Tutoring is one of the most effective tools for improving a child’s education, yet very few kids in the U.S. receive it. A 2023 survey of the nation’s largest school districts found that fewer 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 Novikoff, 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 that costs $15 a month, or $10 with an annual plan. Super Teacher aims to make private tutoring accessible to families nationwide.
The four-year-old startup is gaining traction. Novikoff says roughly 20,000 families have signed up for Super Teacher, and public schools in New York, New Jersey, and Hawaii now use the app. Super Teacher is a Startup Battlefield Top 20 finalist at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco.
Novikoff was previously a math teacher in New York City, first in Harlem, and then at a highly rated public school, Stuyvesant High School. In an interview with TechCrunch, he said almost all the students at Stuyvesant received tutoring, whereas many of the students in Harlem didn’t, and the difference in their educational experience was stark.
“[Tutoring] is by far the most effective intervention that can be provided to kids for education, and it’s not even close,” Novikoff said. “It’s really unfair that not everyone gets this opportunity. That’s why I’m pursuing a mission to democratize access to private tutoring.”
Super Teacher’s app features animated tutors with AI-generated voices that guide students through interactive lessons. Students talk to the app using voice, like a conversation with a teacher. But unlike many edtech tools, Super Teacher doesn’t use large language models to generate responses. Instead, its content comes from a deterministic system designed to always give correct answers — avoiding the inaccuracies that can plague LLMs.
Novikoff thinks AI tutors can have a valuable impact on children’s lives, but he’s adamant that AI will never replace teachers in a school setting. He refers to AI tutors as a tool that teachers can use, such as smart boards or calculators, rather than a replacement altogether.
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Super Teacher is only available for elementary school students, a decision Novikoff made to help his own children and because few edtech companies target the age group. Looking ahead, he hopes to expand to younger and older grades and partner with more school districts across the U.S.
Novikoff previously founded Fly Labs, a mobile video-editing app acquired by Google in 2015.
If you want to learn more about Super Teacher from the company itself — while also checking out dozens of others, hearing their pitches, and listening to guest speakers on four different stages — join us at Disrupt, October 27 to 29 in San Francisco. Learn more here.
