Analysis of CitySchools Collaborative Supports for Tutoring Providers and Student Outcomes
RELEASED OCTOBER 2025
Math tutoring by a CitySchools Collaborative provider at DC Scholars PCS
CitySchools Collaborative (CSC) served 5,810 students through 24 tutoring providers across 92 schools and 18 districts during 2024-25, delivering 8.4 million minutes of tutoring (14% increase from prior year). The intermediary model provides Design Sprints, standards-aligned curriculum, and comprehensive technical assistance to strengthen DC's high impact tutoring (HIT) ecosystem.
This report utilizes an Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting (IPTW) quasi-experimental design to isolate the association of CSC’s comprehensive intermediary support model of high-impact tutoring with student academic growth in math and reading. The findings provide ESSA Tier 2 evidence that CSC-supported tutoring providers were associated with significant improvements in student math outcomes, particularly when providers engage deeply with comprehensive support services.
The CSC model successfully scaled to serve more students while maintaining high implementation quality. To maximize impact, CSC should continue intensive engagement with all providers and develop targeted reading interventions for underperforming programs.
Statistically significant effects of CSC-supported tutoring on math growth
Key Findings
Significant Math Gains
Students receiving high-impact tutoring dosage (900+ minutes of tutoring in the subject of interest) gained an equivalent of 59 additional instructional days in math compared to similar peers who did not receive HIT (statistically significant, p<0.01).
Engagement with CSC Linked to Better Results
Students served by highly engaged providers gained 90 additional instructional days in math, demonstrating value of comprehensive support.
Serving High-Need Students
92% of lower-achieving students assigned to a tutor received HIT dosage, with these students achieving 138% of expected growth in math and 133% of expected growth in reading (both rates were higher than students with baseline scores that were average or above average).
Mixed Reading Results
Reading outcomes varied by provider—while 89% of math providers exceeded expectations, only 62% of reading providers did, suggesting need for targeted support. Overall, results associated with CSC-supported tutoring in reading were not statistically significant.
Stakeholder Satisfaction
80% of educators, 88% of caregivers, and 79% of students expressed satisfaction, with 4 in 5 recommending their tutoring programs.