Can he audit the class at a university/college locally? You could find out what text was used-- that would probably provide a good idea what the nature of the approach would be in the class. Just ask the instructor how closely they adhere to the text's presentation.
I wouldn't recommend that unless he strongly wants the social element. Most core courses move at a snail's pace. As a TA, I derived the entire course for a second year micro class on 4 pages of double sided paper and taught it (a full semester course) in a 2 hour lecture. I passed out the handouts, then I gave permission to everyone who felt they understood to skip class for the rest of the semester.
Point being, there's a lot of repetition and time wasting. A good tutor will get your son through the slog quickly and onto the more interesting material faster than a conventional class.
