Private tutoring is one of the most effective tools for improving a child’s education, yet very few children in the United States are privately tutored. A 2023 study of the nation’s largest school districts found that less than 10% of students received tutoring. One factor is that tutoring is too expensive for many families, often costing hundreds or thousands of dollars a month.
Tim Novikov, a former Google product manager and educator, wants to change that. His startup, Super Teacher, offers an AI-powered tutoring app for elementary school students for $15 a month, or $10 for an annual plan. Super Teacher aims to make tutoring available to families across the country.
The four-year-old startup is gaining momentum. Novikov said about 20,000 families have signed up for SuperTeacher, and public schools in New York, New Jersey and Hawaii are currently using the app. Super Teacher is a Startup Battlefield Top 20 finalist at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco.
Mr. Novikov previously worked as a math teacher in New York City, first in Harlem and then at Stuyvesant High School, a highly rated public school. In an interview with TechCrunch, he said that while nearly all students at Stuyvesant receive private instruction, many students at Harlem do not, and the disparity in educational experiences is stark.
“[Tutoring] “This is the most effective intervention we can offer children for education, and it’s not even close. It’s really unfair that everyone can’t have this opportunity,” Novikov said. That’s why I’m on a mission to democratize access to tutoring. ”
The Super Teacher app features an animated teacher with AI-generated voices who guides students through interactive lessons. Students use voice to interact with the app, just like they would with a teacher. However, unlike many edtech tools, Super Teacher does not use large-scale language models to generate responses. Instead, its content comes from a deterministic system designed to always give the correct answer, avoiding the inaccuracies that can plague LLMs.
Novikov believes that AI tutors could have a valuable impact on children’s lives, but is adamant that AI will never replace teachers in schools. He refers to AI tutoring as a tool that teachers can use, such as smart boards or calculators, rather than a complete replacement.
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Super Teacher is only available to elementary school students, a decision Novikov made to help his own children, as few ed-tech companies target that age group. Looking to the future, he hopes to expand into lower and upper grades and partner with more school districts across the country.
Novikov previously founded Fly Labs, a mobile video editing app that was acquired by Google in 2015.
If you want to learn more about Super Teacher from the company itself, check out dozens of other companies, hear pitches, and hear from guest speakers on four different stages, join us at Disrupt in San Francisco from October 27th to 29th. Click here for more information.
