It’s not about grades, or test scores, or which APs your kid is signed up for next fall. It’s simpler, and for a lot of parents, harder to answer: does your child still actually like learning?
Harris Solomon, a Columbia University graduate and full-service tutor, has built his practice around that question. Over seven years of working with NYC families — including a growing roster on the Upper West Side, and students at schools like Dalton and Trinity — he has developed an approach built around adapting to each individual student rather than running them through a fixed curriculum. The goal is to make sure every student is not just confident in what they’re learning, but genuinely excited about it, and to help kids who have started to dread school fall back in love with it.
Harris tutors K-12 students across the full AP STEM and humanities slate, honors-level math and science, and mathematics at every level from elementary through advanced high school coursework. He has particular depth in test prep, preparing students for the SAT, ACT, ISEE, PSAT, and Regents. He also guides high school juniors and seniors through the college application process, with a focus on essays that sound like the student actually wrote them.
A significant portion of his practice is dedicated to students with ADHD, executive functioning challenges, and learning differences. For those families, the work often extends beyond any single subject into organization, communication with teachers, and self-advocacy. For middle schoolers, he specializes in building foundational math knowledge — whether that means accelerating a strong student or filling in gaps for one who has quietly fallen behind.
The parents who have worked with him tend to describe the experience in similar terms. “After trying several tutors, Harris is the only one who truly helped my daughter understand math,” one sixth-grade parent wrote. “He’s incredibly thorough and genuinely supportive; I can’t imagine anyone better to guide her learning.”
Another parent credited Harris with helping her son get into one of his top-choice schools, noting that his essay guidance helped the student “clearly express his strengths and voice.” A tenth-grade parent described his ability to “meet my son where he was, build confidence, and make challenging material feel manageable.”
Families on the Upper West Side interested in working with Harris can book a free consultation through his website.
