Tuition is one of the Most effective tool To improve a child’s education, yet too few children in America receive it. A 2023 survey of the nation’s largest school districts found less than 10 Students received tuition. One factor is that tuition is very expensive for many families, often costing hundreds or thousands of dollars per month.
Former Google product manager and teacher Tim Novikoff wants to change that. His startup, Super Teacher, offers an AI-powered tutoring app for elementary school students that costs $15 per month or $10 with an annual plan. Super Teacher aims to make private tuition accessible to families across the country.
The four-year-old startup is gaining popularity. Novikoff says about 20,000 families have signed up for Super Teacher, and public schools in New York, New Jersey and Hawaii now use the app. SuperTeacher is a Startup Battlefield Top 20 Finalist at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco.
Novikoff was a mathematics teacher in New York City, first in Harlem and then at Stuyvesant High School, a highly ranked public school. In an interview with TechCrunch, he said that almost all students at Stuyvesant received tutoring, while many students at Harlem did not, and the difference in their educational experience was huge.
“(Tutoring) is by far the most effective intervention that can be provided to children’s education, and it’s not even close,” Novikoff said. “It’s really unfair that not everyone has this opportunity. That’s why I’m on 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 that is designed to always give the correct answer – avoiding inaccuracies that could impact the LLM.
Novikoff thinks AI tutors could have a valuable impact on children’s lives, but he is adamant that AI will never replace teachers in school settings. He refers to AI tutors as a tool that teachers can use, like smart boards or calculators, and not an outright replacement.
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Super Teacher is only available to elementary school students, a decision Novikoff made to help his own children and because few edtech companies target that age group. Looking ahead, he hopes to expand to smaller and larger classrooms and partner with more school districts across the U.S.
Novikoff first founded Fly Labs, a mobile video-editing app, was acquired by Google in 2015.
If you want to learn more about SuperTeacher from the company itself — as well as check out dozens of others, hear their pitches, and hear from guest speakers on four different stages — join us at Disrupt October 27 to 29 in San Francisco. Learn more here.
