About
SmartPrep Colorado has been working with junior high and high school students throughout the Pikes Peak Region since 2008, with three goals in mind.
Student Achievement
Our top priority is helping students achieve their academic goals
Supporting Local Teachers
Teaching is a wonderful profession, but many teachers struggle to make ends meet, use their own money to purchase supplies for their classes, and work side gigs during breaks and summers. As a locally-owned company, we primarily employ full- and part-time teachers who work right here in our local districts.
Increasing District
Test Scores
Improving a student’s scores on National Exams is great for that individual student. Raising test scores for an entire class and an entire school affects federal funding, school rankings, and even property values. SmartPrep Colorado’s school-based SAT & ACT Prep Classes raise enough student scores to bring up a school’s average scores in state and national exams.
Our Teachers
SmartPrep Colorado was founded by teachers and primarily employs teachers who are still working as full- or part-time teachers within Colorado Springs and the surrounding school districts. Our tutors know the schools and know many of our students’ teachers, and those personal relationships help us seamlessly integrate tutoring into classroom goals.
Leslie Rutberg, PhD
Educator, Tutor, Owner and Operator
Specialties: English, Research, College Admissions Consulting, ACT/SAT Prep
Leslie began teaching English in 1996. She has worked as secondary English teacher, Gifted and Talented Coordinator, and is currently working as an Area Instructional Coach where she coaches instructional coaches in fifteen schools in D11 in Colorado Springs. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in secondary English Education from Northern Arizona University, her Master in Teaching from Colorado College, and her Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership, Research, and Policy from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. She founded Smart Prep Colorado in an effort to expand academic support for students in all subjects, Advanced Placement exams, PSAT, SAT, and ACT. She also works with parents and teens on the college admissions process ultimately supporting students to earn the scores they deserve so they can get into the college of their choice.
Charlee Archuleta
K-8th grade Math
Charlee Archuleta has been teaching since 1989. She primarily taught grades 3-5 as well as spent three years teaching 6th grade math. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Adams State University, a Master of Arts in Special Education in 1998, and a Master of Arts in Integrated Natural Sciences (Distinction in Mathematics) from Colorado College in 2014. She began tutoring students in mathematics with Smart Prep Colorado three years ago. She is currently an Elementary Math Specialist at Rudy Elementary where she works with students and teachers to design math interventions and challenges for students from Kindergarten through 5th grade among other duties focused on mathematics instruction.
Max Schultz
Physics, Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, Chemistry, ACT/SAT Prep
Max graduated with a Bachelors in Chemistry with minors in German, Physics and Sustainability from the University of Denver. He has been tutoring physics, chemistry, algebra, trigonometry, and calculus for Smart Prep Colorado for since 2023. He has a passion for learning and collaborative learning in particular. Max also coaches high school hockey and tennis. He is currently serving as a quality control chemist in Colorado Springs, while pursuing a master's degree.
Aaron Reeve-Lobaugh
Social Studies, Math, Physics, SAT/ACT Prep
Aaron has been teaching High School STEM topics since 2016. He has taught physics, engineering, and math, and has tutored students in just about every subject, including ACT and SAT prep. He got his start in education by obtaining a degree in Physics and Astronomy from Texas Christian University, and then finished his teaching education at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. While he has taught in Colorado, Nebraska, and Egypt, he currently teaches Geometry and College Applied Math at Urbandale High School in Des Moines, Iowa.