Pasadena · San Marino · Arcadia · Monrovia · Glendale

Where ambition meets excellence.

Private tutoring for ambitious students, delivered by graduates of the nation's most selective universities. We accept a limited roster each term.

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Per aspera, ad astra.
By application only
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"The aim is not merely to raise a score, but to cultivate the discipline of serious thought."

We work with a deliberately small number of families across Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia, Monrovia, and Glendale. Every tutor on our roster has completed their degree at a top-tier institution, and every student is matched based on temperament as much as subject.

Our approach is quiet, rigorous, and personal. We do not advertise miracle scores or shortcut curricula. We teach the way we were taught at our own universities: carefully, with conviction, and with an eye toward habits that outlast the exam.

I · Curriculum

Subjects we teach

Our tutors cover the core academic disciplines and the full slate of standardized examinations. Each engagement is shaped around the student — their school, their syllabus, their ambitions.

i.
Mathematics
  • Pre-Algebra
  • Algebra I & II
  • Geometry
  • Pre-Calculus
  • Calculus AB / BC
  • Statistics
  • Linear Algebra
ii.
Sciences
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • AP Biology
  • AP Chemistry
  • AP Physics 1 / C
  • Environmental Science
iii.
Humanities
  • English Literature
  • World History
  • U.S. History
  • AP Lang & Lit
  • Philosophy
iv.
Test Preparation
  • SAT
  • ACT
  • PSAT
  • AP Exams
  • Subject Tests
v.
Admissions Counseling
  • Application Strategy
  • Personal Essays
  • Supplements
  • Interview Preparation
  • Course Selection
II · AI Literacy

Foundation for the future.

Artificial intelligence is now part of student life — in homework, research, and application season. Used well, these tools accelerate learning. Used poorly, they erode it. We teach the difference.

"The students who learn to wield these tools with judgment and skill will lead their generation. We make sure your child is among them."
i.
Prompt Engineering

Structuring requests, supplying context, iterating on output, and recognizing when a prompt is doing the work — and when it isn't.

ii.
Critical Evaluation

AI is confidently wrong with alarming frequency. We train students to verify, cross-check, and read output with a practiced skeptical eye.

iii.
Integration with Study

How to use AI as a tutor rather than a crutch — for drilling concepts, generating practice, and sharpening written work without outsourcing it.

iv.
Academic Integrity

What is permitted, what is not, and where the line sits at your student's school. Honest use, clear attribution, and sound judgment.

III · Who We Are

A small practice, built on standards.

Pasadena City Hall at dusk
Pasadena
— Ad meliora

Pasadena Tutoring Company was founded on a simple observation: the families of the San Gabriel Valley value education deeply, and they deserve a service that takes that seriously. Not a chain, not a platform — a select group of capable tutors who know the local schools and care about results.

We serve students in Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia, Monrovia, and Glendale — at home or online at your convenience. Every tutor is interviewed and evaluated personally by our founder. All instructors must demonstrate subject mastery and the temperament to teach.

Our enrollment is intentionally limited each term. This is a deliberate choice. It allows us to pair each family with the right tutor, respond quickly when exams approach, and keep the standard of work high.

IV · Founder

Meet the founder.

Edgar Ekshian, Founder of Pasadena Tutoring Company
Edgar Ekshian UCLA · 2025
Edgar Ekshian
Founder & Principal Tutor

Welcome. I founded Pasadena Tutoring Company to bring the level of instruction I received at university directly to the students of our community — and there is no greater privilege than helping a young person discover what they are capable of. My team and I look forward to working with your family.

Edgar is a graduate of UCLA in Mathematical Economics and has spent years tutoring students from local schools including Polytechnic, Chandler, Clark Magnet, Arcadia High, San Marino High, and La Cañada High. The company grew from word-of-mouth referrals and has stayed deliberately small ever since.

Beyond teaching, he personally oversees every new match, keeps in touch with each family, and continues to tutor a selective caseload of students each year — in mathematics, the sciences, and standardized testing.

Credentials
  • B.A. Mathematical Economics, UCLA — 3.8 GPA
  • Former Teaching Assistant and Learning Assistant at UCLA
  • 8+ years of tutoring experience
  • Available for direct consultation with every new family
V · Contact

Begin a conversation.

We review each inquiry personally and typically respond within one business day. There is no fee for an introductory consultation.

Electronic Mail
inquiries.ptc@gmail.com
Hours
Inquiries welcome any time
Monday through Saturday
Regions Served
PasadenaSan MarinoArcadiaMonroviaGlendale
— We respond within one business day.
Thank you. We have received your inquiry and will be in touch shortly.