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 debate 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, and the checklist below is the one we would use on any provider, including us.

How to choose an online debate class

Online debate classes range from $15 drop-in sessions to four-figure competitive academies, described in nearly identical language. The difference is not the Zoom link. It is whether the class is a training system or a weekly lecture. Students do not improve from being told about debate; they improve from debating, being judged, and hearing what to fix. Look for four things:

1. A curriculum with an order. Skills stack week over week, not a topic of the week.
2. Real practice rounds. Students debate other students, not just the teacher.
3. Qualified judging. Someone who knows the format scores those rounds.
4. Written feedback. Notes that survive past dinner, so the next session starts from what needs fixing.

A class missing two of the four is an enrichment activity. That can be fine, as long as it is priced and chosen as one. Marketplace classes are a good low-commitment way to find out whether a child enjoys arguing a side at all; treat them as the taste test, not the training plan. Before paying for a term anywhere, ask for the curriculum in writing, ask how many judged practice debates a student gets, and ask what feedback looks like after a session.

Debate classes by age

Students train with peers at their own stage, so each class runs separate age groups. Here is where a student usually starts.

Unsure which group fits? A coach confirms placement by grade and experience at enrollment, or a free consultation ends with a recommendation.

What a two-hour class looks like

A typical Foundation session, start to finish. Every class ends in real speaking, so a concept taught at the start of the session gets used in a judged round before it ends.

1. 0:00

   Warm-up

   A short speaking or thinking drill to get students talking before the pressure is on.

2. 0:15

   Concept of the week

   One idea taught directly: a speaker role, an argument structure, or how POIs work, with examples.

3. 0:40

   Guided drilling

   Students practice the concept in pairs or small groups while the coach circulates and corrects.

4. 1:20

   Applied round

   A short judged debate applying the week’s skill, so every concept ends in real speaking, not theory.

5. 1:50

   Feedback

   The coach debriefs the round and each student leaves with one specific thing to work on.

The Competition Team session swaps the warm-up and concept block for a debrief of last week's round and a live tournament motion, and adds a full judged debate every week. Written feedback after each round is scored against the same judging criteria tournament judges use.

What online debate classes cost

Group classes are billed by the term: 14 weekly sessions of 2 hours each. Classes run September 1 to December 18, 2026. Late joiners are welcome and get catch-up materials.

• Foundation$756 per termabout $27 per hour of live teaching
• Competition Team$980 per termabout $35 per hour, weekly judged debates included
• Private 1-on-1 coaching$120 per hour$80 diagnostic session; packages from $1,000 for 10 hours

Refunds are in full within 7 days of enrolling, as long as the student has not yet attended a second session. Current prices and enrollment are on the programs page.

Coming from Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, or policy?

Most American school teams compete in Public Forum or Lincoln-Douglas, and many of our students still do. We only teach World Schools, and we say so plainly. What transfers is the core: building an argument with a real warrant, taking the other side's apart, weighing what is left, and speaking so a judge can follow you. Students who add World Schools usually find their PF or LD rebuttals get sharper, because every speaker has to engage live with the other team. The World Schools vs Public Forum comparison lays out the differences side by side.

Common questions