Online debate classes for kids and teens

Why an online class can out-teach the club down the street

The core skills of debate (building arguments, taking them apart, weighing what is left) are taught, drilled, and judged exactly as well over live video as in a classroom. Online adds two things a local club cannot: a coach chosen from a national roster rather than whoever lives nearby, and opponents from across the country, so a strong student is never the big fish in a six-person pond. What it removes is the commute. What it must not remove is the debating itself, which is why every class here builds toward real, judged practice rounds rather than lectures.

The two group classes

Prefer one student, one coach? Private 1-on-1 coaching runs on the same system with a flexible schedule, and each summer a two-week online debate camp compresses the beginner curriculum into six sessions. The same course runs over the winter break as the winter debate camp.

One format, taught properly

Our classes teach World Schools Debate, the international 3-on-3 format used at NSDA Nationals and the world championships. It rewards clear speaking as much as content (judges score style at 40%), half its motions are impromptu, and every student speaks every round, which makes it the strongest teaching format we know for this age range. Shopping around first is reasonable: our guide to online debate classes covers the whole provider landscape, including alternatives to us, and the checklist we would use on any of them.

Common questions