Prepare for January

January brings in about 53% more Outschool class enrollments than any other month. That’s right—we typically see 1.5x more bookings, more learning, and more Outschool magic happen as we kick off each new year.

Why? Many school semesters begin again in January after holiday breaks in December, and even homeschooling families who may not operate on traditional schedules are gearing up to for another year of learning as soon as January arrives.

Learners start signing up for January classes as early as mid-September—so don’t wait until the last minute to start listing your classes. By not listing your classes a few months in advance, you may miss out on enrollments and the chance to fill up your new year sections.

The most popular class formats in January are 1-on-1, ongoing, semester, and short-term classes, so consider including some or all of those formats in your class catalog. To be prepared to meet increasing demand, try listing your January classes between September 15–November 1.

Read on for more info about which class topics, age groups, and formats were most popular in January 2022. Use these insights along with our frequently updated class topic requests, classes in demand, and enrollment trends to set yourself up to make the most of January 2023 on Outschool.

January 2023 topic forecast

Based on popular class topics in January 2022 and current trends, we forecast that the following class topics may be popular in January 2023:

• English classes, including writing, reading, public speaking, book clubs, phonics and vocabulary
• Math classes, including multiplication and division, algebra, geometry and Singapore math curriculum
• Classes for neurodivergent learners, including social clubs, social skills, reading and writing
• Classes for advanced learners, including math, science, reading, and writing
• Arts classes, including drawing, painting, digital art, Anime, dance, music, singing, acting and improv
• Coding & Technology classes, including video game design, Python programming, Minecraft and Roblox coding
• Games & Hobbies classes, including Minecraft, Roblox, role playing games and chess
• Languages including Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Korean, American Sign Language, English and Chinese
• Full-curriculum classes

Updated bi-weekly: January class listing insights

December 11, 2022

Video transcript:

30% of bookings on Outschool right now are for classes with sections listed in January—and today we’re sharing new insights for how your business can benefit from this surge in 2023 enrollments.

Welcome to Outschool’s Marketplace Insights for the week of December 11, 2022. We’re so excited to see interest in 2023 classes continue to grow on the platform, and there are only a few weeks left to set your business up for success during Outschool’s busiest season.

And—trust us—there are still opportunities for all educators to boost their January bookings as we enter the home stretch. Plus, demand for winter camps is at its peak—so make sure you watch until the end of the video for those insights.

First, we launched a special promotion this week that rewards families with class credit when they enroll in January courses. We’re already seeing purchases rise as families take advantage of the promo, and we’ll link to all the promotion details in the description below.

As searches and bookings grow, we’ve developed a few new insights over the past two weeks to help you hone in on which classes are in demand for 2023:

1. Semester classes that begin in January are still popular with families, and we anticipate this demand will decrease as soon as January hits (then rise again once the next traditional school semester rolls around). So—if you’re able to list additional sections of your semester classes, do it now!
2. We expect demand to shift toward 1-on-1, ongoing and one-time classes in the near future, since many families sign up for those class formats closer to their start dates. To ensure your classes are available the moment this demand starts to change, you’ll want to list your sections ASAP.
3. English and Math are currently trending as the most popular January subjects. We’re seeing a gap in supply for semester math classes, so if you teach math, families are looking for more sections!
4. Interest in classes for neurodivergent learners is increasing. If you have the expertise to teach classes that specifically support neurodiverse learners, make sure you mention those keywords in your class listings and educator profile.

Okay, last but not least, searches and enrollments in winter camps is peaking now. Searches for camps for ages 3-10 are taking the lead, and Life Skills, Arts, and Coding & Tech are currently the most popular camp subjects.

So it’s time to finish the year strong and set yourself up for success in 2023! Which new sections will you add today to grow your business in the new year?

We’ll be back again with more marketplace insights in January. Until then, make sure you check out the Educator Library’s Business Toolkit and Insights section for more tips on how to grow as an educator entrepreneur. Happy holiday’s all and see you next year!

Popular January class formats

1-on-1

Tutoring was the highest-grossing class topic from Jan-Mar 2022, generating over $1 million in bookings during that time! Math, English, and music continue to dominate the tutoring market.

1-on-1 class topics projected to be popular in January 2023:

1. English, including reading and writing
2. Math, including elementary, middle school, algebra, geometry, and calculus
3. Music, including piano, guitar and ukulele, singing, and violin
4. Languages, including Spanish, French, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese

Pro tip: Use the auto-scheduling function to add lots of availability and give families more opportunities to enroll in your tutoring sections.

1-on-1 class subject breakdown, January 2022:

Semester

Heads up: Homeschoolers often enjoy the semester format and may be likely to search for full-curriculum courses.

Semester class topics projected to be popular in January 2023:

1. Coding
2. Math
3. Full-curriculum
4. Spanish
5. Writing
6. Chess
7. History
8. Music
9. Debate
10. Reading

Semester class subject breakdown, January 2022

Semester class ages breakdown, January 2022

Ongoing

Do you teach littles? Families with preschoolers often prefer the ongoing format for experience to help their learners make friends or learn the basics.

Ongoing class topics projected to be popular in January 2023:

1. Pre-K & Kindergarten
2. Writing
3. Social clubs
4. Math
5. Singing
6. Spanish
7. Phonics
8. Gaming
9. Reading
10. Minecraft
11. Drawing

Ongoing class subjects breakdown, January 2022

Ongoing class ages breakdown, January 2022

Short-term

Short-term classes meet at least once a week for 2-7 weeks, and they’re a great format for teaching skills that require multiple lessons but can be taught in less than 8 weeks.

Short-term class topics projected to be popular in January 2023:

1. Writing
2. Coding
3. Math
4. Debate
5. Video production & editing
6. Investing
7. Reading
8. Test prep
9. Music
10. Career prep

Short-term class subjects breakdown, January 2022

Short-term class ages breakdown, January 2022