What Happens When Your Child Misses a Class? We Compared the Policies So You Don't Have To.

Every enrichment program publishes a curriculum. Almost none of them lead with their policies.

That’s a problem, because policies are where the real cost of a program shows up. A missed class, a family vacation, a decision to leave. How a program handles those moments tells you more than any brochure.

We compared the published policies of three well-known programs — Kumon, Mathnasium, and the Russian School of Mathematics (RSM) — against our own. Here is what we found. Sources are linked at the bottom. One note before we start: Kumon and Mathnasium are franchises, so policies vary by center. Always confirm with your local center and get it in writing.

Missed Classes and Makeups

This is the policy parents hit most often. Kids get sick. Soccer runs late. Life happens.

Mathnasium. Standard center policy: no credit or refund for missed sessions, and unused sessions do not carry to the next month. Their own documents compare it to a gym membership. Their unlimited “Infinity” plan permits no makeups at all. Some centers offer limited makeup exceptions for illness, capped at roughly once every two months.

Kumon. Makeup handling is center-by-center. There is no national guarantee.

RSM. No makeup classes for missed lessons. If your child misses class, homework stays available on the portal and teachers help them catch up. Independent Russian-model math schools state it plainly: not responsible for missed classes for any reason, including illness and vacations.

Genie Academy. Cancel ahead of time (4 hours on Premium, 24 hours on Budget) and you get a makeup for that class. No cap. Makeups never expire while you’re enrolled, and you can take them at any center or online.

We believe your tuition should buy classes, not forfeited sessions.

Breaks and Pauses

Kumon. National policy allows one month of absence per calendar year. Longer than that and you pay a new registration fee and retake placement tests. Some centers will hold a spot at half tuition.

Mathnasium. Pauses of at least two weeks at a time, with start and end dates given in advance.

RSM. No pause option. It’s a semester commitment. You’re enrolled or you withdraw.

Genie Academy. Premium contracts get unlimited breaks. Budget contracts get one break month per calendar year. Either way, sign the break form by the 15th of the previous month. A $10 per month, per subject break fee applies.

Leaving the Program

Every program requires about a month. The details differ.

Kumon. One full calendar month of written notice. At some centers, notice given on the 15th or later means your child’s last day is the end of the following month, and you pay for all of it. Some centers require a 12-month minimum enrollment. Paid tuition is generally non-refundable.

Mathnasium. Cancel by the 25th of the prior month (commonly by 6 PM) and attend through month end. Miss the deadline and you’re billed another month.

RSM. The most complex of the group. New students: one month’s notice, four more classes, remaining tuition refunded. Continuing students face a sliding refund scale — 100% before classes start, dropping to 80%, 60%, 40% by the fourth lesson, and zero for spring after lesson 20. That complexity produces disputes; a Better Business Bureau complaint documents a family who withdrew after three classes and fought over whether any refund applied.

Genie Academy. One flat rule: give notice by the 1st of your last month and sign the discontinuation form before your next bill. No tiers, no sliding scales, no fine-print math.

What This Comparison Actually Shows

Three patterns stand out.

First, on makeups, we are the outlier — in your favor. No other program in this comparison offers unlimited, never-expiring makeups. Most offer none.

Second, simple beats clever. RSM’s five-tier refund grid looks generous on paper and generates disputes in practice. A single deadline everyone can remember produces fewer surprises.

Third, every program in this space, including ours, asks for about a month’s notice. That’s not a trap. Coaches are people with stable schedules and stable pay, and a month of notice is what makes that possible.

The Honest Close

We are not the right fit for everyone. If you want a program you can drop in and out of week to week, none of these programs — ours included — will make you happy.

But if you’re investing in your child’s long-term progress, compare the policies before you compare the brochures. We’re comfortable being compared.

Questions about any policy? Ask us. In writing, in person, anytime.

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Sources

1. Kumon Grand Rapids North — Center Policies and FAQ (one-month written notice, 15th cutoff, one-month absence per year, half-tuition hold): https://thecenterbook.com/policies
2. Cuemath — Kumon Cost 2026 (12-month minimums at many centers, one-month notice): https://www.cuemath.com/blog/kumon-cost/
3. Brighterly — How to Cancel Kumon (non-refundable tuition, 30-day written notice): https://brighterly.com/blog/how-to-cancel-kumon/
4. Mathnasium Center Policies, 2018 (no credit for missed sessions, no carryover, Infinity plan no makeups): https://s3.amazonaws.com/www.mathnasium.com/upload/410/docs/2_Center%20Policies%20-%202018.pdf
5. Mathnasium of Bothell — Session Policies (use-in-month rule, illness exceptions roughly once per two months): https://www.mathnasium.com/math-centers/bothell/news/sessions-policies-bo
6. Brighterly — How to Cancel Mathnasium (cancel by 6 PM on the 25th, two-week minimum pauses): https://brighterly.com/blog/how-to-cancel-mathnasium/
7. RSM Parent Handbook (no makeup classes; portal homework and catch-up help; semester commitment): https://static.russianschool.com/media/ParentHandbook.pdf and https://www.scribd.com/document/706044178/rsm-ParentHandbook
8. RSM MetroWest — Tuition, Payment Plans, and Fees (new-student withdrawal terms; sliding refund scale; lesson-20 spring cutoff): https://metrowestschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Tuition-2018-19.pdf
9. Better Business Bureau — RSM Newton complaint record (refund dispute after three classes): https://www.bbb.org/us/ma/newton/profile/elementary-school/russian-school-of-mathematics-0021-126824/complaints
10. Madison Russian School — Policies (no responsibility for missed classes for any reason): https://www.madisonrussianschool.org/policies

Policies at franchised centers vary by location and change over time. Details above were retrieved in July 2026. Confirm current terms directly with each provider.