21K School vs the Class of One: Complete Comparison Guide for Parents

Do you know what the best online school for you is?

Online schools are prevalent in today's times, especially after COVID-19, which revolutionised how we approach educational delivery. 21K School and The Class of One are two of the most widely known schools that offer online learning.

Let us try to find out the differences between 21K School and The Class of One in detail.

What is 21K School?

21K School, established in 2020, offers a comprehensive online K-12 schooling experience, mimicking and improving the experience of traditional classrooms. It provides a formal education experience, aligned with established curricula, so students receive a consistent education while enjoying the convenience of online schooling.

21K School is more than an online course or tutoring platform; it is a full-fledged school system. It offers regular classes, teacher-student and peer interactions, homework, and assessments - all in an online environment. This platform is hugely popular among expat families, students with an extracurricular career (such as sports or arts), and those who would prefer a more flexible and safer schooling option than a regular school.

Key features of 21K School

What makes 21K School unique is its features that align with what employers in today's times want from the working sector. Below are some of the salient properties of 21K School; let's have a look:

1. Technology-driven learning:

One of the most significant characteristics of 21K School is that it is run by advanced technology and lets children get familiar with its appropriate uses from school age. Learners gain their knowledge through online resources and virtual classes organised by facilitators.

2. Use AI-based technologies:

21K School utilises the best resources and methods to ease learning for learners. AI-driven gadgets and technologies help learners have personalised assistance from their facilitators. Formative assessments are also pre-designed according to each learner's capability with the help of AI-evaluation techniques.

3. Virtual labs and simulation

21K School believes in practical exposure and finding relevance in content studied, so that learners can apply it in the real world. Virtual labs and simulations are another futuristic method to enable learners to develop the most useful skills and find future jobs based on that.

4. Experiential learning:

As mentioned above, experiential learning is the new and best way to train learners who want a well-paying career in present times. 21K School realises this and ensures that their students go beyond just grades and find their interests to excel in them.

5. Activity-based learning:

21K School believes that a child learns best through exposure and performing activities. For this, it has come up with the Learning Garage that provides a physical space for all interested children to hone their skills and attain mastery through hands-on activities. The Garage has space for electronics, AI & IoT, automation, coding, design, robotics, and tinkering.

6. Various curriculum options:

As the first fully online school, 21K School offers learners the choice of multiple curriculum options that include the British curriculum and Indian curriculum. Availability of these curricula ensures that learners have the opportunity to study the best nationally or switch to another country for higher education confidently.

7. Student-based learning:

21K School focuses on the holistic growth of learners by training them based on their uniqueness and desire to learn more. The sessions are highly flexible. Learners can choose which skill they want to master and which curriculum to study.

8. FLOWW program:

The FLOWW program at 21K School was introduced to prove the relevance of skills along with grades. It stands for Fundamental Learning of Working Ways.

What is the class of one?

The Class of One is another online school that offers homeschooling facilities and tutoring sessions to learners who want more from their learning environment.

The main curricula that the Class of One provides are Pearson Edexcel, Edu For All, and the Indian curriculum (CBSE and NIOS, as per NEP). It serves children from the age group of Nursery to Class 12 with the help of a dedicated learning plan and kit.

The Class of One emphasises giving personal attention to each learner and breaks barriers to provide excellent education to all its students. These facilities revolve around their capabilities and improvement areas.

Key features of the class of one

The Class of One has defined characteristics that push learners to study here. Established in 2021, it caters to learners who want to be homeschooled and creative.

1. Skill-oriented training:

The Class of One believes that sharpening skills is the only way for learners to stand out in this highly competitive era. This is why it focuses on skill mastery. This boosts the confidence and self-belief of learners. Free play and textbook teachings are served in balanced proportions for optimum development.

2. Holistic approach:

The Class of One focuses on all-round development of learners by providing them with textbook knowledge and skilful training. The online sessions give enough time and space so that learners can be trained properly.

3. Flexible sessions:

The Class of One offers flexible sessions based on the busy routine of a student with customisable time slots and assisted doubt sessions. This flexibility in sessions gives learners the freedom to train in other areas of the child's interest.

4. Highly customisable:

The facilities provided in the Class of One online school are highly personalised and designed according to the needs and wants of the learners. Learners can explore their skills and abilities and get the best out of customised training options.

5. Targets social and emotional development:

The Class of One also emphasises the emotional and social development of learners through peer learning and collaborative participation in fun learning activities.

21K School vs the class of one: Key differences

21K School's and The Class of One's core principles might look the same from afar, but there are certain differences that make them different from each other. Both of these are online schools based in India.

We will look into those distinctions one by one with the help of the table given below and its detailed explanation.

1. Accreditation and recognition

• 21K School:

The 21K School is fully recognised by Pearson Edexcel and Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE). It has full accreditation from Cognia.

• The Class of One:

The Class of One is associated with the CBSE Board and the NIOS for a well-structured curriculum that supports higher education in the country.

2. Curriculum offered

• 21K School:

The curricula at 21K School have been structured according to national (NIOS and CBSE) and international standards (British), which ensures quality education and easy admission in well-known international universities as well as in India.

• The Class of One:

The Class of One provides a totally personalised curriculum to children depending on the student's interests. For Nursery to Class 8 children, it provides the CBSE curriculum; and for Class 9-12, it has NIOS. Pearson Edexcel is for learners who want an international curriculum for their studies.

3. Grades covered

• 21K School:

Get to study a complete school education with K-12 grade levels, i.e., start from Kindergarten to Class 12.

• The Class of One:

The Class of One offers the Indian Curriculum for Nursery-Grade 12, UK Pearson Edexcel for Grade 1-12, and Edu4All for KG-6.

4. Live classes

• 21K School:

21K School takes live classes daily, in which students actively participate like a classroom. The small class size helps to maintain individualised attention effectively for each learner.

• The Class of One:

Learners learn through morning/afternoon live sessions that add flexibility to their schedule. Teaching quality and student engagement are well-maintained in the live classes to foster healthy cognitive development of learners.

5. Physical learning space

• 21K School:

Learning Garage and Experience Centres are new add-ons in 21K School that provide learners with a separate space to explore and improve their co-curricular skills.

• The Class of One:

Unlike 21K School, TCO1 organises physical events in different regions to support skill training of learners in open premises.

6. Assessment criteria

• 21K School:

Examinations in 21K School have the form of a quiz, project, assignments and written tests. The main way of evaluating learners qualitatively is through portfolio reviews and mentor feedback.

• The Class of One:

The Class of One uses assessment techniques as suggested by NEP 2020 for each class and its learners. After Class 2, learners are evaluated significantly as per CBSE guidelines, and then NIOS takes public tests of older students and prepares them for future challenges.

7. Technology used

• 21K School:

21K School employs advanced technology for virtual classrooms, learning structures, and evaluation of children and their progress. Technologies like LMS, video conferencing, virtual labs and simulations, laptops, internet, webcam, mic, etc. are basic requirements for attending classes in 21K School.

• The Class of One:

The Class of One is taking advantage of the technology, i.e., hi-tech systems and programs. The cameras and high-speed internet, virtual laboratories and live learning with tutors free students to read online books, personalise books and attend live classes.

8. Global reach

• 21K School:

Today, 21K School has a good global presence and is widely recognised in many other countries, with a presence in more than 78 countries.

• The Class of One:

The Class of One is also a global community but with individual-based learning rather than community-based learning. Children who choose the British curriculum can choose to study abroad, but TCO1 is mainly aligned with NCF and NEP 2020 to suit career building in India.

9. Teaching methodology

• 21K School:

21K School utilises a perfect mix of traditional means of education with its delivery through digitised tools for personal assistance. Highly qualified teachers put emphasis on building empathy in learners through global awareness and mutual respect for each learner.

• The Class of One:

The Class of One is an application-led approach with mentors, which guides them and emphasises deep understanding of concepts through one-on-one interaction.

10. Faculty availability

• 21K School:

Facilitators in the 21K School are referred to as teachers since they not only impart concepts in the classroom. Individualised instructions are provided to the students based on their performance and interests.

• The Class of One:

The Class of One has mentors who might not be in a position to study in a classroom-like facility.

11. Learner to facilitator ratio

• 21K School:

The learner-to-facilitator ratio is well-balanced for 21K School learners who choose from a Class of 24 or a Class of 20 as per their preference for receiving attention from educators.

• The Class of One:

In The Class of One, learners have a student-educator ratio the same as a normal class, where a single teacher teaches 40 children at once.

12. Fees

• 21K School:

21K School has a transparent, fixed fee structure with tuition fees starting from INR 52,000. Experiential Centres and Learning Garages have additional costs depending on the type of training required for your kids' extracurricular skills development.

• The Class of One:

The Class of One has variable prices. It costs around ₹78K to more than ₹1 Lakh in total to study in TCO1. These prices include the fee for registration and other perks.

13. Flexibility

• 21K School:

21K School offers structured class timings with three batch options. This is to suit different time zones and family schedules of learners all across the world.

• The Class of One:

The Class of One offers great flexibility, with students being able to come up with their own schedules. Specially-abled children and prodigies can choose homeschooling through TCO1 and get the best education without being bothered by social anxiety.

14. Parent engagement

• 21K School:

21K School engages parents via updates and meetings. Parents get to understand their kids' needs through educational workshops. Teachers often communicate with parents through virtual chat boxes and PTMs.

• The Class of One:

The Class of One program may demand more parent support, particularly for early academic years. For older learners, parental involvement could be appreciated through reaching out to help desks and quality inputs in semester reports.

15. Advanced learning (For 21K- FLOWW)

• 21K School:

FLOWW is an online school program in 21K School that trains learners to acquire future-apt skills rather than only centring on grades, for their best capability in the vast world.

• The Class of One:

The Class of One offers advanced learning along with individual support to get deeper into topics of interest.

21K School or the class of one, which one is better?

To be precise, only the child who is going to pursue education from either 21K School or The Class of One can decide which one is better among these.

21K School offer numerous programs through which they offer students an opportunity to transcend their boundaries back home and venture into a new education. On the other hand, The Class of One emphasises personal training and is highly recognised in the Indian educational setup.

Especially when these learners are small, their parents need to make a wise decision about how they want their kids' future to look. This will give clarity along with real reviews on each online school's site.

Summing thoughts

Your child will get an education in one of the most prominent online schools in India, no matter which you choose between 21K School and The Class of One. If your child needs more care and individual adjustments in learning methods as well as resources, 21K School will be the one then.

Besides, access to foreign curricula like British and Pearson Edexcel is only possible with 21K School. So, tighten your belt and get ready for an incredible journey with these schools.

Frequently asked questions