Reviews – Archimedes Academics

Talia B.

La Cañada High School

AP Euro + SAT prep

“My daughter took a practice SAT two Saturdays ago,” Talia’s mom, Amy, writes, “and her total score has gone up several hundred points since the first practice SAT she took a year ago. We must give MUCH credit to all her sessions with Honora. Thank you, thank you!” Honora also worked with Talia in AP European History — they focused on concise yet comprehensive note-taking (an essential academic skill in any class) and effective preparations for classroom tests. Talia ended up with excellent results: an A- in the class, and a 5 (!) on the AP exam.

Makena Stimmler

St. Bede School

HSPT + ISEE prep

We make sure the test-taking strategies we teach are relevant not only to the HSPT and ISEE, but also to the other standardized, high-stakes tests students take as part of the high school and college application process. So we were especially happy to receive this note from Makena just one month after we started working together: “Today I had an extremely hard math test to determine who in my class gets a scholarship for high school. I didn’t understand many of the questions, but I was able to use the techniques you taught me and I figured out some of the answers. Thank you so much! Everything you taught me has really paid off!” Makena’s mom, Meghan writes: “We were thrilled with the tutoring at Archimedes! Not only did our daughter adore her tutor, but she increased her ISEE scores over 18% overall!! We will definitely use Archimedes again!” Makena was admitted to Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, Flintridge Preparatory School, and the Polytechnic School.

Julia Torres

Holy Family School

HSPT prep

Archimedes loves getting emails like this one: “Julia received her acceptance letter from LaSalle. She is so happy and relieved that it’s behind her. She was quite pleased with her test scores, particularly in math.” (As well she should be: Julia scored in the 98th percentile, nationally!) Jose, Julia’s dad, goes on: “I want to thank you again for working with her and being such a positive person with her. You really helped strengthen her confidence going in to her exam. She really enjoyed working with you.” And I (Devin) really enjoyed working with Julia! Her gains were substantial and consistent in every single section of the HSPT. We also prepared for her school interview together, rehearsing thoughtful, authentic responses to several different questions that are frequently asked in the application process. Julia will matriculate at La Salle High School in the fall of 2013.

Henry C.

Holy Family School

HSPT prep

Henry was sharp and inquisitive and completely delightful to work with. Zora, Henry’s mom, writes: “Henry got into Loyola and is over the moon excited. We had dinner last night with some Loyola friends who wrote recommendations etc., and he glowed among his Cubs! We are so very grateful for your tutelage. You encouraged Henry and made him feel good about himself as he worked through his text anxiety. You have my highest recommendation for those who follow.”

Isabella S.

Holy Family School

ISEE prep

Bella scored 20 percentage points higher on her final ISEE than on her initial practice test! (Note: All this progress happened in only three months of weekly sessions.) Alicia, Bella’s mom, writes: “Archimedes tutors clearly stand out from the competition because they really know their material. They are thorough and experienced in the test-taking techniques, and know what it takes to improve on the score.” Bella matriculated to Mayfield Senior School in the fall of 2013.

Maddie C.

Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy

Honors Chemistry

Maddie’s Honors Chemistry grade is two whole letters higher since she began working with Nancy! Go, Maddie, go. From Lisa, Maddie’s mom, a few weeks in: “I think tutoring is really making a big difference for Maddie. The last test she studied with Nancy she received a 96%. Thanks so much for your help. It’s giving Maddie the confidence she needs!” Then, later Lisa also wrote us with this piece of good news: “She just got 95% on a pop quiz that her teacher threw at them on Friday. Because she had seen Nancy on Thursday, she was prepared and did well. Thank goodness!” And excerpted from yet another happy email Lisa wrote us: “Maddie just called me and she found out she got 98% on her chem test! She only missed 1/2 point. She said that the class was split between the girls who did well and the girls who did really poorly. So glad Maddie is in the first group! Thank you Nancy for your infinite patience and helping Maddie to figure out chemistry at last!”

Lucas C., Daniel B., and Graeme R.

La Cañada High School

College Admissions Essay Writing

Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say is Archimedes’ rigorous and highly rewarding workshop in writing the college admissions essay. It’s also my favorite class to teach! More about the workshop from Lucas: “I thought that class was going to be just like a teacher conference where you give us a structure you want and it was going to written in a particular format, but this was not the case at all. I loved how you gave us so many choices on what format to pick and how to mold that formula into the essay we wanted to get out of it. In all honesty, this essay is the best I have ever written (with quite a bit of help from you) and I am confident that it will provide an incredible help toward getting into the colleges I am looking at.” Terri, Graeme’s mom, writes: “Devin was a life saver; she helped two of my sons complete their personal essays in a timely manner. She followed up with them and I did not have to nag them. They both were accepted at top colleges.” And from Audrey, Daniel’s mom: Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say is a well organized and helpful opportunity for high school seniors to create an impressive and thoughtful essay that directly follows the common application of the colleges they are applying to. My son was accepted into the schools he applied to and we have Devin’s expert guidance to thank for it!”

Hannah Douglas

St. Finbar School

HSPT + ISEE prep

One of the best things in the world is an email with the subject line, “Congratulations and Welcome,” which is exactly the email that Hannah forwarded to me (Hesley) from her first choice school, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy! Hannah says, “Working with Hesley was a great experience. Hesley made it easy to learn and was very cooperative with session times and locations. I couldn’t have asked for a better tutor and a better source of help. In the end I was accepted into the school of my choice and I will continue to work with Hesley to prepare for high school and college.” In addition to HSPT prep, Hesley worked with Hannah on her high school applications, application essays, and interviews, helping Hannah to highlight her personality and unique experiences. Hannah was a delight to work with and increased her score by over 30 percentage points. In the end, she was accepted to both Mayfield and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy. Congrats, Hannah, your hard work paid off!

AJ M.

Saint Philip

HSPT

AJ’s mom, Kimberly, says, “AJ routinely scored low in all standardized tests and suffered from a great deal of anxiety and low self esteem. We worked with Hesley for over a year – and AJ is a different student now. Not only did he get into both St Francis and Loyola, but the techniques he learned from Hesley have carried over into how he performs in class. Hesley is upbeat and relatable, but sets standards and expects her students to meet them. I could not recommend Hesley more. We are looking forward to working with her in the future when it’s time for our daughter to prepare for the ISEE and HSPT.” AJ will matriculate to Loyola in the fall of 2017.

Jack B.

St. Francis

AP European and AP U.S. History

Jennifer, Jack’s mom, writes, “I wanted to be sure to thank Neal for the exceptional assistance he gave Jack this past year in studying AP European history and in preparing him for the national exam in May. He earned consistently solid grades in the class all year, achieved a passing score on the national exam, was then admitted into AP US History for this year, and did it all with confidence and style. 🙂 I couldn’t be happier! The AP Euro class was Jack’s first AP class ever. Although I knew he could handle the class, I really wanted him to love it. Neal helped him do exactly that. Neal brought the material alive for him by having such dynamic conversations and by engaging him not just as a student but as a thinker. He learned the material, but also learned to dig under the surface, which then deepened his understanding. He really clicked with Neal. He expressed to me many times how “cool” Neal is. I think he felt that if you can be cool and also know European history, then learning European history must be “cool.” For a teenager, I can’t think of a more ringing endorsement of Neal, and as a mother, I can’t think of a more pleasurable experience for me. I’m so happy that Neal will work with Jack again this year as he takes on the AP US History exam.”

Eli E.

St. Bede

HSPT

From Sophia E., Eli’s mom, “Neal was very energetic and the right fit for our son. Neal mapped out an aggressive schedule and covered the material with ease and with each week our son’s confidence level grew. After each session, our son was always in great spirits and equipped with strategies. Eli scored a 95% in the math section and was accepted into honors geometry.” Eli matriculated to Loyola in the fall of 2016.

S.M.

Chandler

Upper Level ISEE

Our daughter worked hard and she diligently followed her tutor’s (Richelle Meiss) guidance, but without her tutor’s insights about the test and process she would not have been prepared. Math is not our daughter’s strongest subject, but her tutor reassured her she could do it, celebrated her efforts, and showed her strategies that elevated her performance in school work. She not only brought her math scores up from 3s on her practice test to a 7 and 8 on the actual test, but she has learned life-long strategies for learning and testing. We highly recommend Archimedes not just for improving test scores, but for building confidence, mastery, and a calm approach to test taking.

Sascha R., Mother (Chandler School)

Garrett B.

N/A

HSPT

My son Garrett was tutored by Edward after our first test results from the practice HSPT were less than perfect. Each session with Edward, Garrett was engaged and excited about learning how best to utilize his testing time for improving his scores. Edward challenged Garrett and taught him excellent time management. Garrett ended up scoring above 97% and got accepted into his number one choice of private high schools.

Lori B., Mom

Marshall C.

St. Bede

HSPT

I’ve been meaning to reach out to you regarding Marshall’s HSPT scores for Loyola and St. Francis. He was accepted to both schools and ultimately chose Loyola where he is having a great time. He scored in the 98% overall both times he took the test. We will be back for SAT’s/ACT’s. Hopefully, Edward will still be available! Marshall still calls him a “legend”.

Haley H.

Mayfield Senior School

Upper Level ISEE, Academic Support

“Dear Hesley, I am sending you this to thank you for the easy and successful transition from you to Dayna Bowers. Dayna has provide excellent help with Haley for this challenging senior year. Thank you for all of your years of a hard work with Haley and continued effort through Dayna. The diligence both of you have contributed have been instrumental to her success in finishing her final year at Mayfield”

Dana H., Mother (Mayfield Senior School)

Max B.

St. Francis High School

Calculus

David Needell was one of the best tutors we ever had. Aside from being incredibly knowledgeable and professional, he was easy to work with and excellent at explaining Calculus material. Always cheerful, patient, punctual and passionate about tutoring. We would have no hesitation recommending him and Archimedes to other families.

Florinda B., Mother

Kaitlyn M.

Millikan Performing Arts Magnet

Pre-Algebra and Algebra I

I highly recommend Dayna Bowers from Archimedes Academics for the best parent and student support out there! My daughter has struggled with math since 3^rd grade. After spending time, quite a bit of money and a lot of frustration on other tutors that were unsuccessful in really helping her to understand what she was missing, we were referred to Archimedes Academics when my daughter was in 6^th grade. Once my daughter started working with them, I started to see a change in my her attitude toward math and, subsequently, her grade. The support and positive reinforcement that the student receives makes all the difference in the world and, once they feel that their struggles are being heard and understood, it really changes everything. This past year, my daughter’s freshman year in high school, our regular tutor moved away so Dayna Bowers became her tutor. As expected, Dayna was so supportive and really helped my daughter work through formulas that she was struggling to understand. My daughter is in the performing arts, so her schedule can be quite challenging with theater and dance rehearsals, but Dayna worked with us on scheduling, being incredibly flexible, and always had a great attitude! I am so grateful to have been referred to this wonderful company and highly recommend them, and Dayna, for all of your tutoring needs!!

Gina M., Mother

Chris B.

La Canada Elementary

Middle Level ISEE

We love that Dayna incorporates Chris’ extracurricular activities and interests in enhancing his verbal-related skills for the ISEE, like helping him fine-tune his informative speech for his speech/debate tournament and discussing U.S. Presidents, which is Chris’ hobby. We think that the most important thing about education is to foster the love of learning and that is best accomplished with a smart, caring and maybe most importantly fun teacher. And Dayna fit that bill perfectly.

We really appreciate Dayna’s insightful weekly email reports about Chris’ tendencies and progress because they help us to focus on areas where Chris can improve. We are already seeing great results. Last week, Chris won 2 medals from a math competition held for 3 elementary schools. He must’ve read the questions carefully, like Dayna taught him to do! We always look forward to having Dayna come over to our house because that’s quality learning time for Chris.

Ron and Julie B., Parents

K. L.

Westridge School for Girls

Algebra

I wanted to thank you SO much for sending Rachel our way this summer. She was an incredible help to our daughter! Always super prepared, Rachel spent timing prior to each session working through the lengthy summer math pages and even prepared supplemental materials for practice and support. I think our daughter’s sessions with Rachel will have a huge impact on not only her fluency but her confidence with math as well.

Kitty M., Mother

Stacey Gin

24 March 2026

Our family has worked with many different tutors but Hesley and her team at Archimedes Academics (Zelda specifically) continues to impress us! Zelda has changed our lives. She has made such a positive impact on my daughter as a budding teenager. Zelda prepared my daughter for the ISEE, helped with every step in the high school admissions applications/interview process and continues to be my daughter's biggest cheerleader and super fan. Zelda has a special gift and is able to connect with her students in a way that I've never seen. We are so grateful for this wonderful team!

Melissa Vantrease

12 March 2026

Archimedes Academics is a great option for standardized test tutoring. They have flexible scheduling options and give regular focused updates. My son liked working with Hesley and felt well prepared for the HSPT.

Ara Aprahamian

8 March 2026

We’re very thankful to have found Archimedes Academics and the owner Hesley. They paired our child with the perfect tutor to help with her HSPT test. The tutor was knowledgeable, kind and above all else patient. Thank you and Don’t hesitate to contact this company for your child’s tutoring needs.

Susie Stevens

14 December 2025

Hesley has been invaluable in supporting my child and getting them back on track with math. She has boosted their confidence and has kept them on top of other work by holding them accountable for their organization in a very kind and professional manner. Thank you for helping my family ☺️

Rachel Steward

17 July 2025

I was referred to Archimedes Academics by a friend and Hesley paired us with miracle worker Zelda. Zelda came into a “crisis tipping point” for my 9th grader and quite literally was became thing that ever happened to our family. Zelda is a mentor, guru, tutor, cheerleader, and coach all wrapped up in the most beautiful, colorful package. We are so grateful for Archimedes Academics for sending us this angel.

Dorsa Maryska

10 March 2025

Archimedes helped my son raise his HSPT score 30 points. The result was that he was accepted to his top choice for high school. We are very happy!

IRIS NAVARRO, M.D.

8 March 2025

They truly care about my son’s academic and psychosocial well-being. He felt confident about the HSPT and got into all of the schools he applied.

Phoebe Ventouras

4 December 2024

Archimedes Academics has been a blessing. I recommend their tutoring wholeheartedly. Hesley and Zelda both listened to my daughter's needs and targeted her lessons to fill in the gaps in her math education so that she is better prepared for a middle school entrance exam and middle school in general. Zelda's tutoring sessions have been consistently thoughtful, appropriately challenging, and ultimately fun for my child.

Mary Perkins

2 October 2024

Amazing experience with Hesley & her ability to facilitate a class for college essays. The teacher was engaged & very experience when it comes to the common app & other supporting questions that students need to address on college applications.

Laura Scarsi

24 July 2024

We are thrilled with Archimedes Academics! Their tutors are top notch! My son brought his ACT score up 6 points! My son also had Spanish tutoring from Archimedes Academics and brought his grade up to a B+ from a C-. We have had tutors over the years but none as engaging as the tutors we used at Archimedes!

Armine Gaboyan

16 July 2024

Athena Frost and Hesley Harps did a fantastic job on introducing my son to his high school entrance exam. We were impressed of their teaching approach, discipline the sessions were very focused and efficient. My son got excepted to Loyola high school and St. Frances High school with the highest scores and with academic excellence going to Loyola High School. We highly recommend Archimedes Academics.

John Walsh

5 April 2024

Hesley Harps and Archimedes Academics did a fantastic job preparing two of our children for their middle school entrance exams. The magnitude of improvement in their text scores was a testament to Hesley's approach and diligence, and ultimately led to their acceptance at highly competitive private schools. She is excellent at identifying areas that need improvement and then tailoring homework and tutoring sessions that drive better test scores. She is also extremely good with the kids and we would recommend her to anyone.

Twiggy Smalls (BrookeTyler)

12 March 2024

We will forever be grateful for all the help, support and guidance Hesley has given our Daughter. She knows all there is to know about the HSPT entrance exam, what they’re looking for and can even help with interview prep. Our oldest had applied to a few Catholic High Schools that require the HSPT exam. This being super new to us I never realized how important this exam was until a couple weeks before her exam date. As a Mama I totally panicked and started googling prep courses. Thankfully I came across Archimedes Academics! Hesley (the owner) was so kind and explained everything in detail as to what we should expect, she even answered my 900 questions I’d ask randomly via text 🤣. Anyways since we were so last minute we wouldn’t be able to complete an entire prep course, so Hesley suggested tutoring. Our girl did a practice test at first which was structured exactly how it would be for the real exam, she totally bombed the test 😩. Her class of students had really been affected by Covid, and needed to brush up on a lot of Subjects. We would’ve had no idea exactly how behind she was had we not taken the practice exam so I highly suggest doing so if you haven’t. Hesley fit us into her already busy schedule and went over each subject with our girl. She perfectly planned a tutoring lesson brushing up on each area our daughter needed help with the most. After the tutoring, Hesley even gave us a login for an online tutoring program that was catered to our daughters exact needs. After only one week of working on the online program, and a couple one on one tutoring lessons with Hesley, our daughter felt so much more confident and took her test that Saturday. We recently did our interviews, this is when they also go over your HSPT scores and classes they suggest for their first year. I cried!! Our girl was offered an academic scholarship AND asked to be a part of their honors program. I kid you not if you had seen her test scores prior you wouldn’t even believe how much she had progressed thanks to Hesley! None of this would’ve been possible without all of her support and guidance! She’s straight to the point, extremely intelligent and has a way of encouraging your teen to want to learn and do their best! After their tutoring lessons she would even text me with suggestions on what we should work on next. After our most amazing experience we also referred Hesley to another Mama friend in the same predicament we were. She also couldn’t be more thankful for our recommendation and absolutely loved everything about Hesley’s study plan! Super long review, but I literally can’t say enough about our experience and the outcome! If you’re hesitant like I was, just give it a shot and you won’t regret it I promise! I couldn’t think of a better investment than our kids education and to think of all the support and guidance we received in such a short period has truly been a godsend. I’ll forever be grateful and thankful for you Hesley! You will now be our forever go to tutor! 🙏😊🙌❤️

Nicole Adrien

7 March 2023

Best tutoring service we've ever used for our son. Hesley devised a customized plan to meet our/his objectives for high school placement testing and our assigned tutor was Rachel. She was amazing. Worked really well with our son, motivated him, and coached him on using new testing strategies that really paid off. He started out in the 70th percentile and ended up in the 96th! They made the investment worth it and are a true pleasure to work with: at once professional and really great with kids (a teenager, in this case). Highly recommend!!

Melissa Mejia

6 March 2023

Thank you Archimedes for preparing my son for his HSPT test. He just got accepted to Loyola high school with a scholarship based on his academic achievements and high test scores! I am so happy we used this service!

14 September 2022

Hesley & Archimedes Academics are top notch tutors, mentors & much more. We trusted Hesley & her team of tutors to help mentor our daughter through the HSPT process when she was applying to private school. Not only did she score well but she was given the tools to succeed & be accepted to the high school of her choice. WE are now in the process of college applications & so far we have been supported 100% by Archimedes with ACT tutoring from an amazing coach/tutor & college personal statement foundation. Hesley is a pro & can help anyone with almost anything regarding test prep, essay writing, high school tutoring for any subject. Nothing is too small and nothing is too large. I am very pleased. -- Mary Perkins (La Canada, CA)

Ellen Fletch

24 August 2022

I’ve tried several tutoring places for my kids and I’ve been most happy with the qualified tutors at Archimedes Academics. Give them a try and I think you’ll agree.

Tracy Conlin

22 September 2021

I can't speak highly enough about my experience with Hesley and Archimedes, but I'll try. I decided to go back to school to get my MA in Psychology and needed some help with my admissions essay/interview prep. It's been 15 years since I was last in school and needed a refresher to say the least. Hesley was a delight to work with. Not only was she super knowledgeable, but she also helped boost my confidence. In the end, I wrote a paper that I was really proud of, and was more than prepared for my interview. With her help, I got into the school of my choice and they were so impressed that I was admitted 6 months early. I couldn't have done it without Hesley's. Worth every penny.

Elizabeth Fagan

10 September 2021

We have relied on Archimedes for both HSPT and SAT for our three boys, and they have increased all of their scores significantly. The tutoring sessions are focused and efficient. We recommend Archimedes.

Kelly Park

17 August 2021

Both of our children had the benefit of working with Archimedes Academics. Our daughter used their services for her Catholic High School entrance exam and our son for his Junior High School entrance exam. The sessions were great. The kids tutor was organized, focused and helped both kids achieve their goals. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Silvia D.

We met Hesley back in 2015 when she tutored our oldest son for the HSPT. After a few sessions, we were impressed with her teaching approach, patience, and knowledge. She was able to quickly identify his weaknesses and diligently worked to strenghen them while sharing valuable testing strategies and time management skills. She was able to push him beyond our expectations, and he scored in the 98th percentile. Although he graduated from Loyola since then, Hesley is back in our lives now tutoring our youngest son. We can't recommend her highly enough!

Narine Stygar

11 August 2021

We had our twins tutor and train with Archimedes for their HSPT test. My son will be attending St. Francis and my daughter FSHA this coming school year. We had heard from everyone around us that we had to use Archimedes and when we did we knew exactly why. They are extremely professional and know what they are doing. It was a great experience for both of our children. They each had a different tutor that worked with their specific needs. They both did excellent on their tests and got into all the schools they applied for. If we had to go back and do it again we definitely would use Archimedes again. We actually will look into them when our twins need help in the future.

Talia B.

Makena Stimmler

Julia Torres

Henry C.

Isabella S.

Maddie C.

Lucas C., Daniel B., and Graeme R.

Hannah Douglas

AJ M.

Jack B.

Eli E.

S.M.

Garrett B.

Marshall C.

Haley H.

Max B.

Kaitlyn M.

Chris B.

K. L.

You can reach us at
818-726-8134.

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Talia B.

Makena Stimmler

Julia Torres

Henry C.

Isabella S.

Maddie C.

Lucas C., Daniel B., and Graeme R.

Hannah Douglas

AJ M.

Jack B.

Eli E.

S.M.

Garrett B.

Marshall C.

Haley H.

Max B.

Kaitlyn M.

Chris B.

K. L.

You can reach us at 818-726-8134.

You can reach us at
818-726-8134.