How to Start an Online School in India: NIOS, CBSE, Rules

2026年10月20日

For education founders in India

To start an online school in India, decide first what you are legally building, because the national routes are written for schools with buildings: the RTE Act requires every non-government school to hold a state certificate of recognition, CBSE affiliates only schools that meet its land and building norms, and the open route for learners who study away from a classroom is NIOS. In practice, most founders build an online programme that works alongside NIOS or a recognised school, and treat children’s data under the DPDP Act, 2023 as a day-one requirement.

This guide covers India only; teaching models and platforms for any country are in our general guide on how to start an online school. Where we could not confirm a rule from an official source, we say so.

In this article

Is online school legal in India?
Can an online school be CBSE affiliated?
The NIOS route, and what it is not
Four models for an online school in India
Children’s data: the DPDP Act, 2023
What UDISE+ tells you about the market
How to start an online school in India, step by step
Online school fees and costs: what to budget for
Starting alone, with a franchise, or as a co-founder
Questions and answers

Is online school legal in India?

An Indian woman in her late thirties plans an online school at a laptop by a window in her apartment (illustrative image) — Most of the first months go into one question: what is this setting in law, and who certifies the children’s learning? (Illustrative image)

Online teaching itself is not banned. What matters is the word “school”. Section 18 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (the RTE Act) says that no school, other than one established, owned or controlled by the government or a local authority, may be established or function without a certificate of recognition from the authority the state prescribes. Section 19 adds that recognition is granted only to a school that meets the norms in the Act’s Schedule.

That Schedule is written for a physical school: an all-weather building with at least one classroom for every teacher, separate toilets for boys and girls, a kitchen for mid-day meals, a playground and a boundary wall or fencing. It also sets 200 working days a year for Classes 1 to 5 and 220 for Classes 6 to 8. The RTE Act covers elementary education, which it defines as the first to the eighth class.

Under Section 18(5), running a school without recognition can be punished with a fine, and a further fine for each day it continues. We did not find any national category that recognises an online-only school. If you plan to call your setting a school, ask your state education department in writing what it is, before you take a single fee.

The safe working rule. Until your state tells you otherwise in writing, describe what you sell precisely: online classes, learner support, or a programme run with a named recognised school or with NIOS.

Can an online school be CBSE affiliated?

CBSE’s Affiliation Bye-Laws, 2018 define a private school as one run by a society, a trust or a company registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. Chapter 3 of the same bye-laws sets land requirements: the land must be one contiguous plot, with a suitable building on part of it and a proper playground on the rest. In the 2018 text, for example, a secondary school within the four metropolitan cities of Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai needs at least 1,600 square metres. The bye-laws have been amended since, so read the current version on CBSE’s SARAS portal.

In a public notice of 13 July 2021 (Circular No. 11/2021), CBSE said that under clause 14.2.2 of its bye-laws, non-affiliated schools may not present candidates for Board examinations, and warned against phrases such as “CBSE pattern” or “CBSE registered” being used by schools that are not affiliated.

Question parents ask	What the official sources say	What it means for your online school
Is this a CBSE school?	CBSE affiliates schools that meet its bye-laws, including land and building norms.	An online programme without its own campus is not, by itself, a CBSE-affiliated school.
Can my child sit Class 10 and 12 Board exams through you?	Non-affiliated schools cannot present candidates for CBSE Board examinations.	Say clearly which body your learners register with, and how they will sit its exams.

The NIOS route, and what it is not

The National Institute of Open Schooling began as a project under CBSE in 1979, was established as the National Open School in 1989 and took its present name in 2002. According to NIOS, admission to its Secondary (Class 10) and Senior Secondary (Class 12) courses is online, public examinations are held twice a year, and learners can also use an On-Demand Examination System after their first public examination.

The National Education Policy 2020 says NIOS and State Open Schools will be expanded and strengthened for young people who are not able to attend a physical school.

NIOS programme	Level	Offered through
Open Basic Education, A, B and C levels	Equivalent to Class 3, 5 and 8	Accredited Agencies (AAs)
Secondary	Class 10, Secondary School Certificate	Online admission, or study centres called Accredited Institutions (AIs)
Senior Secondary	Class 12, Senior Secondary School Certificate	Online admission, or Accredited Institutions
Vocational courses	Various	Accredited Vocational Institutions (AVIs)

Two points are easy to get wrong. The learner registers with NIOS and NIOS certifies the learner; your organisation does not. And becoming an Accredited Institution or Agency is a separate application with its own conditions, so ask a NIOS regional centre what they are today. Several states also run State Open Schools, which may suit a programme in a regional language.

Four models for an online school in India

The rules above leave four realistic shapes. Each answers the question every parent asks: where is my child legally studying, and who gives the certificate?

Model	What families get	Who certifies	Question to settle first
Online classes alongside school	Live classes, tutoring or enrichment; the child stays enrolled at a school	The child’s own school or board	How do you describe the service so it is not presented as a school?
NIOS learner-support programme	Daily online teaching and mentoring for learners registered with NIOS	NIOS	Will you apply to become an Accredited Institution or Agency, or support learners who register directly?
Hybrid with a recognised school	Online classes plus in-person days at a recognised campus	The recognised school and its board	Who holds recognition, and which duties sit with you?
Online programme for children out of school	A way back into learning, often leading to NIOS or re-entry to school	NIOS, or the school the child returns to	Which state rules apply, and how will you work with schools?

This table describes models, not legal status. Recognition rules are applied state by state.

Want to build an online and in-person school in India, with a model that already runs?

NIJIN Academy is an alternative school in Japan, opened in September 2023. Children join from home through a metaverse campus, choose from about 100 live online classes a month, and can attend 52 physical classrooms across Japan. NIJIN is looking for one person to lead NIJIN Academy India as business head and principal. It is not a franchise, and investment is optional.

See the Country Head role in India

Children’s data: the DPDP Act, 2023

An online school collects names, video, chat and attendance. India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 defines a child as anyone who has not completed the age of eighteen, so it covers your whole learner base, including Class 11 and 12 students.

Section 9 of the Act sets three duties for anyone processing a child’s personal data. You must obtain verifiable consent from a parent or lawful guardian before processing, in the manner prescribed by rules. You must not process data in a way likely to cause any detrimental effect on a child’s well-being. And you must not undertake tracking or behavioural monitoring of children, or targeted advertising directed at them. Exemptions can be prescribed, so read the rules under the Act on the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s site, and check when each part applies.

Write down every item of personal data you collect, why, and for how long you keep it.
Design a parent consent step that you can show was really given by the parent.
Switch off advertising trackers and behavioural analytics on pages and apps children use.
Set up a way for parents to raise a grievance and get an answer.

What UDISE+ tells you about the market

UDISE+ is the Ministry of Education’s school data system. Its 2024-25 report counts 14,71,473 schools, of which 3,39,583 are private unaided recognised schools, and more than 1.01 crore teachers. Only 63.5% of schools had an internet facility.

14.71 lakhschools in India, UDISE+ 2024-25

24.69 crorestudents, pre-primary to higher secondary

63.5%of schools with an internet facility

3.22 croreout-of-school children aged 6 to 17 (NSSO 2017-18, cited in NEP 2020)

A boy of about twelve joins a live online class on a laptop at a dining table at home while his mother reads nearby (illustrative image) — An online school in India has to work on the device and the connection a family really has, not the one in your demo. (Illustrative image)

Two readings follow. First, connectivity is uneven: the NEP says the benefits of online education cannot be used unless the digital divide is addressed, and that online learning not blended with experiential learning risks becoming screen-based. Plan for low bandwidth and shared phones. Second, the clearest need is often outside the system: the NEP cites 3.22 crore out-of-school children aged 6 to 17 and calls bringing them back a top priority. The Ministry’s 2020 PRAGYATA guidelines on digital education also recommend screen time for different groups of students; read them before you design a timetable.

How to start an online school in India, step by step

Name the children you serve. Age band, language, state, and what is not working for them now.
Choose your model from the table above. Decide who certifies the learning before you choose a platform.
Ask in writing. Send your model to your state education department and, for open schooling, a NIOS regional centre. Keep the replies.
Choose the legal form. If you may later want a CBSE-affiliated campus, note that its bye-laws expect a society, trust or Section 8 company. Take Indian legal advice.
Build data protection in. Parent consent, no tracking of children, and a deletion schedule, as in the checklist above.
Pilot with a few families. Run a few weeks of live classes. Measure who keeps attending, on what device.
Open small and report monthly. Tell parents what their child learned. Ask every family that leaves why.

Online school fees and costs: what to budget for

We do not publish fee or cost figures: they vary by model and city, and we could not verify any from an official source. Fill this table with real quotes before you set a fee.

Cost line	What to include	Fixed or per learner
Teachers and mentors	Live class hours, preparation, one-to-one check-ins, cover	Mostly fixed
Platform and devices	Video, learning platform, licences, loan devices if you offer them	Both
Certification route	NIOS or other board fees paid by or for learners; accreditation costs if you apply	Per learner
Compliance	Legal advice, data protection work, accounting, entity registration	Fixed
Family acquisition	Outreach, trial classes, counselling time with parents	Per learner

For school-level costs in India, see our guide to the cost to start a school in India.

Starting alone, with a franchise, or as a co-founder

Three Indian education founders discuss a printed plan around a small table in a bright, simple office (illustrative image) — Founding an online school is mostly decisions about people: who teaches, who talks to parents, and who answers for the results. (Illustrative image)

A third route, between going alone and buying a franchise, is to co-found the local company of a model that already runs.

	Alone, from zero	Education franchise	Co-founding NIJIN Academy India
Who decides	You	Largely the franchisor’s format	You lead it as business head and principal, with NIJIN
Teaching model	Built by you	Supplied	A hybrid model running in Japan since 2023, adapted to India with you
Money in	All yours	Franchise fees	Optional. As a guide, JPY 1 to 2 million from you and JPY 4 to 8 million from NIJIN if you invest; or start on a service contract
Your share and pay	Whatever the business earns	Profit after fees	As a guide, 10% of revenue (excluding tax), capped at JPY 50 million; 20% of the shares if you co-own

1,000+children enrolled since September 2023 (cumulative)

97%attendance recognition among families who applied

400+students who graduated or returned to school

52physical classrooms across Japan

Figures are those published on NIJIN’s official websites. “Attendance recognition” means the child’s registered school counts learning at NIJIN Academy as school attendance. The 10% formula is a guide, not a promise of income: if there is no revenue, it pays nothing. Amounts are in Japanese yen only, and every other term is discussed in the interview.

Questions and answers

Is online school legal in India?

Online classes are not banned, but the RTE Act requires every non-government school to hold state recognition, and its norms describe a physical school. Ask your state education department in writing.

Is there any CBSE affiliated online school in India?

Check any claim on CBSE’s affiliation website. CBSE affiliates schools that meet its land and building norms, and non-affiliated schools cannot present candidates for its Board examinations.

How do students of an online school in India get a Class 10 or 12 certificate?

Through the body they are registered with. For learners outside a physical school, that is usually NIOS, with online admission and public examinations twice a year, or a State Open School.

What are online school fees in India?

We do not publish fee figures, as none could be verified from official sources. Build your fee from the cost table above.

Do I need a licence for an online school in India?

It depends on what your setting is in law. A school needs state recognition under the RTE Act; a NIOS study centre needs NIOS accreditation. Ask your state and NIOS in writing.

Is the Country Head role a job or a business?

It is closer to a business. You start and lead a company, as a co-owner or, to begin with, on a service contract, even alongside your current work. Teaching experience is not required. Other terms are discussed in the interview.