Esports in the K12 universe are still living in that Rodney Dangerfield type of space (“I tell ya, I don’t get no respect.”)
The argument usually goes something like this: “You want to give kids more video games, feed their appetite for dopamine hits, and somehow call that credible schooling?”
I get the skepticism. But when esports is done right, it doesn’t pull students away from school. It can do exactly the opposite. It gives students a reason to show up, a place to belong, and an opportunity to become active participants in their own education, all while learning how to communicate, collaborate, compete, and thrive as part of a team.
The challenge is that somebody still has to convince the skeptics.
And I know how difficult it can be to be the person in the room defending school esports while others are explaining how since these kids are failing math we need to cancel PE and give them even more math. (Cause that’ll learn ‘em!)
So, if you’re the person in your building who just got handed the job of starting an esports program, here’s how to pull it off, win over the naysayers, and (ideally) have a great time leading the charge.
Why Bother Starting an Esports Program?
The simple answer to why you should bother starting an esports program is because your students are already playing, whether you create a team for them or not. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, about 85% of American teens say they play video games, and among boys, that number climbs to a whopping 97%.
So the question really isn't whether gaming belongs in the lives of young people. It's already there. And with numbers like these, it's safe to say that gaming isn’t a fad that's going to be going out of fashion anytime soon. This is especially true when you consider that the global esports market is set to reach $6.2 billion by 2030, with user growth forecast to surpass 72 million by 2029, and an adoption rate of 10.2% in 2026, increasing to 11.4% by 2030.
The better question is:
Can schools turn some of that enthusiasm into something productive?
That's where academic esports gets interesting.
Schools that run esports regularly report genuine jumps in engagement and attendance, which is no small thing when both are difficult to move, especially given the absenteeism crisis in the US that’s underway.
Not to mention, now more than ever, students engaged in esports have a real future ahead of them, since nearly 200 universities field varsity esports teams and have awarded well over $16 million in scholarships in a single year. That’s not bad for something people still write off as an after-school hobby.
Behind every game students play is an enormous ecosystem of careers: coding, game development, cybersecurity, broadcasting, graphic design, marketing, event production, data analytics, business, and more.
That's why I wouldn't walk into your principal's office arguing that video games are awesome.
I'd argue that your students are already gamers. Your opportunity is to help turn some of them into makers, competitors, leaders, and future professionals.
That's a much harder argument to dismiss.
How Do You Start a K–12 Esports Program?
The good news is that you don't have to figure this out by trial and error. There have been plenty of schools that have already walked the path of learning to start a K-12 esports program. It’s a wheel not needing reinvention.
1. Get Your Administration on Board First
Nothing happens until the people who control the calendar, facilities, network, and budget give you the green light.
And while administrators are increasingly familiar with esports, skepticism still exists. That's why I recommend leading with the part they care about most:
Outcomes, not games.
Don't pitch this as “a club where kids play Rocket League after school.”
Pitch it as a structured student program built around engagement, teamwork, competition, academics, and college and career pathways.
For example, you could take a page from districts like Los Angeles Unified, which have written esports into official policy, rather than pitching it as "a club where kids play Rocket League." Districts such as Los Angeles Unified have already incorporated esports into formal educational initiatives. You're not asking your school to experiment with some strange new internet phenomenon. There's a growing K–12 model to follow.
2. Find a Coach Who Gives a Darn
Pardon my French, but one of the most important steps in launching a K-12 esports program at your school is finding a coach who gives a darn rather than one who games. Your team leader doesn’t need to be a ranked player. They don't need to know every game, every strategy, or every piece of gaming slang their students throw at them.
They need to give a darn about the kids.
They need to show up consistently. They need enough classroom-management chops to prevent the room from turning into chaos. They need to hold students accountable. And they need enough enthusiasm to learn alongside them.
Everything else can be taught.
In fact, some of the best esports coaches aren't the biggest gamers in the building. They're educators who recognize that gaming gives them a doorway into relationships with students they might otherwise struggle to reach.
3. Sort Out Space, Gear, and IT
This is usually the part where somebody starts imagining a $100,000 esports arena with glowing desks, stadium seating, and enough RGB lighting to make Las Vegas jealous.
You don't need that.
Start with what you have.
A computer lab, library space, unused classroom, or multipurpose room can be enough to get a program moving. Depending on the games you choose, you may also be able to use existing school computers or relatively modest gaming equipment rather than buying top-of-the-line machines.
The bigger issue is often IT.
Before buying anything, talk to your technology team about network requirements, firewalls, game downloads, updates, student accounts, privacy, and which titles your district will actually allow.
Trust me: discovering that your shiny new computers can't connect to the game server on opening day is not the kind of esports excitement you're looking for.
4. Line Up the Funding
This is where good ideas sometimes go to die.
But don't assume the entire program has to come out of one school budget.
Depending on how your program is structured, potential funding can come from district budgets, STEM or CTE initiatives, grants, foundations, community organizations, local businesses, sponsorships, and other sources.
And this is another reason connecting esports to academics matters.
You're no longer simply asking someone to fund gaming equipment.
You're potentially funding computer science, career exploration, workforce development, student engagement, competition, and extracurricular opportunities.
That's a much bigger tent.
5. Wrap It In Curriculum and a Career Path
Of course, picking age-appropriate games and joining a league is beneficial and almost a no-brainer, but you should also consider wrapping your program around a curriculum and a career path.
This is the piece I think separates esports at school from academic esports.
Competition gets students through the door.
What you build around that competition determines how valuable the program becomes.
Students can learn communication, teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, broadcasting, game design, coding, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, and other transferable skills while participating in something they genuinely enjoy.
And suddenly the kid who came in because they wanted to compete in a video game discovers they enjoy shoutcasting.
Another gets interested in building games.
Another becomes fascinated by cybersecurity.
Another discovers they are actually pretty good at leading a team.
The game becomes the hook. The pathway becomes the payoff.
That's when you have something you can confidently defend in front of a principal, superintendent, parent—or the skeptical school board member who still thinks you're just handing kids controllers.
Let Someone Else Carry the Hard Parts
Now, if reading those five steps made you want to lie down, I've got good news, and that is that you don't have to build every piece from scratch. In fact, programs like the United States Academic Esports League exist precisely so one overwhelmed teacher isn't out there reinventing the wheel alone.
It's a turnkey K-12 setup built by educators (yes, you read that right), with the curriculum, coaching support, managed competition, and college and career pathways already chained together. This means your job moves away (phew) from developing things alone to simply saying yes to using an established framework.
So if you feel that the kids who love this stuff are worth building something for, round up your skeptics and learn more about our program by booking a demo today. Then you can begin putting things in place so you’re ready for your esports program's launch day.
