Award-Winning Elementary School Reading Tutors serving Columbia, SC

Private 1-on-1 tutoring, weekly live classes for academic support, test prep & enrichment, practice tests and diagnostics, and more to elevate grades and test scores.

1,000+
Schools &
Universities
98%
Satisfaction
10M+
Hours
Delivered
2x
Growth in
Proficiency
Get Started in 60 Seconds!

Who needs tutoring?

No obligation. Takes ~1 minute.

Tutors from

  • YaleUniversity
  • PrincetonUniversity
  • StanfordUniversity
  • CornellUniversity
FOXNBCCBSUS NewsTIMEUSA Today

Award-Winning Elementary School Reading Tutors serving Columbia, SC

Pinelopi

Bachelor in Arts in Psychology
6+ years of tutoring

I am a Duke University graduate with a Bachelors degree in Psychology. I have experience tutoring all levels of Spanish language, all sections of the SAT, as well as algebra, pre algebra, geometry, an...

Education & Certificates

Duke University

Bachelor in Arts in Psychology

SAT Scores

Composite1530

Tiffany

Juris Doctor, Legal Studies
5+ years of tutoring

I am available to tutor a broad range of subjects, I am passionate about test preparation, Accountancy, and Algebra.

Education & Certificates

University of Notre Dame

Bachelor in Business Administration, Accounting

University of Chicago

Juris Doctor, Legal Studies

ACT Scores

Composite31

Sharon

Master of Science, Journalism
9+ years of tutoring

I am a graduate of the University of Chicago, and I will be starting a graduate program at Columbia in August. I am about to complete a year of service with City Year, an education non-profit that pla...

Education & Certificates

Columbia University in the City of New York

Master of Science, Journalism

University of Chicago

Bachelor in Arts

SAT Scores

Composite1550

Molly

Master of Science in Education
1+ years of tutoring

I am an Illinois certified Teacher in grades K-9. I attended Northwestern University and received a Master's of Science in Education. I have ample classroom experience and expertise in elementary Math...

Education & Certificates

Northwestern University

Master of Science in Education

Columbia University in the City of New York

Bachelor in Arts, History

SAT Scores

Composite1480

Mimi

Masters in Education, Education
6+ years of tutoring

I am an interdisciplinary educator with an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. My background is primarily in integrated arts learning and museum educ...

Education & Certificates

Harvard University

Masters in Education, Education

Dartmouth College

B.A.

SAT Scores

Composite1560

Allan

Bachelors, Biological Sciences
1+ years of tutoring

I'm a big Boston Celtics fan and I speak three languages. I can get you the test results you need to succeed because I went through the exams myself and performed well. The first time I took the SAT I...

Education & Certificates

Northwestern University

Bachelors, Biological Sciences

SAT Scores

Composite1540

Zach

Bachelor of Science in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
1+ years of tutoring

I am a Yale University Berkeley College graduate of the Yale Class of 2012 with an Intensive B.S. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Eager for tutoring opportunities, I welcome any of ...

Education & Certificates

Yale University

Bachelor of Science in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

SAT Scores

Composite1590

Esther

Current Undergrad, Politics, Philosophy, and Economics
9+ years of tutoring

I'm currently a Junior at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics and a 2014 graduate of Phillips Academy. As a product of great tutoring myself, I focus on bein...

Education & Certificates

University of Pennsylvania

Current Undergrad, Politics, Philosophy, and Economics

SAT Scores

Composite1500

Nathan

Bachelor in Arts, History
4+ years of tutoring

I am currently a student at Rice University studying both History and Neuroscience. Being the oldest of five kids, working with younger students has always been a part of my life. I can tutor a wide v...

Education & Certificates

Rice University

Bachelor in Arts, History

SAT Scores

Composite1530

Michael

Bachelor in Arts
6+ years of tutoring

I'm now a few years removed from academia, I still consider myself an intellect at heart. Stints at New York University's Stern School of Business and Northwestern University have given me extensive s...

Education & Certificates

Northwestern University

Bachelor in Arts

ACT Scores

Composite33

Nearby Elementary School Reading Tutors

Frequently Asked Questions

Elementary readers often struggle with phonics foundations, fluency, and comprehension—especially when transitioning from learning to read to reading to learn. In Columbia's diverse school districts, students may also face challenges with vocabulary development and connecting what they read to their own experiences. Personalized tutoring can target these specific gaps, whether a student needs help sounding out words or understanding what a story means.

Elementary reading typically progresses through guided reading levels (often A-Z or similar systems) that reflect increasing complexity in vocabulary, sentence structure, and concepts. Early elementary (K-2) focuses on phonemic awareness and decoding, while upper elementary (3-5) emphasizes fluency, comprehension strategies, and beginning literary analysis. Tutors can assess where a student falls on this spectrum and create a personalized plan to build confidence and skills at the right pace.

During an initial session, a tutor will typically assess your student's current reading level through informal reading inventories, observe their decoding and fluency, and discuss specific concerns you or their teacher have noticed. This helps establish a baseline and identify whether the focus should be phonics, fluency, comprehension, or a combination. From there, the tutor creates a personalized plan tailored to your student's learning style and goals.

Tutors teach evidence-based comprehension strategies like predicting, visualizing, asking questions, and making connections—skills that help students actively engage with text rather than passively decode words. Through guided practice with books at the right level, students learn to summarize, identify main ideas, and discuss what they've read. Personalized instruction allows tutors to model these strategies and give immediate feedback as your student applies them.

Fluency—reading smoothly with appropriate pace and expression—is essential because it frees up mental energy for comprehension; struggling readers often focus so hard on decoding that they miss meaning. Tutors build fluency through repeated reading of engaging texts, modeling expressive reading, and providing corrective feedback on pacing and expression. As fluency improves, comprehension typically follows, and reading becomes more enjoyable.

Strong vocabulary is foundational to reading comprehension, and tutors build it through context clues, word families, and explicit instruction paired with real-world application. Rather than isolated word lists, personalized tutoring embeds new vocabulary into engaging texts and conversations, helping students understand and retain words more deeply. This approach makes vocabulary learning meaningful and connected to what students are actually reading.

Many students show noticeable improvements in confidence and engagement within a few weeks of consistent tutoring, while measurable gains in fluency or comprehension often appear within 2-3 months. The timeline depends on the student's starting point, frequency of sessions, and how actively parents support reading at home. Tutors track progress regularly and adjust strategies to keep momentum going.

Effective elementary reading tutors typically have training in literacy development, phonics, and reading assessment—and ideally experience working with diverse learners. They should be able to explain why they're using specific strategies and adjust their approach based on how your student responds. Varsity Tutors connects you with experienced tutors who understand elementary reading instruction and can provide the personalized attention your student needs to thrive.

Let's find your perfect tutor

Answer a few quick questions. We'll recommend the right plan and match you with a top 5% tutor.

Prefer to talk? Call us