Academic Supports

Prospect High School offers a variety of supports and strategies to help students succeed. Below, you'll find various supports that are currently being offered on campus as well as online.

Tutoring & Supports

Prospect Academic Center

The Academic Center is located on the 2nd Floor of our Student Union. Students can access the Academic Center through the outside staircase before and after school. Come to the Academic Center! Teachers will be available to help, or you can use the space to complete work on your own. Hours will be posted and updated each month.

FREE Access to Varsity Tutors for CUHSD Students

Varsity Tutors is an online learning platform that connects students with tutoring, test preparation, and enrichment opportunities across a wide range of subjects. Students can prepare for exams like the ACT, PSAT, SAT, and AP tests, strengthen college applications, and explore potential career pathways. The platform also provides 24/7 on-demand homework help, live enrichment classes, and targeted college readiness resources. Designed to support both academic growth and personal development, Varsity Tutors makes learning accessible anytime, anywhere.

How to Get Started:

Go to the CUHSD Portal and scroll to the Varsity Tutors logo

Click on the Varsity Tutors logo

Log in with your CUHSD email

For more information click here

Peer Tutoring for STEM Classes via the MESA Club

Join the MESA club if you're struggling in any of your STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) classes and would like to be tutored by peers here at Prospect! MESA is a peer tutoring club where you can get tutoring support in math and science classes like on-level Biology to AP Computer Science to AP Chemistry. We meet from 3-3:45pm every Thursday in the Academic Center (second floor of the Student Union).

Study Hall

Prospect High School offers Study Hall opportunities 4x a week (Tuesday - Thursday). Study hall is an opportunity for students to receive help from teachers, make-up tests, assignments, and quizzes, and work on assignments to minimize workload at home. Please note that there is no study hall on Mondays, but our Academic Center is open for students if a space is needed to complete work.

If you need support or guidance, please feel free to reach out to your Counselor and/or Assistant Principal.

How to Ask your Teacher for Help: A Guide to Advocating for Yourself

It can be super scary and intimidating to ask for help, especially with everything going on in your personal life, BUT it is so IMPORTANT!! Getting the help you need early and often will help you improve your grades, achieve your goals, and feel less stressed in the long run.

Be Kind to Yourself

Be Polite and Patient with Teachers

Find the Right Time

Make sure find a time when the teacher isn't surrounded by lots of students, especially if you're nervous asking questions in front of others.
Study hall, before or after school, and after class are great times to check in. Teachers are on campus and want to help students. Find a time that works for you and go knock on the door.
Use this outline to help start your conversation “Hi Mr./Ms. ____________, do you have a minute to talk about:
- - The homework assignment? I am having a hard time with it”
  - My grades? I don’t understand why I scored a _____.”
  - The test coming up? I’m not sure where to start studying.”

Send An Email

Come with Specific Questions

Don’t just say, “Ms./Mr. _____, What can I do to raise my grade?” That is really broad and usually the answer will be something like “do your work”. That doesn’t help anyone and is frustrating for both teachers and students.
Instead try approaching teachers by saying, “I understand ______, but I get confused with __________.” or “Can you explain _________ again, I’m stuck here _____”
Make sure to look through your Canvas page and PRIORITIZE your assignments. You don't need to do them all, but instead, focus on those that will help you understand what's going on in class or boost your grade.
- - If you need help with this, print out your grades in the course and set up a time to meet with your teacher to ask if there are assignments she/he would recommend.

Develop Signals

Your teachers want to help you understand! If you don’t understand something in the middle of a lesson do one of the following:

Raise your hand! - Low pressure ways to publicly ask for help include saying things like: “Could you explain that again/another way?” “ I’m not sure I quite get it. Could you give me an example of what you are talking about?”
Develop a hand signal. Many teachers already do a check for understanding where they ask for questions or if you understand what they are talking about with a thumb measure (Thumbs Up- I got it!, Middle- I still need help, thumbs down - I don't get it at all!) Take advantage of this. Be honest when this happens even if you hide your answer from other students.

Plan Ahead

Know that you have a test coming up and don’t feel ready? Ask early for help! Asking for help to prepare for an exam less than 48 hours before puts stress on teachers and shows you were unprepared. Go ask as soon as you realize you need help.
Ask for help before the end of the semester/grading period. That deadline sneaks up quickly, but don’t wait. Doing things at the last minute doesn’t help with learning or with memory.
If you know you need more time to complete an assignment many teachers will grant extensions, but you MUST ask at least 24 hours ahead of time. Don’t assume they will let you turn in work late.

Check the Syllabus