Tutoring in Elementary School: When It Helps and What It Costs

As of September 27, 2026. The prices come from the providers' websites on that day. All sources are linked in the text and listed at the end.

How common tutoring is in elementary school

For the Bertelsmann Stiftung study, Infratest dimap surveyed more than 4,000 parents of children aged 6 to 16 in early 2015. In the 2014/15 school year, just under 5 percent of elementary school children got tutoring (exactly 4.9 percent), compared with about 18 percent at secondary schools. Most often it was about math (61 percent of all tutored students), followed by foreign languages (46 percent) and German (31 percent). Not all tutoring costs money: 26 percent of parents of tutored students paid nothing for it, and at schools with mandatory all-day attendance (gebundene Ganztagsschulen) it was even 34 percent, at schools with optional all-day programs (offene Ganztagsschulen) 25 percent and at half-day schools 20 percent. Those who paid spent 87 euros a month on average (all school types, as of 2015).

Newer figures come from a Forsa survey commissioned by the tutoring provider Studienkreis (in German) of 2,000 parents of school-age children (2024). In it, 22 percent of parents said their child had received paid tutoring at some point during their school years. Children of all grades are counted. Up to about grade 10, in half of the cases parents or other family members help, and school support programs play a small role across all grades at 10 percent. Important: the client sells tutoring itself.

Does tutoring work? The 2016 Bertelsmann study rated the research available at the time as inconsistent: international findings were considered "very heterogeneous," and most German studies had methodological weaknesses, were limited to one region or covered a single provider. One of the studies it classified as reliable, on tutoring in elementary schools (Luplow and Schneider, 2014), found no increased skill development in children with paid tutoring. We have not reviewed what the research looks like today. In the Forsa survey for Studienkreis, on the other hand, 57 percent of parents whose child had paid tutoring report that their grades improved.

What this means for you: tutoring is rare in elementary school, and when children do get support, it most often comes from the family. Tutoring is a possible next step, not a sure thing. That makes a clear goal and a date to check whether anything is changing all the more important.

Does my child need tutoring? The checklist

Go through the questions calmly, ideally after a talk with the teacher. The list is our own compilation, not a test and not a diagnosis.

How to read the answers:

• Yes to 1, 2 and 4: Targeted tutoring in exactly this subject can make sense. Agree on a goal, for example "multiplication tables solid by the fall break," and take stock after a few weeks.
• Yes mainly to 5: Try whether another person at the table helps. That does not have to be an institute contract.
• Yes only to 6: Tutoring is probably not needed yet.
• Yes to 7: Assessment first, then decide which help fits.

If math is the sticking point, you will find ideas in the article Child doesn't understand math: what parents can do.

When there is more behind it: tutoring is not learning therapy

If reading, writing or math remain very difficult despite practice, talk to the teacher and the pediatrician about an assessment. Behind it there can be, for example, dyslexia or dyscalculia, and there are dedicated therapies for those. According to the Bundesverband Legasthenie und Dyskalkulie (in German), health insurers do not cover the cost of dyslexia therapy. Under certain conditions you can apply to the youth welfare office (Jugendamt) for integration assistance (Eingliederungshilfe); if it is approved, the Jugendamt pays for the out-of-school support. According to § 35a SGB VIII (in German), the condition is that the child's mental health deviates from the typical state for their age with high probability for longer than six months and that this impairs their participation, or that an impairment is to be expected. For this, the Jugendamt obtains a professional opinion, for example from a child and adolescent psychiatrist or a child and adolescent psychotherapist.

This article does not replace advice from a teacher, pediatrician or learning therapist, nor a diagnostic assessment of support needs.

Before tutoring: a four-week plan

Before you sign a contract, try this plan. It is a suggestion, so adapt it to your child.

Week 1: talk to the teacher. Take these questions with you:

• Where exactly is the problem: basics, pace or understanding the task wording?
• Does the school offer support classes, and can my child take part?
• Would you recommend tutoring, and if so, for what exactly?
• Can you confirm the support need in writing? You need the teacher's confirmation for learning support from the education package (Bildungspaket; see alternatives).

Weeks 2 and 3: practice with a focus. Short, daily if possible, and only on the one topic the teacher named. Use material from class so your child does not learn two different ways of calculating.

Week 4: take stock. Has anything moved? If so, keep going. If not: check the free options first, then compare trial lessons at two providers.

What tutoring costs (as of September 2026)

How we compared

• Basis: the entry prices and conditions the providers state on their own websites, retrieved on 09/27/2026.
• "From" prices: They only apply under the stated conditions and can vary by location.
• No tests of our own: We have not tried the offers ourselves.
• Our own product: Gennady is our own product. It is not in the table, because an app does not replace a tutor.

What that means per week and month (our own calculation based on the providers' figures): At Schülerhilfe, 4 lessons at EUR 8.76 come to EUR 35.04 per school week. At GoStudent, the two price examples come to EUR 144.04 per month (4 sessions at EUR 36.01) or EUR 240 per month (12 sessions at EUR 20). How holidays and illness are billed is set by the respective contract.

Private tutoring

We did not find a reliable, current average figure. Two posts from the forum r/Eltern, both from parents of older children, show how far prices and budgets are apart. One parent writes: "In Munich there is nothing under 20€ per hour" (Reddit, 2025 (in German)). A mother of two students in grades 7 and 10: "Paying 30 euros per hour or more on an ongoing basis for two children is simply hardly feasible for us financially." (Reddit, 2026 (in German)). These are individual voices, not market prices.

What Stiftung Warentest found

The most recent test we found covers online tutoring (Stiftung Warentest, January 16, 2025 (in German)). It says little about elementary school, because the practice lessons were taken by students in the eleventh and twelfth grade (in German). Two of seven providers received the grade "Good." All of them work with freelance teachers, often university students, and the testers found the costs on the providers' websites partly confusing and not transparent. According to News4teachers (in German), the cheapest offer cost 164 euros per month (12-month subscription, two lessons per week, junior teacher with little experience). Online tutoring is better suited to students who can concentrate well and motivate themselves, the testers said.

Contract term and cancellation: what to check before you sign

The low hourly prices depend on long contracts: 24 months at Schülerhilfe, 12 months at Studienkreis, 12 months in the GoStudent price examples, and 24 months paid in advance for the cheapest sofatutor plan. In the Warentest as well, longer subscriptions were cheaper per hour than short-term options (News4teachers). If your child has a clearly defined gap, a two-year contract can run longer than the need. So ask for the total amount over the full term, not just the hourly price.

What the law says: For pre-formulated contract terms (general terms and conditions) for regular services, the following are invalid under § 309 No. 9 BGB (in German):

• a commitment of more than two years,
• an automatic renewal, unless the contract only renews for an indefinite period and you can then cancel at any time with a notice period of no more than one month,
• a notice period of more than one month before the end of the first term.

According to the Verbraucherzentrale (in German), the rules on renewal and notice period apply to contracts from March 1, 2022. Older contracts may still renew by up to one year. Since July 1, 2022, there has also been a requirement for a cancellation button on the internet.

Right of withdrawal: For contracts concluded away from business premises or at a distance, for example online, by phone or at an appointment at your home, you have a statutory right of withdrawal (§ 312g BGB (in German)). The period is 14 days (§ 355 BGB (in German)).

Checklist before you sign:

• Used the trial lessons? At the consultation, Schülerhilfe gives you a voucher for 2 trial lessons. Studienkreis offers 2 free on-site trial lessons, and GoStudent a free trial session.
• Total price in writing? Have the total amount for the minimum term, including all fees, stated in writing.
• Term, notice period and renewal in writing? Put the last cancellation date in your calendar right away.
• Group and teacher clarified? How many children are in the group, and does it stay the same person?
• Holidays and illness covered? Can the contract be paused, and does the minimum term then extend?
• Does the tutor know what is being worked on right now? Stiftung Warentest advises that the child tell the tutor the desired learning content, current problems and grades (News4teachers). With an elementary school child, you are best off doing this yourself, for example with the current worksheets.
• Is there a goal and a date for the first review?

Alternatives to tutoring

Not every gap needs a tutoring contract. These options are partly free and partly freely arranged, and each fits a particular situation.

All-day care and after-school care: ask about homework help and support

Since August 2026, first graders have a legal entitlement to all-day education and care, and from the 2029/2030 school year it applies to grades 1 to 4. The entitlement covers eight hours on five days, with class time counted toward it. According to the Federal Family Ministry, the offerings include homework help and support classes, among other things. What this looks like locally differs between the German states (Bundesländer). What all-day care means for homework is covered in our article All-day care from 2026. For other options when both parents work, read Homework help in elementary school: options and costs.

Education package: learning support without you paying

According to the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, children who receive Bürgergeld or social assistance, or whose parents receive child supplement or housing benefit, are in principle entitled to benefits from the education package. Families receiving benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act may also be entitled. This includes learning support, that is, tutoring whose costs the office covers:

• Promotion to the next grade does not have to be at risk (§ 28 para. 5 SGB II (in German)).
• There must be no comparable offer from the school (Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs), and the teacher must confirm the support need (Bundesverband Legasthenie und Dyskalkulie).
• For learning support you need a separate application. With Bürgergeld you usually go to the Jobcenter, with housing benefit, child supplement or social assistance to the district or the independent city, for example via the town hall or citizens' office.

Reading mentoring: when it is mainly about reading

At the LESEMENTOR Bundesverband, volunteers accompany a child one-on-one, one hour a week, for a year. Reading support always takes place in cooperation with schools: teachers select children with a support need and obtain the consent of the children and parents. So ask at school whether it works with a reading mentor association.

Apps for practice and homework

There are free apps for review and practice. With ANTON, according to the App Store description, all content is free and ad-free. For an overview with prices, see our comparison of learning apps for elementary school and the guide Learning apps and tutoring compared. Which homework apps show the solution and which explain first is covered in Homework app for elementary school: solver or explainer?.

Gennady is our own product and starts with today's task: your child photographs the worksheet, Gennady reads the task aloud, explains the method step by step and checks your child's answer. If the answer is wrong, there are hints first; Gennady shows the correct solution for comparison only on the third try. An app replaces neither a tutor who works on a gap with focus over weeks, nor professional support. It can help when a task is stuck in the afternoon and nobody has time to explain right now. Try it free for 7 days, then subscribe through the App Store.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Bertelsmann Stiftung, Klaus Klemm and Nicole Hollenbach-Biele: Nachhilfeunterricht in Deutschland. Ausmaß, Wirkung, Kosten (2016). bertelsmann-stiftung.de, PDF
• Studienkreis: Forsa survey "Unterstützung beim Lernen," press release (2024). studienkreis.de
• Schülerhilfe: Nachhilfe für die Grundschule, prices and conditions (as of 09/27/2026). schuelerhilfe.de
• Studienkreis: Preise und Angebote (as of 09/27/2026). studienkreis.de
• GoStudent: Preise für Mitgliedschaften (as of 09/27/2026). gostudent.org
• sofatutor: Preisverzeichnis (as of 09/27/2026). sofatutor.com
• Stiftung Warentest: Online-Nachhilfe im Test (2025). test.de
• Stiftung Warentest: Online-Nachhilfe im Test, so haben wir getestet (2025). test.de
• News4teachers: Stiftung Warentest untersucht Online-Nachhilfe und bewertet zwei Anbieter mit "gut" (2025). news4teachers.de
• Federal Ministry of Justice: § 309 BGB, Klauselverbote ohne Wertungsmöglichkeit (as of 09/27/2026). gesetze-im-internet.de
• Federal Ministry of Justice: § 312g BGB, Widerrufsrecht (as of 09/27/2026). gesetze-im-internet.de
• Federal Ministry of Justice: § 355 BGB, Widerrufsrecht bei Verbraucherverträgen (as of 09/27/2026). gesetze-im-internet.de
• Verbraucherzentrale: Gesetz für fairere Verträge, mehr Schutz bei Kosten und Laufzeiten (as of 09/27/2026). verbraucherzentrale.de
• Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs: Leistungen des Bildungspakets (as of 09/27/2026). bmas.de
• Federal Ministry of Justice: § 28 SGB II, Bedarfe für Bildung und Teilhabe (as of 09/27/2026). gesetze-im-internet.de
• Federal Ministry of Justice: § 35a SGB VIII, Eingliederungshilfe (as of 09/27/2026). gesetze-im-internet.de
• Bundesverband Legasthenie und Dyskalkulie: Kostenübernahme für Therapie und Förderung (as of 09/27/2026). bvl-legasthenie.de
• Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth: Das Ganztagsförderungsgesetz (as of 09/27/2026). recht-auf-ganztag.de
• LESEMENTOR Bundesverband: Lesementor:in werden (as of 09/27/2026). mentor-bundesverband.de
• solocode GmbH: ANTON, App Store description (as of 09/27/2026). apps.apple.com
• Reddit r/Eltern: post "Nachhilfelehrer zu teuer!" (2025). reddit.com
• Reddit r/Eltern: post "Was sind eure Erfahrungen mit Nachhilfe?" (2026). reddit.com