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Live Online Reading Tutoring · Grade 6 and up

If reading isn't solid, every subject gets harder.

Enroll your child →

One-on-one, or a small group of about four. Triple Guarantee.

A teenage girl at a wooden table turns from her work and smiles.

Who we are

More than three million families have trusted the Institute of Reading Development since 1970.

56Years providing reading instruction to students

250K+Students taught in live-online sessions

1,320+Google reviews · 4.5 stars on Trustpilot from 655 reviews

In our 56 years, more than 200 colleges, universities, and school districts have chosen to offer our reading programs in their communities.

As featured in

Who it is for

Middle school and high school ask students to read to learn, not to learn to read.

A teenage boy reads a book and takes notes at a kitchen table.

By sixth grade, a child who has decided they are not a reader has usually held that opinion for years. We can change their mind.

When a child avoids reading, it usually isn't defiance. Reading hasn't become easy enough to enjoy yet. Skill makes reading easier, easier reading builds confidence, and confidence makes a child want to read more. Every part of that is teachable.

Child in grade 5 or younger? See the Pre-K to 5 program →

The week · Grade 6 and up

A week with us

Class day

A live class with an IRD teacher.

One-on-one, or a small group of about four, never more than six.
Between classes

Structured daily reading of the week’s material, under twenty minutes a day.

The reading material is part of the lesson.
Next class

Then the week begins again.

High school students meet one-on-one.

Teachers we hand-pick, train, and watch teach every week.

The unfair advantage of teaching online: every class is recorded. Every teacher is reviewed. Every parent gets the version of teaching we've trained for.

We hand-pick our teachers. Then we train them in IRD's specific methodology: how to lead a discussion in a small group. How to draw out a quiet reader. How to redirect a disengaged one. How to use the curriculum we wrote so that it teaches the way it's supposed to teach.

And then we keep watching. Senior IRD educators review teacher recordings every week, checking that lessons match the curriculum, that students are getting called on, and that no child is being missed. Feedback flows back to the teacher within days.

Our teachers teach all grades, so they understand the stages of reading development, where your child is in them, and what your child needs to move forward.

Your child's teacher isn't just qualified. They're supervised, every week.

Meet a few of our teachers

Liberty S., IRD reading teacher — "Our programs are warm, encouraging, and very low-pressure. We laugh, celebrate small wins, and mistakes are treated as part of learning — not something to be embarrassed about."
Liberty S.
Reading Teacher

Bella L., IRD reading teacher — "Every child comes in at a different place, and the curriculum gives me the tools to adjust in real time. I watch for the moment a student stops guessing and starts actually reading — and then I build on that. That's when the confidence follows."
Bella L.
Reading Teacher

Rod G., IRD reading teacher — "I have seen immediate confidence and love for reading build in my students, setting them on course for expressive and fluent reading."
Rod G.
Reading Teacher

Three things parents miss when they assume online doesn't work.

A student in a small class gets called on more than a student in a classroom of thirty.About 4 students in a small group, never more than 6, against 30 in a typical classroom. There's no back row. They read aloud more, they're heard more, and they can't drift, because there is nowhere to drift to.
A student at home is more focused than a student in a classroom.No bus. No hallway drama. No twenty other kids whispering. Just your child, their teacher, maybe a few classmates, and the week's reading.
A student who's struggling is harder to ignore in a class of four on a screen than in a classroom of thirty.Their teacher sees them every minute. Sees the moment they're lost. Sees the moment it clicks. The format doesn't hide kids. It surfaces them.

And one-on-one, the room is just them.One-on-one means the session is your child and their teacher. Nobody else hears the hard part.

That's not screen time. That's a reading class.

What families say

“I have used the Institute of Reading Program for my daughter for the last six years, and I feel it has benefited her throughout her elementary and junior high years. It’s a great way to build reading skills and comprehension before entering the next grade.”

– Stephanie, Parent of Middle Schooler

“The teacher was patient, kind, and set high, clear expectations. My son knew to pay attention because she genuinely cared about his growth.”

– Kally, Parent of a Middle Schooler

“His teacher worked with him to build his comprehension and personal confidence. She always listened, very patiently, and she made the program fun.”

– Carol, Parent of a High Schooler

Month to month

Two ways to learn with a live teacher.

Middle school · about four students, never more than six

Small-Group Reading Program

One live 50-minute online class a week with an IRD teacher, in a group of about four, never more than six.
Weekly reading material, part of the lesson, read between classes, under twenty minutes a day.
A free 20-minute reading assessment, scheduled separately from class, usually just before or just after the first class.
Reading Assessments with teacher feedback every six weeks.

For middle school students only

$199 a month

Enroll in the small group →

Two sessions to decide. The terms are just below.

Grade 6 and up, including high school · one teacher, one student

1:1 Private Tutoring

One live 50-minute online session a week with an IRD teacher, one-on-one.
Weekly reading material, part of the lesson, read between sessions, under twenty minutes a day.
A free reading assessment during the first session, with nothing extra to schedule.
Reading Assessments with teacher feedback every six weeks.

For Middle School or High School Students

$349 a month

Enroll in 1:1 tutoring →

Two sessions to decide. The terms are just below.

You pick your day and time during checkout.

There's no start date to wait for. Your child can start as early as this week.

Every small group caps at six, so families who enroll sooner get the widest choice of days and times.

It bills once a calendar month until you stop it. Nothing is owed past the month you've already paid for. To stop, email help@readingprograms.org at least 3 days before your next billing date, and we confirm in writing.

Two sessions to decide, and the Triple Guarantee

Two sessions to decide

The school year is not the summer. Our programs are built for both, sized to be doable and sustainable alongside school, not an extra burden. You can't know until you've lived a couple of weeks of the program whether this time, this teacher, and this workload fit your school-year week. So the first two sessions exist for you to find out, and if it doesn't fit, we return the tuition.

On your child's first enrollment with us, tell us you want to stop within 48 hours after the end of the second scheduled session, or within 21 days of purchase, whichever comes first, and we refund your tuition in full. Email help@readingprograms.org. Your enrollment continues as normal unless you tell us to stop. After the window, tuition already paid is not refunded, and you can still stop future billing at any time.

The IRD Triple Guarantee, for as long as your child is enrolled

Right Teacher. Not the right teacher? We rematch within 7 days at no charge, plus one additional session with the new teacher at no charge.

Right Level. Placed wrong? We re-place within 7 days at no charge.

Right Outcome. If your child attends at least 90% of scheduled sessions and completes at least 90% of assigned practice over at least four weeks without measurable reading progress, we provide four further weeks of instruction at no charge.

The Triple Guarantee provides more instruction, not a refund. To make a claim, email help@readingprograms.org. The two-session window above is separate: it refunds your tuition within its time limits.

Your options

We know you have options. Let's compare them.

What you get	Reading apps	You teach them yourself	A local tutor or learning center	IRD
Teacher	None	You. Every correction feels personal.	Variable training, no oversight	A teacher trained in our method, supervised by a senior reading teacher
Curriculum	Algorithm, no teacher	Whatever you can find online	Whatever the tutor brings	Written and refined over 56 years
Progress checks	Points and badges, not reading skills	Your best guess	Depends on the tutor	Free assessment; a reading update every six weeks
Your time	Logging in, keeping them on task	Planning and teaching, every week	Driving there and waiting	A weekly class; under twenty minutes a day
Quality control	Automated, no human review	No one to check your approach	None: closed door	Recordings reviewed weekly
Cost	$10–20 a month	Free, except your sanity and patience	$65–130 an hour, or $200+ per week	Less than $50 a week small group; less than $88 a week 1:1

Questions

Straight answers

Why not wait and see whether it settles down this year?

Because the reading load goes up through the school year, and every other subject is learned through reading. Waiting does not restart the cycle. Skill makes reading easier, easier reading builds confidence, confidence makes a child want to read more, and reading more is what builds the next skill. Every part of that is teachable. None of it starts on its own.

What does it cost?

$199 a month for the Small-Group Reading Program, or $349 a month for 1:1 Private Tutoring. You pay when you enroll. It bills once a calendar month until you stop it, and nothing is owed past the month you've already paid for.

Can a high school student join a small group?

No. High school students are tutored one-on-one. The Small-Group Reading Program is for middle school.

How soon can we start?

There's no start date to wait for. You pick your day and time during checkout, and your child can start as early as this week. In a small group, families who enroll sooner get the widest choice of days and times.

Do you test my child before we start?

No test stands between you and enrolling. Every child starts with a free reading assessment after you enroll. In 1:1 Private Tutoring it is part of the first session. In the small group it is scheduled separately from class, usually just before or just after the first class. If the level is wrong, we re-place within 7 days at no charge.

Who teaches my child?

An IRD teacher, live, every week. Our teachers teach all grades, so they understand the stages of reading development, where your child is in them, and what your child needs to move forward. If the match is wrong, we rematch within 7 days at no charge, plus one additional session with the new teacher at no charge.

My child will not want to do this. What then?

Start with the format that fits them. In 1:1 Private Tutoring, the room is just them, so nobody else hears the hard part. And the first two sessions exist so you can find out whether this time, this teacher, and this workload fit your week. If they do not, we return the tuition.

What if my child misses a class?

Tell us at least 24 hours ahead, and we schedule a makeup lesson so your child does not lose instruction time.

What if we need to stop?

Email help@readingprograms.org at least 3 days before your next billing date, and we confirm in writing. Nothing is owed past the month you've already paid for.

I'd rather talk to someone first.

Write to us at help@readingprograms.org. You do not have to speak to anyone to enroll. The buttons on this page complete on their own.

Give reading its own hour, the one that actually gets done.

Enroll your child →

You pick your day and time during checkout.

Questions first? Write to us at help@readingprograms.org.