OUR MISSION & VISION
Founded in 1995, Keystone Education is a private school with an unwavering commitment to providing students the tools, values, and resources they need to achieve academic excellence. We believe that an education should foster students’ intellectual growth along with their social and emotional development. Our classroom environment is educational yet fun and motivates students to excel in school. As students advance through our specially designed curriculum, they gain the skills necessary to achieve high test scores and higher grades, ultimately enabling them to achieve success in top-tier universities. Overall, Keystone’s mission is to inspire and guide students to reach their fullest potential while promoting a lifelong passion for learning and personal growth.
WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE
Student’s learning materials are developed by experienced creatives and published by prestigious companies. Our creative team and its sister publishing company, Keystone Educational Publishers, have been working hard to prepare for the updates to the New SAT.
Additionally, to reflect the changes in local education, including this year’s administration of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), we have spent the past years adopting innovative approaches to learning, including smart board technology and focused strategies in critical thinking and writing. With the help of other creatives, we are continuing to update our ESL and TOEFL programs to ease the transition for new immigrants into the American educational system.
DEDICATED CURRICULUM TEAM
Using dozens of real tests as a foundation, our in-house team of curriculum experts create challenging original materials for use in the classroom. From writing and reading to mathematics and grammar, we devise the best exercises to test and teach fundamental test taking skills and strategies to prepare for the common core and other standardized tests.
MOTIVATION & GOAL SETTING
With over twenty-five years of experience helping young people get into college and achieve their dreams, we understand that each student has a different path to follow and requires the individual attention of our directors, counselors, teachers, and staff. We never hesitate to lead the way.
CLASSES FOR EVERY LEVEL
While some test prep companies may focus only on high school students, we believe in preparing students at every level. Good study habits and fundamental skills need to be learned in grade school or middle school for students to achieve the best results. We offer classes of various levels based on age and ability, including classes for those who are just beginning to learn English.
LOCAL EXPERTISE
Each of our locations has broad knowledge of its respective school districts. We work closely with area schools and can give our students the best advice about which schools to choose, which classes to take, and even which teachers provide the most rewarding education.
NEW TECHNOLOGY
Many of our classrooms are equipped with smart-board technology, helping teachers bring the lessons to life and increasing interactivity within the class. Students respond well to the twenty-first century approach and are more eager to engage with their exercises.
INNOVATIVE APPROACH
Our teachers inject their unique characters into each class, teaching lessons in a variety of ways that keeps the class active and inspired. From the competitive strategies of gamification to brain-enhancing projects like our Memory-Flash Vocab system, we are always seeking new and better ways to educate the next generation of students.
“During my time spent at Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep), I was given the opportunities to form lasting and impactful relationships with mentors who helped me get where I am today. Anytime I struggled with a topic, my instructors demonstrated patience while they helped me tackle my obstacles. The ACT and SAT classes that I took in the Fall and Summer were extremely helpful because they gave me the confidence and the foundation I needed to succeed on these exams.”
“PA College Prep’s instructors are highly experienced and are very open to sharing their knowledge. They provided me with lots of helpful strategies and information that helped me excel on SATs. If you are looking for an SAT prep school, I highly recommend PA College Prep to everyone.”
“Thanks to PA College Prep and Kelly (director) for all the help and support. I have finished the college application process with lots of great options.”
“Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) feels like home. The teachers, staff, and students are extremely friendly and you won’t be afraid to ask for help. With their abundance of practice tests and hard work from your end, you’re guaranteed improvements.”
“Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) is a great institution. All of their classes that I attended, especially their SAT program, definitely prepared me for college. The instructors are experts that have extensive knowledge on the subjects they taught. Through their SAT program, I improved over 100 points because the content of the courses was detailed and the instructors always answered any questions I had. Additionally, the instructors were very helpful. Whenever I came across a problem, they were always there to guide me. PACP helped me get into great universities like UCLA, UC San Diego, and UC Irvine. Because of Keystone Education, not only was I able to perform my very best on the SAT, but they also helped me build a solid foundation that set me on the right path for my future.”
“From the start, Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) has been very good to me. Though I only attended their ACT class, I have to thank the director, Kitty Yue, for her guidance and kindness. She was able to offer me classes when no other schools could provide me the ACT preparation I needed. Miss Kitty even gave me a free college counseling session, and because of that, I was able to better understand the college application process. My heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to Miss Kitty!”
“Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) has been the one thing that has motivated me to pursue higher education. It would be impossible for me to be where I am now without learning the skills of test taking at PA, and I am forever grateful for this experience. I highly recommend Keystone Education if you want to get ahead in both SAT and the ACT scores because in the end I was able to earn a 2230 on the old SAT and a 35 on the ACT. I cannot stress the importance of this institute to my future, and I am extremely happy to be one of Keystone Education’s success stories. Go Bears!”
“I knew one summer of SAT prep at Elite was not enough, so I begged my mom to let me attend Keystone Education ( formerly PA College Prep) for more practice. The practice tests that Keystone Education provided are unquestionably harder than the actual test, so when the real SAT came along, the test seemed a lot easier. I’m not a child prodigy, but Keystone Education did help me increase my score noticeably. With my improved SAT score, I was accepted by top UCs and I look forward to start college this September.”
“When I first came to the United States as a high school freshman, I had difficulty acclimating to the American school system. However, thanks to PA College Prep, I went from being an ESL student to gaining admission at MIT! PA College Prep’s ESL, Test Preparation, and College Counseling services have helped me get into the college of my dream! Thanks PA College Prep!”
“During my time at Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep), I not only received excellent help from my mentor, but also felt a sense of security for my future. The encouragement and guidance I received from Mrs. Gunn, my mentor, and Ms. Kitty, the director, is why I was able to endure the turmoils of senior year and college application season. I was recently accepted into UC Berkeley with a Regent Scholarship as well as UCLA and UCSD. I just want to say how grateful I am for everything Ms. Kitty has done for me, and I would definitely recommend this place for college preparations.”
“Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) is the best learning institution that you can ever come across. I came to this school even though I’m from a different state because I couldn’t resist such a great opportunity to be educated by the teachers at Keystone Education. Ms. Kitty is an excellent director and always guides you to reach for your goals. The teachers are great as well. I’ve taken their SAT course and I really enjoyed every moment of it. There’s a lot of homework, but being challenged is key to performing better on the real SAT. I recently just earned an Air Force ROTC Scholarship and was accepted to all the colleges I’ve applied to so far. I attribute my success to all my Keystone teachers who helped me succeed. Without Keystone Education, I wouldn’t have had the same mindset when applying for college. Thank you, Keystone Education!”
”Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) has played an undoubtedly significant role in my life. Not only did the encouraging teachers and staff support me through my elementary and middle school years, but they also helped me accomplish a goal that will shape the rest of my life – getting a 1550 on the SAT as a high school freshman. Thanks to Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) and its director, Kitty Yue, who has always kept an eye on my progress and guided my education, I can now use these next three years to refine the skills I have and pursue other interests. There is no doubt in my mind that wherever my future may lie, Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) has been and always will be there for me.”
” Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) is an incredible school to attend to raise your SAT and ACT scores. Not only are the teachers extremely well-qualified to teach the material, but they also genuinely want to see all their students succeed. Because of the relatively small class sizes, it is convenient to obtain one-on-one support from the instructors whenever needed. The classwork and homework are extremely helpful since they cover all aspects of the tests. The practice tests are amazing because they are more difficult than the real test which thoroughly prepared me for the SAT and ACT. I raised my score tremendously in only a few months; the results undoubtedly show how helpful Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) really is. 10/10. Would recommend.”
“PA College Prep has been extremely helpful to me as I pursued my college ambitions. Not only did they help me to score high on my test, but they also provided invaluable college advice. Because of PA College Prep, I was accepted early admissions to Stanford University, and I am truly thankful for my experience there.”
“Thanks to PA College Prep and Kelly (director) for all the help and support. I have finished the college application process with lots of great options.”
“PA College Prep Academy has been the best place for academic excellence. Ever since I came to America during the fourth grade, I have been struggling with school. When I first came to PA College Prep Academy as a fifth grader, the staff at PA College Prep was exceptionally kind and passionate about helping me in every subject. No matter what questions I had, the PA College Prep staff addressed my concerns one by one, and helped me every step of the way.”
“PA College Prep is the best choice we have ever made. Kevin was trained not only academically but also in his personality. We have no words to describe our appreciation to your team effort and professional expertise.”
“The personalized care and monitoring of my son’s progress, and the individualized attention was a pleasant surprise – it was so wonderful to see. I walked away from the meetings with a renewed sense of comfort that he is in good hands – and that PA College Prep will provide the guidance and knowledge to prepare him for success on his SATs. PA College Prep helped instill the proper habits necessary for success with his college future. Again I thank you for your support in preparing my son for his academic journey.”
“…When I took classes at PA College Prep, I felt that PA College Prep provided students with a very comfortable and challenging learning environment. The faculty not only helped us with the various subjects, but they also made themselves available to answer any of our questions about standardized tests and applying to college. As a student at PA College Prep, I always new that the faculty would be available to offer me guidance on academic issues ranging from chemistry review to paper revisions to college essay brainstorming.”
KEYSTONE EDUCATION WEST COVINA
“I belong with the children… this is my life.”
For the past 35 years, Kitty Yue has dedicated her life to her goal of helping students achieve the highest educational and academic levels. She strives not only to assist her students in achieving academic excellence, but also to motivate them to become better people.
“Miss Kitty”, as she is affectionately known by staff, students and parents alike, began her teaching career in Hong Kong and continued to hone her skills in the fields of child development and child psychology by working at the South Hills Academy in West Covina, CA as their International Students Coordinator. Always, however, her ultimate goal was to run her own school in the style she felt was best for her students. She believes that helping and developing children is her calling in life. Because of this, Miss Kitty leads with a style and determination that only someone with her life goals and experience can do. The “tough but caring” environment she provides is the cornerstone of her success with her students.
Parents praise and thank Miss Kitty not only for their child’s increasing academic achievements and growth, but also for their child’s improving discipline, maturity, and noticeably better behavior – even at home!
“Keystone Education offers many resources instrumental in advancing one’s scholastic interests. Instruction is of the highest quality, and the classroom environment is flexible enough to accommodate any student successfully. Me Gusta Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep)!”