Today we’d like to introduce you to Don Kumar.
Hi Don, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started Kumar Academy about a year ago, right around my junior-to-senior summer. I was applying for jobs and internships, and I kept seeing tutoring companies hiring at twenty to thirty dollars an hour. Something clicked: why can’t I just do this myself? I knew the material well. This actually goes back to growing up. My mom put me in math tutoring centers as a kid, and I picked it up fast. By junior year, I was already in BC calculus. Once I understood something, I could always explain it in different ways until it clicked for someone else, even if I didn’t know the “proper” textbook terms for it. So last summer I just started. Built a curriculum, started using what I knew, and it took off from there.
Part of this also came from thinking the school system, even public school, is flawed in a specific way. Not the teachers’ fault. When you’re teaching a whole classroom, you can’t move at each kid’s pace, and a curriculum built to cover everyone ends up too slow or too long for a lot of students, which makes it harder for them to stay engaged.
There was a bigger mindset shift too. As a college student job hunting, the obvious goal is money. But I realized money is nothing but value, and that changed my whole focus: how do I create the most value I can? I landed on education. It’s value on two sides: affordable, relatable, engaging tutoring for students, and real job opportunities for college students.
Kumar Academy is one-on-one online tutoring, and what makes it different is that every tutor is a college student. That matters for two reasons. They just went through the school system, so they know what it’s actually like. And they did it successfully: strong grades, strong test scores, admission into good schools. That makes them relatable in a way most traditional tutors aren’t. I care less about a tutor knowing everything and more about whether they can actually connect with a student and explain things in a way that lands.
I also remembered how boring and impersonal those tutoring centers felt when I was a kid, and how much that kills learning. So everything is one-on-one, every student gets full attention, and having relatable tutors makes it more engaging. Everything’s online, which makes it accessible for families anywhere. And it’s personalized: parents choose what fits their kid, students can work across subjects with different tutors, and they can switch tutors if something’s not the right fit.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been the smoothest road. In the beginning, it was just small-scale organic marketing, posters at the library, that kind of thing, so growth was slow. Even now, there are moments I question myself, wondering what I’m doing or why I’m doing this. There have been stretches where I’ve been down to just a couple of students, and it’s rough not having consistent classes every week.
Part of what makes those stretches scary is wanting to make sure I have enough classes lined up for my tutors too. I honestly can’t thank them enough for sticking with me and being there through it. I’ve also had moments of conflict between a tutor and a parent that I had to step in and resolve, trying to keep both sides happy. It worked out, but it took a lot out of me. And even now, if I’m being honest, it’s still scary. I want to make a real impact, and I know that kind of thing takes a slow, uphill climb. But I believe in God, and I know that as long as I keep working hard and stay faithful, I’ll get there.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Kumar Academy is an online tutoring service for middle and high school students. We cover math, English, test prep, SAT and PSAT, and most core school subjects. But honestly, the “what we teach” part is almost the easy answer. What actually matters, and what I built this whole thing around, is how we teach it.
Every single session is one-on-one. No group classes, no splitting attention. Your kid gets a tutor who’s fully focused on them, for them, the entire time. And every tutor follows the same structured curriculum, so it’s not luck of the draw depending on who you get. The quality, the approach, the standard – it’s the same across the board, every time.
Here’s the piece I’m probably proudest of: every one of our tutors is a college student, and every one of them is vetted. That’s not just a nice detail, that’s the whole point. These are students who just went through the exact same system your kid is going through right now, and they came out the other side successfully, with good grades, strong test scores, and into good schools. So they’re not some distant adult trying to relate to a fifteen-year-old. They get it. They remember what it’s actually like, and they know how to explain things in a way that clicks, in a way a lot of older tutors just can’t.
Because we’re online, we’re accessible for families no matter where they are, and honestly, that changes the whole experience for a kid. So many students hate tutoring. It feels like punishment, like one more thing being added to their plate. We built Kumar Academy specifically to fight that. Our sessions are engaging, they’re one-on-one, they’re with someone the student can actually relate to, so kids stop dreading it and start showing up wanting to be there.
But if you want the one line that sums up what we actually do, it’s this: we’re the bridge between a student’s grades and a parent’s peace of mind. That’s not just a tagline to me. That’s the whole mission. Because it’s not enough for a kid to just get better grades. We want them getting there without the extra pressure, without the stress, in a way where the parent isn’t lying awake wondering if anything is actually working behind closed doors.
And that’s honestly what I’m most proud of, brand-wise. It’s not the curriculum, and it’s not the systems, even though I care a lot about both. It’s the moments. It’s watching a student who used to dread a subject actually get engaged, actually understand it, and actually feel confident again. It’s getting a text from a parent out of nowhere saying their kid just scored a 98% on a test, followed by a simple “thank you so much.” Those moments are why I do this. That’s what Kumar Academy is really about.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
The biggest piece of advice I’d give is to push yourself to talk to everyone, not just the people you’re naturally comfortable with. It’s easy to stick to people your own age, your own background, people who think the way you do. But the real growth happens when you make yourself talk to the people outside that circle too, different ages, different genders, different backgrounds, different mindsets. Every one of those conversations gives you a perspective you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise, and you never know which one leads to the connection or the opportunity that actually matters.
The other thing I’d say is just keep showing up and keep trying. You won’t always know upfront who’s going to become a mentor or a valuable connection. Sometimes it’s someone you talk to once at an event, and sometimes it’s someone you build a relationship with over months. As long as you stay consistent about putting yourself out there, you’ll find the right people along the way.
But the most important part, honestly, is being genuine. Don’t network like you’re trying to get something out of someone. People can tell immediately when you’re being fake or just saying things to make yourself look good. Actually care about the conversation. Ask real questions. Be upfront about what you’re working on and what you’re trying to figure out. That kind of honesty is what makes people want to actually help you, way more than any polished pitch ever will.
Pricing:
- Pricing is bundle-based to reward committed families, with options available for every level of need.
- Reach out directly for current rates and to find the right fit for your student.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kumarschool.org/
- Other: https://portal.kumarschool.org/
