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2025-06-25T01:50:48Z

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{{Short description|Indian school edtech company}}
{{Orphan|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox company
| name = LEAD School
| logo =
| logo_caption =
| logo_upright = 
| logo_alt =
| type = [[Privately held company|Private]]
| industry = [[Educational technology]]
| founded = 2012
| founders = Sumeet Mehta<br/>Smita Deorah
| hq_location_city = [[Mumbai]]
| hq_location_country = [[India]]
| area_served = India
| key_people =
| products =
| owner = 
| num_employees = 1123<ref>{{cite web |title=LEAD School profile at Tracxn |url=https://tracxn.com/d/companies/lead-school/__oe2fP0y2p5mZsRCJMPA-zjkY8OB81N8chnQAbwrkRSM |website=tracxn.com |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=14 May 2025}}</ref>
| num_employees_year = May, 2025
| parent =
| website = {{URL|leadschool.in}}
}}

'''LEAD School''' is an Indian school [[edtech]] company headquartered in [[Mumbai, India]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Paul |first1=Binu |title=Mumbai-based Lead School has become India's sixth edtech unicorn after Byju's, Unacademy, Eruditus, UpGrad and Vedantu. |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/corporate/story/weekly-rundown-lead-school-becomes-indias-6th-edtech-unicorn-fintech-startups-draw-large-bucks-319198-2022-01-15 |website=www.businesstoday.in |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=15 January 2022 }}</ref> The company operates in [[India]]'s [[Education in India|education sector]], delivering a learning system that includes curriculum, teacher training and technology-based resources to private schools.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Anand |first1=Aditya |title=Hybrid learning essential for reopening of schools |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/hybrid-learning-essential-for-reopening-of-schools/article31791369.ece |website=www.thehindu.com |publisher=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=10 June 2020}}</ref> LEAD School was founded in 2012 by Sumeet Mehta and Smita Deorah and is currently serving more than 3.5 million students across India.<ref name="fi1">{{cite web |last1=Arakali |first1=Harichandran |title=Lesson Plan: Inside LEAD School's strategy for quality education in small-town India |url=https://www.forbesindia.com/article/take-one-big-story-of-the-day/lesson-plan-inside-lead-schools-strategy-for-quality-education-in-smalltown-india/81039/1 |work=[[Forbes India]] |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=7 November 2022}}</ref>

==History==
LEAD School was established in 2012 by Sumeet Mehta and Smita Deorah, who sought to address educational disparities in India’s budget private schools.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bhargava |first1=Anjuli |title=How EdTech Firm LEAD Schools Plans To Make A Mark In India's Vast Education Sector |url=https://www.thecore.in/technology/edtech-firm-lead-schools |website=www.thecore.in |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=1 August 2023}}</ref> In 2012, they opened Shantiniketan English School in Areri, a village 35 kilometers from [[Ahmedabad, Gujarat]], starting with 14 students. Over the next few years, four additional schools were set up in small towns across [[Maharashtra]] and [[Gujarat]]. By 2017, the focus shifted from operating these schools to partnering with existing ones, a change prompted by the scale of India’s affordable private school network, estimated at over 400,000 institutions.<ref>{{cite web |title=How School Edtech Platform LEAD Is Driving The Learning Outcomes Of 2,000+ Affordable Private Schools |url=https://inc42.com/startups/school-edtech-platform-lead-is-driving-learning-outcomes-of-schools/ |website=inc42.com |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=24 December 2021}}</ref>

In 2017, LEAD School raised INR 10 crore in a Series A funding round led by Elevar Equity, its initial external investor.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Arakali |first1=Harichandran |title=Innovating pedagogy for inclusion at LEAD School |url=https://www.forbesindia.com/article/leadership/smita-deorah-innovating-pedagogy-for-inclusion-at-lead-school/81967/1 |work=[[Forbes India]] |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=16 December 2022}}</ref> In 2019, the name changed from "LEAD Powered Schools" to "LEAD School," and technologies like teacher tablets and smart classrooms were added to its offerings. Additional funding occurred in 2020, with INR 210 crore raised in a Series C round led by WestBridge Capital.<ref>{{cite web |last1= |first1= |title=LEAD School raises $30 million |url=https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/lead-school-raises-30-million/article34413146.ece |website=www.thehindu.com |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=26 April 2021}}</ref> In January 2022, a Series E round brought in $100 million, resulting in a valuation of $1.1 billion. This valuation classified LEAD School as a unicorn, a term for a privately held company valued at $1 billion or more, placing it among other Indian edtech companies that had reached this threshold earlier.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=Manish |title=India's LEAD School becomes unicorn with fresh $100M in funding |url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/01/12/lead-school-india-unicorn/ |website=techcrunch.com |publisher=[[TechCrunch]] |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=12 January 2022}}</ref> The round, led by WestBridge Capital with GSV Ventures participating, followed a Series D round of $30 million from nine months prior.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bhalla |first1=Tarush |title=EdTech startup LEAD School raises $30 million in Series D round |url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/start-ups/edtech-startup-lead-school-raises-30-million-in-series-d-round-11619436792968.html |website=www.livemint.com |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=26 April 2021}}</ref>

In 2023, LEAD School also acquired [[Pearson plc|Pearson India]]’s K-12 business, increasing its network by 6,000 schools.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mukul |first1=Pranav |title=Edtech unicorn Lead to acquire Pearson's India K-12 business |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/edtech-unicorn-lead-school-to-acquire-pearsons-india-k-12-business/articleshow/96794140.cms?from=mdr |website=economictimes.indiatimes.com |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=11 January 2023 }}</ref> During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the company provided digital resources to schools from 2020 to 2021, an initiative noted by industry observers for supporting remote learning during nationwide school closures.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Verma |first1=Mansi |title=Edtech unicorn LEAD narrows losses, revenue nearly doubles in FY23 |url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/startup/edtech-unicorn-lead-narrows-losses-revenue-nearly-doubles-in-fy23-11112891.html |website=www.moneycontrol.com |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=7 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Tyagi |first1=Gaurav |title=How LEAD School scaled revenues 2X during COVID hit FY21|url=https://entrackr.com/2021/10/how-lead-school-scaled-revenues-3-2x-during-covid-hit-fy21/ |website=entrackr.com |access-date=10 June 2025 |date= 11 October 2021}}</ref> Its system has incorporated elements aligned with the [[National Education Policy 2020]], such as coding skills, since its early years, and later included aspects of the National Curriculum Framework 2023.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bhatia |first1=Vinita |title=LEAD Partners With Rajasthan Government For Quality Education |url=https://www.outlookbusiness.com/sector/ed-tech/lead-partners-with-rajasthan-government-for-quality-education-news-9323 |website=www.outlookbusiness.com |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=6 September 2023}}</ref>

==Educational model==

LEAD School operates an integrated learning system covering pre-primary to Grade 10. The system uses offline as well as digital classrooms equipped with smart boards, integrates AI-driven tools for personalised learning and includes regular evaluations and data analysis to monitor student progress.<ref name="fi1" /> Teacher training is part of the approach, with ongoing professional development provided to educators. The system targets schools with limited resources.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Raghavan |first1=Ranjani |title=LEAD's Sumeet Mehta has a lesson for founders: Ditch that Plan B |url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/leads-sumeet-mehta-has-a-lesson-for-founders-ditch-that-plan-b-11720102793286.html |website=www.livemint.com |publisher=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]] |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=5 July 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://leadschool.in/ Official website]

[[Category:Education in India]]
[[Category:Educational technology companies]]
[[Category:2012 establishments in India]]

LEAD School - Revision history

BrooksPrather: made new article v1