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Full service tutoring in Portola Valley and all surrounding areas for all subjects and grade levels
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Your child isn’t cookie-cutter, and their learning plan shouldn’t be either. At Grade Potential, we bring personalized, in-home tutoring designed to fit your student’s unique needs and goals. Our tutors come to you, offering flexible scheduling and expert support that makes a measurable difference. As classrooms grow busier each year, we ensure your student gets the dedicated support they deserve.
Achieving More, Together
STEP 1Share Learning Goals
In just two minutes, fill out a simple questionnaire to create a learner profile. We’ll use it to match your student with the perfect tutor to support their unique needs and goals.
STEP 2Get a Fast Follow-Up Call
A Grade Potential rep will give a quick call to break down options, answer questions, and guide the way to the right tutoring package.
STEP 3Share Learning Goals
With our in-home tutoring service, we come to you—or wherever it’s easiest—and match your student with a highly-skilled tutor to ensure success from day one.
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Portola Valley Tutors Come To You
The Alpine Inn Beer Garden in Portola Valley, California, is considered the oldest surviving roadhouse in California. Its fame reaches all the way back to the Gold Rush era, a fact taken advantage of by many Portola Valley tutors who like a hands-on approach to teaching history. At the same time, the roadhouse has a unique claim to fame that forever changed the future.
On August 27, 1976, a van containing a mobile radio laboratory pulled up alongside the roadhouse. SRI researchers unloaded a computer terminal, set it on a picnic table out back, and proceeded to send a long electronic report to Boston. This “internet transmission” (the word “e-mail” had not been coined yet) was the first of its kind because it linked two dissimilar networks. A year later, three networks were linked, and the internet took off.
Looking Back
The site was first established by Felix Buelna as a casa de tableta, or gambling house, in the early 1850s. Disgruntled gold seekers who had moved to the fertile Santa Clara Valley to farm gathered there to play cards and drink. Business was good, but Buelna was in gambling trouble and sold the roadhouse to William Stanton in a poker game for $1,200 in gold to pay off debt.
The Stantons remained owners until 1940, although proprietorship changed frequently, reflecting the ethnicity of the region: Mexican, Portuguese, Italian, German, and Croatian. The names changed as frequently as the management: Fernando’s, Philpot’s, Stanton’s Saloon, Chapete’s Place, the Wunder, and Schenkel’s Picnic Park.
In the late 1880s, Chapete’s was a welcome respite for construction workers building Stanford University, and when the school opened in 1891, students flocked there—Palo Alto was alcohol-free. The roadhouse was probably a great location for them to receive tutoring in Portola Valley.
In 1908, Stanford’s first president, David Starr Jordan, publicly complained that the Wunder had the reputation of being “unusually vile, even for a roadhouse,” and that it was a “great injury to the university, and a disgrace to San Mateo County.” The controversy made the place even more popular.
In 1909, fourteen nearby saloons were closed after the state of California passed a law prohibiting liquor sales within 1.5 miles of schools. But by its fortuitous location, the Wunder escaped the restriction, and business boomed. In World War I, the soldiers discovered the place and joined Stanford students in partaking liquid refreshments.
Although the Prohibition temporarily removed alcohol from the premises, the saloon was revived when the lease passed to Enrico Rossotti in 1933. The Rossottis added a food menu, and the place became a popular hangout on Stanford home football games.
The restaurant was sold and renamed the Alpine Inn Beer Garden in 1956, but locals still refer to it as Rossotti’s, or even by its nickname, “Zott’s.” Still extremely popular with students and locals, patrons are as likely to arrive in luxury cars as they are to arrive on a bicycle or even a horse.
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Luisa Smith
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Luisa Simpson
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FAQs
How do the tutoring sessions work?
Our tutoring sessions are designed to meet the individual needs of each student. Sessions can be held online or in-person, depending on availability and preference. During the sessions, tutors assess the student’s strengths and areas for improvement, focusing on personalized strategies to help them excel. Materials and lesson plans are tailored to align with their school curriculum and learning style.
What grade levels do you cover?
Our tutoring sessions are designed to meet the individual needs of each student. Sessions can be held online or in-person, depending on availability and preference. During the sessions, tutors assess the student’s strengths and areas for improvement, focusing on personalized strategies to help them excel. Materials and lesson plans are tailored to align with their school curriculum and learning style.
Can I change my tutoring plan after signing up?
Our tutoring sessions are designed to meet the individual needs of each student. Sessions can be held online or in-person, depending on availability and preference. During the sessions, tutors assess the student’s strengths and areas for improvement, focusing on personalized strategies to help them excel. Materials and lesson plans are tailored to align with their school curriculum and learning style.
What subjects do you offer tutoring for?
Our tutoring sessions are designed to meet the individual needs of each student. Sessions can be held online or in-person, depending on availability and preference. During the sessions, tutors assess the student’s strengths and areas for improvement, focusing on personalized strategies to help them excel. Materials and lesson plans are tailored to align with their school curriculum and learning style.
Do you offer a trial session?
Our tutoring sessions are designed to meet the individual needs of each student. Sessions can be held online or in-person, depending on availability and preference. During the sessions, tutors assess the student’s strengths and areas for improvement, focusing on personalized strategies to help them excel. Materials and lesson plans are tailored to align with their school curriculum and learning style.
How does the process work?
Families share goals and scheduling preferences through a short intake. That information becomes a learner profile. Grade Potential then introduces your profile to a professional independent tutor whose background aligns. Once the tutor accepts, you’re introduced directly and sessions can begin.
How is pricing handled?
Our packages are highly customizable based on your budget, preferred session cadence, time frame, location, and a few other factors. You’ll be presented with clear pricing before you begin. We support families in choosing the session length and cadence that works best for their individual situation; no hard sales tactics and no obligation to purchase a long-term package.
How soon can sessions start?
Typically within 2-3 business days, depending on subject, location, and schedule availability. Urgent timelines are noted in your profile so introductions prioritize your timing.
Where do sessions take place?
In-person at home or another convenient, quiet, safe location (like the local library). When families need flexibility, online sessions are also available.
Who are the tutors?
Experienced, professional independent tutors with strong subject knowledge and a track record of working one-on-one with students. Many hold degrees in their fields; some are certified teachers or graduate students with specialized expertise.
Are background checks performed?
Yes—safety is our top priority. Tutors complete screening through Simpliverified background checks, consistent with local requirements and platform standards.
What if the tutor isn't the right fit?
Just let Grade Potential know. Your profile can be introduced to a different tutor at no cost to you, and once accepted, you’ll be re-introduced so sessions continue without losing momentum.
What subjects and grade levels are available?
Support spans elementary through college across all core subjects (math, reading, writing, science, languages) plus test prep (e.g., SAT/ACT, AP, GRE) and many electives. If it’s taught in school, there’s likely a tutor with relevant experience. Adult learners can also benefit from tutoring services in a wide variety of subjects.
How long is each session, and how often do students meet?
Most families choose 60-90 minute sessions 1-2 times per week. Cadence and length are set directly with the tutor to fit the student’s goals, pace, and schedule.
Can siblings or small groups learn together?
Often, yes! Especially when goals and levels are similar. There’s no additional cost for siblings to share sessions, so feel free share details in your intake so we can advise on the right tutoring package for you.
Do tutors coordinate with teachers or IEP/504 plans?
Yes! When families request it, tutors can review teacher notes, school portals, and accommodation plans to keep sessions aligned with classroom expectations.
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