Last reviewed: 28 October 2026
An online CBC school teaches Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum through live video lessons, so a child can learn from home, a ranch in Laikipia or a flat in Dubai. Interest has grown as families look for flexibility, but the options are few and not all are equal. Below are three online schools we could verify, what they publish about fees and assessments, and the questions to ask before you pay.
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How Online CBC Learning Works
Most run a fixed timetable on East Africa Time with small live classes, recorded lessons, digital homework and termly reports. Teachers follow the KICD curriculum designs for each grade. The tricky parts are practical work (science, agriculture, creative arts) and national assessments.
KPSEA (Grade 6) and KJSEA (Grade 9) are run by KNEC through registered assessment centres, and they also use school-based assessment recorded through a school. Learners must sit the papers in person at a registered centre, even if all their lessons are online. Ask any school exactly which centre your child would use.
The legal position also matters. The High Court in Were & another v Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education declined to declare homeschooling lawful, and the Basic Education Act requires parents to take children to school. A registered school that delivers lessons online is a safer route than informal home learning. Our guide to homeschooling in Kenya and the law explains more.
Online CBC Schools We Could Verify
We list only schools whose websites we checked in October 2026. Inclusion is not an endorsement, and no school paid to appear. Fees are as published by each school at the time of checking and may change.
1. Elimu Plus Homeschool (Utawala, Nairobi)
Elimu Plus says it offers a full-time online CBE school from pre-primary to senior school, alongside one-to-one and home tutoring. Its published Kenyan system fee page lists online group classes of up to 15 learners at KSh 27,000 a term for Grades 4–6 and KSh 34,000 a term for Grades 7–9. It says learners are registered on the learner database and given assessment numbers, and that they sit KPSEA and KJSEA physically at registered centres.
2. Smartious Homeschool & eSchool (Parklands and Karen, Nairobi)
Smartious says it teaches CBC/CBE online from Grade 1 to Grade 12 in live lessons on East Africa Time, as well as Cambridge. Its online CBC school page quotes fees from USD 423 a month for primary, payable termly. Helpfully, it states that it does not claim KICD, KNEC or Ministry approval and tells parents to check with KNEC how a learner would sit KJSEA.
3. MindFoster School (Nairobi)
MindFoster describes itself as a mix of physical and online school, offering Kenya CBE from Playgroup to Grade 9 and a British curriculum track. It lists monthly, termly, annual and family payment plans. We could not find published registration or assessment-centre details, so ask for them in writing.
Other providers advertise CBC “online classes”, but many are tuition services rather than full schools. If a provider is missing here, it is because we could not verify it, not because it is poor.
Seven Checks Before You Enrol
- Registration certificate. Ask for the school’s Ministry of Education registration certificate and confirm it with the County Education Board. As reported by People Daily, the Ministry’s school registration guidelines say a site-approval letter is not a licence to admit learners.
- UPI and assessment number. Confirm the school will register your child on the learner database so school-based assessment counts.
- Assessment centre. Get the name and location of the centre where your child would sit KPSEA or KJSEA.
- Teachers. Ask whether teachers are TSC-registered and how many learners share a live class.
- Practical work. Ask how science practicals, agriculture projects and creative arts are assessed from home.
- Full cost. Add devices, data, books, exam travel and any physical sessions.
- Trial week. A good school lets your child sit in on lessons before you pay a full term.
Which Families It Suits
It suits diaspora families planning to return, children with health needs, young athletes and families who move often. It suits less well a child who needs daily peer contact, or a household with weak internet and no adult at home during lessons. For Grades 4–6, a parent or carer usually needs to be nearby. Our homeschool timetable for CBC Grade 4–6 shows how a home day can be organised.
Add Practice Without Switching Schools
If you mainly want extra structure, you may not need to change schools at all. The free CBC Challenge gives quick daily quizzes by grade, and our revision papers cover every CBC grade. A Monthly Pass (KSh 500) unlocks full papers with marking guides, and the AI Starter course adds a short digital-skills track for Grades 4–9. For one-to-one help, see our tutors page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an online CBC school legal in Kenya?
A school registered with the Ministry can deliver lessons online. Pure homeschooling is not recognised under the Basic Education Act, so check the school’s registration before you enrol.
Can online CBC learners sit KPSEA and KJSEA?
Yes, if they are registered through a school or centre. The papers are sat in person at a registered assessment centre, not online.
How much does an online CBC school cost?
Published fees vary widely. When we checked, one school listed KSh 27,000 a term for Grades 4–6 group classes, while another quoted from USD 423 a month for primary.
Can a child in the diaspora attend an online CBC school?
Many online schools accept learners abroad and teach on East Africa Time. Plan how your child will reach a Kenyan assessment centre for KPSEA or KJSEA.
Do online CBC schools give report cards?
Most issue termly reports. Ask whether school-based assessment scores are uploaded to KNEC’s portal, as that is what counts nationally.
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