Is Tutoring Worth It? What the Australian Research Actually Says

Is tutoring worth it? According to the strongest available evidence, yes, provided it is one-to-one or small-group, runs regularly, and connects to what your child is doing at school. The Education Endowment Foundation finds one-to-one tuition delivers around five additional months of progress in a school year, and the Grattan Institute has urged every Australian government to embed small-group tuition in schools because the results are that consistent. Tutoring is not worth it when it is generic, irregular or disconnected from the classroom. This article sets out what the research says, what it costs families to get it wrong, and how to tell the difference before you spend a dollar.

Is tutoring worth it?

For most families asking the question, yes. One-to-one tuition is one of the best-evidenced interventions in education. The Education Endowment Foundation, which maintains one of the largest evidence libraries in the world, draws on 123 studies to reach its five-months figure, and finds the gains are largest for students who have fallen behind. The catch is that the average hides a wide spread. Tuition that is regular, targeted and linked to schoolwork sits well above the average. Tuition that is none of those things can achieve close to nothing, at full price.

After fifteen years of one-on-one tutoring across primary, secondary and senior students, that spread matches what we see in practice. The students who move are the ones whose sessions have a plan, whose tutor knows what happened in class this week, and whose families treat the tutor as part of a team. The students who drift are usually sitting through generic content that could have been printed off the internet.

What does the research say about one-to-one tutoring?

Three findings matter most for parents weighing up the cost.

First, individual attention is the active ingredient. The EEF’s analysis attributes the gains of tuition to the tutor working precisely at the student’s level, something a classroom teacher with thirty students cannot do for one child at a time.

Second, frequency beats duration. Short, regular sessions outperform occasional long ones. A weekly hour that never gets skipped will do more than a three-hour blitz before each test.

Third, connection to the classroom multiplies the effect. The Grattan Institute’s work on small-group tuition in Australian schools stresses structured sessions targeted to the student’s specific gaps, several times a week where possible, using assessment to decide what gets taught. The Australian Education Research Organisation reaches similar conclusions across its practice guidance: explicit teaching aimed at an identified gap works, vague help does not.

When is tutoring not worth the money?

An honest answer, because it exists. Tutoring is a poor investment when nobody has assessed where the student actually is, when the program is identical for every child, when sessions happen only in the panic before exams, and when the student is coasting comfortably and the tutoring is really reassurance for the adults. It is also the wrong first move when the barrier is something else entirely, such as eyesight, hearing, attendance or anxiety that needs proper support. A good provider will tell you this in the first conversation. If your child is thriving and the school has no concerns, save the money or spend it on books.

What makes tutoring actually work?

The research and our own practice point at the same short list.

1. A starting assessment. You cannot target a gap you have not found. Sessions should begin from evidence, not guesswork. 2. The same tutor every week. Progress lives inside the working relationship. Rotating faces reset it. 3. A link to school. The tutor should know what the class is covering and what the teacher is worried about. 4. Regularity. Weekly, through the term, not bursts. 5. Reporting back. Parents should hear what was worked on and what comes next after every session, so nobody is guessing.

How do I know if tutoring is working?

Give it a term, then look for evidence in this order: the student attempts work they used to avoid, the teacher notices the change, marks move. Confidence shifts first, results follow. If nothing has shifted after a term of regular sessions, ask the provider to show you the plan and the progress notes. If they cannot produce either, the problem is the program, not your child.

Where Choice Education Group fits

Choice Education Group provides one-on-one tutoring online across Australia, from primary through to Year 12. Every student starts with an assessment, keeps the same tutor week to week, and every session ends with a note home about what was covered and what comes next. If you are weighing up whether tutoring makes sense for your child, ask us the hard questions at choiceeducationgroup.com. We would rather talk you out of tutoring you do not need than sell you hours that will not move anything.

Frequently asked questions

How much progress does tutoring deliver? The Education Endowment Foundation’s review of 123 studies finds one-to-one tuition adds around five months of progress on average over a school year, with larger gains for students who are behind. Quality, regularity and connection to schoolwork decide whether a given student beats that average or falls short of it.

Is tutoring worth it for a student who is doing fine? Usually not, unless there is a specific goal such as a scholarship exam or senior subject preparation. The research shows the largest gains go to students with an identified gap.

How long before tutoring shows results? Expect confidence changes within weeks and measurable academic change within a term of regular weekly sessions. Occasional or cramming patterns take longer, if they work at all.

Is online tutoring as effective as in person? With a capable tutor, a proper platform and consistent sessions, yes. The evidence points to the quality and regularity of the teaching as the active ingredients, not the room it happens in.

References

– Education Endowment Foundation. One to one tuition, Teaching and Learning Toolkit. – Grattan Institute (2023). Tackling under-achievement: why Australia should embed high-quality small-group tuition in schools. – Australian Education Research Organisation. Evidence and practice guidance.