About Flying Colors

Minnesota’s leader in tutoring and test preparation.
  • ACT, SAT, and PSAT test preparation
  • Academic tutoring for middle school, high school and college
  • College application essay assistance
  • Expertise in test prep and tutoring for students with LD/ADHD
  • Test prep for the LSAT, MCAT, GRE and GMAT exams
  • Independent school entrance exam prep for the ISEE and SSAT

Tutoring and test prep tailored to your student's needs.

Expert, Local Team

  • Over the past 14 years, we’ve invested in a deep bench of instructors based here in Minnesota. The outstanding results our students achieve speak to the success of that approach.
  • The team of 50+ instructors includes chemical engineers, plant biologists, novelists, calculus textbook authors, biochemistry experts and more. They can accommodate busy schedules and a wide variety of learning styles.  Go face-to-face with one of our talented instructors in any of our four offices or meet with them online.
  • It’s a team that is passionate about building confidence, unlocking individual potential, and delivering an engaging and collaborative experience.

We’re Proud To Say

  • We’re the exclusive provider of test prep services for a long list of great Minnesota schools, including Blake, Breck, Southwest High School, St. Thomas Academy, Groves Academy, Visitation, Jefferson High School, Minnehaha Academy, DeLaSalle, South Washington County Schools and Providence Academy.
  • We’re the only organization in the Upper Midwest with test prep instruction designed specifically for students with LD/ADHD.
  • We’re the only company in Minnesota to offer full-length proctored practice exams every weekend of the year.
  • Originally founded as Breakaway Education in 2011, we changed our name to Flying Colors in 2024. Same great team, same great instruction, same locations, just a more comprehensive set of services.

Our Founder & President

Ron Michalak is the founder of Flying Colors. He earned a BA in economics from Northwestern University and an MBA in marketing and finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. After college, Ron enjoyed a 25-year career in finance, marketing, and business development as an executive with firms including Arthur Andersen, Coopers & Lybrand, BellSouth and IBM/Internet Security Systems. Ron got his start in test prep nearly two decades ago when he first provided classroom-style instruction to SAT and GMAT students.