Joshua Smith
Founder
I started college at 14.
I started college at 14 and began full-time engineering coursework at 15. I built Northbound to give other students the same kind of opportunity: the chance to move faster, think deeper, and grow past what a grade level normally expects of them.
What got me there was not talent or luck. It was the ability to solve unfamiliar problems and think critically, which made it easy to do advanced coursework, and tackle academic challenges with confidence.
That method has a name now. FGS: find, given, solve. Define what you are actually solving for, name what you have been given, then build the path between them. Students learn to constantly challenege their processes and think through various angles for how problems can be solved. What results is a student who questions their thinking and confidently solves unfamiliar problems.
The program
One program. Built around your child.
Every session splits two ways. Part of it stays anchored to the unit your child’s class is covering this week, so grades stay protected and nothing gets missed. The rest goes deeper into that same topic than school has time for, which is where the reasoning gets built. Same material, harder questions.
1-on-1 Coaching
The baseline diagnostic
A live 45-minute session scored across six domains, from procedural fluency to how your child behaves when they get stuck. It sets the baseline everything after is measured against.
Weekly 60-minute private sessions
Live on Zoom. Anchored to this week's material, then pushed past it.
Matched to your child's actual course
We hold the syllabus, the unit calendar, and the test dates. Two weeks out from an assessment, the plan shifts to protect it.
Curated daily problem sets
Under 15 minutes a day, spaced deliberately so the work actually consolidates.
Confidence and reasoning tracking
Your child rates their confidence on every problem. We score correctness and reasoning against it, so we can see where certainty and accuracy come apart.
Parent briefings and direct access
A written note every two weeks, a call once a month, and a same-day answer when your child is stuck between sessions.
How it starts
01
Book your review call
A short form about your student, and you pick a call time on the spot.
02
Your child takes the diagnostic
Forty-five minutes on Zoom, with me watching how they work. You do not need to be there. Just put them on the call.
03
We go through it together
On your review call I walk you through what showed up, what I would do about it, and whether coaching is the right call at all. Your Clarity Report follows in writing.
The diagnostic and the review call are free. Pricing is matched to your child on the call.
Results
The method was working before the program had a name.
“I enjoyed his push to challenge me, which helped me enhance my study habits.”
Student
Rising 6th grade
“He made learning math fun. Super patient. Super professional.”
Parent
Elementary student
“Joshua does a great job of balancing the student learning needs and challenging them with new material.”
Parent
Middle school student
What that has looked like
A 7th grader moved from standard placement into honors mathematics.
An 8th grader prepared for private high school geometry in a focused summer intensive.
Elementary students solving problems two grade levels ahead within targeted concepts.
These came before Northbound was a formal program, so they are testimonials rather than measured results. Families starting now get scored before and after, and those numbers will be published here as they come in.
Find out what your child is actually ready for.
Start with the Clarity Report if you want the diagnostic first, or talk to me directly if you would rather ask questions before your child does anything.
We’ll be in touch within 24 hours.
The guarantee
Your child’s baseline scores are in your hands before you pay anything. We run the same diagnostic again at eight weeks. If it does not show movement of at least one level in at least three of the six domains, coaching continues at no additional charge until it does.