the quality of the teachers, the school budget, the general attitude toward learning in the school, and the level of parental involvement. The parents must take up the fallout from anything missing in their children’s education.

Kumon’s reading program includes a “recommended reading list that contains 380 books designed to help you as a parent select material that enhances your child’s appreciation for and understanding of the English language and helps to develop a lifelong love for reading. Many of the books on the Recommended Reading List have won literary awards such as the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Award.”

The Kumon math program begins with counting and number sequencing and over the program, builds up to calculus, probability, and statistics.

High student to teacher ratio

Over the last 25 years, schools have been expanding their class size and shrinking the ratio of teachers per student. Given that most students are followers of the student with the most influence in the classroom rather than the teacher, it’s safe to say that about 80% of students are not giving their teachers their full attention during any given lesson, if we use the 80/20 rule.

According to a 2015 report from the National Center for Education Statistics, the average US high school class size ranges from 18.7 in Alaska to 34.5 in Nevada. This shifting number makes it incredibly difficult for teachers to keep the class’s attention, let alone convey what they are trying to teach in that hour.

Working/unavailable parents

Given that it now takes two working parents to afford current living costs, many parents are not available for their kids after school to help with homework or even to explain basic facts. Without that support, children are finding it more frustrating trying to learn what they need to alone. The benefit of a Kumon center means they can get that help after school as they need it.

Parents’ forgotten knowledge

Even if one parent is able to stay at home, he/she might not have the ability to recall school learning, let alone be able to explain certain concepts. Children need to be able to have someone familiar with their schoolwork available for questions after school.

Ineffective teachers at school

While there are many teachers who are gifted and excellent at conveying what the students need to know, there are others who cannot teach well and leave the students feeling even more confused. Unfortunately, parents have no control over which public school teachers their children get.

Many Kumon students volunteer their time once they complete the program, and they go on to become teachers because of their love for teaching that is developed during that time. Kumon teachers have ongoing training and are constantly helping improve the teaching program based on their experience with students and student case studies.

Child lacks confidence or self-esteem

The less a child is able to keep up with the rest of the class or understand the topics, the more frustrated the student becomes. This leads to children giving up and not paying attention in class, and as the curriculum builds, they get even more lost. Self-confidence disappears and they start to become afraid of even asking a question in class that might display their lack of knowledge.

Many children have testified that Kumon has helped them face challenges and overcome them. The practice of pushing through in small steps rather than getting overwhelmed with the end picture has given them tools for life. “My determination to keep going has become stronger,” says one aspiring ballerina. “Kumon improved my self-esteem, because every time I saw a hard math question on a test at school, I’d know how to do it,” says Abishek.

“Knowing how to do it is great, but knowing how to do it efficiently and fast is much better.” The owner of Kumon of North Arlington, TX, says, “I create an at-home study plan for each student in addition to monitoring classroom assignments, and I emphasize the importance of accurately completing each assignment within a designated time frame. This has helped many of my students increase self-confidence, thus becoming more self-reliant.”

Child lacks motivation

Some kids have other problems they are dealing with in life and it’s taking their focus off paying attention in school. Perhaps bullies are picking on them or their friends are ghosting them or a sibling is sick. Once in the smaller, safer environment of a Kumon center’s class, children can focus on what needs to be learned.

One child says that she enjoys getting higher scores on her math and English tests thanks to what she has learned with Kumon. One part of the program that incentivizes children is that they write in their start and end times on every worksheet, and each time they are encouraged to improve their personal best. This encourages personal pride in their work.

Change of schools

US families often have to move out of town or to a new state because of job opportunities, which can make things difficult for children as they struggle to adapt to the new environment and new classmates. Also, the quality of teaching might be worse than at the old school or at too high a level for them. Kumon can bridge that transition.

Homework struggle

Deciding to work on math and reading at the delicate tween and teen stage can become a battle between child and parents as children begin to assert their individuality and independence. Letting them learn at a Kumon center rather than listen to parents yelling at them to do their homework can be hugely beneficial, as they don’t have the same issues with teachers.

The Kumon program does not offer online classes, as the premise is that students are guided in their own learning rather than taught.