Top-level online schooling offers route to leading universities
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Advertisement New model for online schooling Hong Kong Education Top-level online schooling offers route to leading universities
As an elite international school with an online delivery model for seven- to 18-year-olds, Crimson Global Academy prepares students for places at the world’s best universities.
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Advertising partner Published: 12:00am, 14 Sep 2026
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For families who are regularly on the move or simply looking for a high-quality alternative to traditional modes of teaching, an easy-to-access option is now available offering flexibility, rigour and a proven track record.
Operating since 2019, the Crimson Global Academy (CGA) conducts small live group classes alongside one-to-one classes where a more personalised pace is helpful. Everything follows a well-structured weekly timetable, with a choice of curricula that lead to globally recognised qualifications including the IGCSE, international A-Levels, AP (advanced placement) programmes, and the US high school diploma.
Children sign in to learn from home or, in principle, from anywhere in the world. Individual progress and assignments are closely monitored by expert teachers who maintain close contact with students and parents via direct messaging and updates. And regular classes are supplemented by a diverse range of extracurricular activities, including special interest clubs and Model UN debates, to ensure a whole-person approach and a positive, unifying school culture.
The aim at all times is to provide an education which is effective, challenging and transformative. This is done by giving students access to cutting-edge technologies, a global learning environment, and even an AI chatbot on hand to offer extra support when needed.
Results show it is an approach which can accelerate academic performance and broaden perspectives, while also allowing sufficient flexibility to adjust personal timetables and pathways or opt for one-to-one classes in certain subjects if preferred.
“We have rolling admissions, but students will join one of three virtual campuses – centred in Hong Kong, London and the United States – where live classes, with an average of 8-10 students – are taught remotely in the morning or early afternoon in each time zone,” says Liya Sun, CGA’s admissions officer for Asia.
“Each campus follows its own academic year, but we make it easy to switch between them if families or students move, and there are the usual term breaks, internal exams, reports, parent-teacher exchanges and check-ins with group tutors.”
Already, children from more than 70 Hong Kong families are studying with CGA, usually choosing to do so for one of three reasons.
They may want the chance to learn some subjects, for example maths, faster than in the standard system – in fact 49 per cent of CGA students are at a higher level than their age group. They may be young sports stars or performers who have to balance study with training, daily practice and overseas trips. Or they may have felt insufficiently challenged and prefer a more personalised environment than a fixed campus can offer.
“There is an onboarding process where we set up student accounts and links to portals for classes, schedules and other activities,” says Sun, noting that CGA’s reach now extends to more than 75 countries, with over 400 subject specialists teaching 3,000-plus pupils. “Each class lasts an hour, the discussions are very interactive, cameras must be on, all students are called on to present and contribute, and we send parents email reminders if there is any issue.” To instil rigour and discipline, teachers may ask students to show their notes at the end of class to make sure they are engaged and learning. In lower grades, each student takes core subjects – English, maths, science, social science – for their chosen pathway plus additional choices to reach the required total. At the IGCSE, A-Level or US diploma stage, there is greater flexibility in course selection to reflect individual strengths and university goals.
Every student must also take a weekly “learning for life” course which covers topics such as time management, classroom ethics and essential life skills.
“To bring people together, we host regular in-person events each quarter where students, siblings and parents in the same city can meet up,” says Ella Liu, CGA’s senior marketing associate for the Asia region.
There are also numerous extracurricular activities, including a popular cooking club where students prepare and share recipes from the own culture , and general PE sessions to keep pupils fit and active.
While there can be challenges in switching to online learning, most young people only need to refamiliarise themselves with the type of processes and protocols they had to follow during the pandemic.
“New joiners have to get used to the platforms and chatbots, but students of this generation adapt really quickly,” Sun says. “Usually, it is the parents who take longer to understand the portals and what to do.”
Liu adds that CGA accepts both full- and part-time pupils, with the latter attending other schools, but keen to take on extra courses, for instance additional A-Levels. For this, they might join live group classes or take the accelerated Da Vinci programme where experienced teachers are matched with students for personalised lessons on a pay-per-subject basis.
“We are accredited by four leading bodies: WASC (the Western Association of Schools and Colleges), Cambridge Assessment International Education, Pearson Edexcel, and the College Board (AP), and are registered in the US and New Zealand, so colleges recognise us as a private school,” Liu says. “We have had 160-plus admission offers from Oxbridge, Ivy League and other universities among the world’s top 50, and we are working towards steady expansion, maintaining the current momentum for our next intakes and well beyond.”
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