Tara Higgins

Tara Higgins, Founder

Contact Tara Higgins at tara@franklinyard.com

About Tara Higgins

At Franklin Yard, I make sure every family gets honest, realistic guidance about college admissions testing, and every student is empowered to reach their full potential. That process starts with our first conversation, understanding your child as an individual and matching them with the right teacher.

Why trust your child's test preparation to me? With 33 years as an educator, school administrator, and counselor, I've spent my career helping families navigate the educational and admissions landscape. I'll give you straight answers and a real plan to set your child up for success.

Fill out our contact form below to get your child started!

Every program starts with a conversation.

Not sure yet? Read what our families say about working with us.

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FAQs

  • Our tutoring programs are designed to fit the unique needs of each student, whether you’re starting well ahead of your official tests or are in the thick of testing and need help right away.

    That said, here's the tutoring plan we find works best:

    👟  Get started at least 8-12 weeks before your first official test

    📅  Identify two or three dates you plan to test (even if you think you’ll be done after one!)

    👥  Plan to meet with your tutor once or twice weekly, for 90-120 minutes

    📚  Keep up with homework assignments during the week

  • While it depends a lot on where you are relative to your goals, we often find the greatest success with tutoring programs that are at least 20 hours.

    That said, it’s very individual. As with getting in good physical shape, how long it takes to get in good test prep shape depends on lot on where you’re starting.

  • While some of our students achieve their target score on their first attempt at testing, it’s often to your advantage to test at least twice for these reasons:

    1. The majority of students improve on their score when they test a second time.

    2. Many schools accept ‘superscores’, where your best sections scores from different test administrations are combined into a single, best score.

    That said, we discourage most students from testing more than three times.

  • Because our tutoring is very individualized, our tutoring programs are pay-as-you-go, charged at an hourly rate. You’ll never pay more than you need for your child to get to their best result.

    Our hourly rates start at $220/hr, and we’ll always work with you to craft a tutoring program that strikes the best balance between your budget and your testing goals.

  • We have a hand-selected group of experienced tutors, all of whom are experts in the tests and helping students master them.

    When you come to us, we take time to understand your child's academic history, personality, and specific needs, suggesting tutors we think will provide the best possible experience.

  • Our tutoring is entirely virtual. Not only do we find virtual tutoring fits in more conveniently to students’ busy schedules, but we also find that virtual tools provide unique advantages for collaborative learning that make our tutoring more impactful.

  • We do, although we have a limited number of classes each year. You can explore our SAT and ACT Masterclasses here for more information.