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Classroom of the Elite
Start here. Twelve episodes introducing the academy, the class system that governs everything, and the cast.
4 titles
Updated Sep 14, 2026
Classroom of the Elite Watch Order (2026 Guide)
Students at an elite high school compete in a ruthless merit-based system where class rank determines nearly every privilege.
Recommended Order
Quick answer
- Classroom of the Elite
- Classroom of the Elite Season 2
- Classroom of the Elite Season 3
- Classroom of the Elite 4th Season: Second Year, First Semester
4 titles · 54 episodes · ~21.5 hours
Four seasons, one continuous story, numbered order. There are no side stories, specials, or films to place, so the only thing worth knowing before you start is where each season stops.
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Classroom of the Elite Season 2
Continues the first school year with no recap. The animation looks different because five years passed between productions, but nothing about the story restarts.
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Classroom of the Elite Season 3
Closes out the first year. It opens mid-situation, so watch it soon after Season 2 rather than leaving a long gap.
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Classroom of the Elite 4th Season: Second Year, First Semester
Sixteen episodes covering the first semester of the second year, ending on the island survival exam. A fifth season is confirmed but has no date yet.
Why This Order
This is a rare case where the watch order needs no argument: watch the four seasons in numbered order. Season 1 establishes the academy and its ranking system across 12 episodes. Seasons 2 and 3 carry the first school year to its conclusion, and they work best watched close together — Season 3 opens mid-situation and assumes you remember where Season 2 left things. Season 4 then runs 16 episodes, longer than anything before it, and covers the first semester of the second year, ending after the island survival exam. That is 54 episodes and roughly 21 and a half hours in total. The five-year gap between Seasons 1 and 2 shows in the visuals but changes nothing about the story, which continues without a recap. A fifth season was confirmed in June 2026, immediately after Season 4 finished airing, so the ending of Season 4 is a pause rather than a conclusion.
How Many Episodes and Seasons Does Classroom of the Elite Have?
Classroom of the Elite has 4 seasons in the main run — 54 episodes altogether.
Main Run
| Title | Type | Episodes | Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classroom of the Elite | TV Series | 12 episodes | July 2017 |
| Classroom of the Elite Season 2 | TV Series | 13 episodes | July 2022 |
| Classroom of the Elite Season 3 | TV Series | 13 episodes | January 2024 |
| Classroom of the Elite 4th Season: Second Year, First Semester | TV Series | 16 episodes | April 2026 |
4 titles · 54 episodes · ~21.5 hours
Source Material
Where each part of the anime lines up with the source, so you know where to pick up reading.
Season 1
Source Year 1 Vol. 1-3
Season 2
Source Year 1 Vol. 4-7.5
Season 3
Source Year 1 Vol. 8-11.5
Season 4
Source Year 2 Vol. 1-4
Classroom of the Elite Spin-offs and Side Stories
Only spin-offs that tie into the main story are listed here — anthologies, fan books and the like are left out.
Classroom of the Elite: Horikita
Spin-off Manga
Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e: Other School Days
Spin-off Manga
The anime adapts Shogo Kinugasa's light novel series, published in English by Seven Seas. The volume numbering restarts with each school year: the first-year arc ran 11.5 volumes and is complete, the second-year arc follows, and the third-year arc is ongoing. Season 4 ends partway through the second year, so readers should start at Year 2 Volume 5. The manga adaptation lags well behind the anime, which makes the novels the practical way to continue.
Classroom of the Elite Watch Order FAQ
How do I watch Classroom of the Elite in order?
Seasons 1 through 4, in numbered order. There are no OVAs, films, or specials to fit in anywhere. That comes to 54 episodes and about 21 and a half hours.
Is the chronological order different from the release order?
No. The story runs along the school calendar from the first year through the second with no prequel seasons and no flashback episodes placed out of sequence. The two orders are the same list.
Why does the animation look so different in Season 2?
Five years passed between them — Season 1 aired in 2017 and Season 2 in 2022. Lerche produced every season, but the character designs were revised in the gap. The story continues directly regardless, with no recap episode bridging the two.
Is there a Season 5?
Yes, confirmed in June 2026 right after Season 4 finished airing. No broadcast date has been announced. Season 4 covers only the first semester of the second year, so the story is nowhere near finished.
Where can I watch Classroom of the Elite?
Crunchyroll carries all four seasons worldwide, subtitled and dubbed. Season 1 originally streamed on Funimation in 2017 before that service was folded into Crunchyroll. Season 4's English dub arrived on 15 April 2026, two weeks after the Japanese broadcast began.
Is the light novel finished?
No. Shogo Kinugasa's series is structured by school year: the first-year arc ran 11.5 volumes and is complete, the second-year arc follows it, and the third-year arc is still being published.
Where do I start the light novel after the anime?
Season 4 adapts roughly the first four volumes of the second-year arc, so pick up at Year 2 Volume 5. Note that the volume numbering restarts with each school year, so 'Volume 5' here means the fifth book of the second-year arc, not the fifth book overall.