On November 11, 2026, Microsoft announced Classroom, a standalone Microsoft 365 app for schools and universities. Assignments, grades, the OneNote Class Notebook, and other learning tools are meant to be in one place there. The app is to be available in the browser as well as a mobile and desktop app.
Classroom does not replace Teams for Education; the app is being added as another option. New are the AI features Teach and Study and Learn Agent, which run directly in Classroom. Microsoft provides no information on languages or data protection.
What is in Microsoft Classroom?
Classroom is meant to bring together assignments (Assignments), Classwork, grades, the OneNote Class Notebook, Learning Accelerators, Insights, and Reflect. The app also includes Teach in Copilot, the AI planning area for teachers, and the learning activities (Learning Activities).
Teachers are supposed to see in a personal start view which assignments still need to be graded and what is coming up. For each class, they additionally set up a shared class home page so that learners have a fixed entry point. Learners are supposed to find due and overdue work, returned assignments, and the teacher's feedback on their home page, as described in the announcement on the Microsoft Education Blog.
Teachers can integrate the Study and Learn Agent directly into assignments. For primary schools, Microsoft envisions a class view designed by the teacher in which children see what is coming up next and what they should bring, without additional apps that distract.
Does Classroom replace Teams assignments?
No. Microsoft explicitly calls Classroom another option alongside Teams for Education and Microsoft 365 LTI, the connection to existing learning platforms. All three paths are based on the same Microsoft 365 platform.
A school can choose Classroom for teaching and continue using Teams for meetings among staff. Schools that currently manage assignments and grades in Teams therefore do not have to switch. The decision lies with the institution.
Who gets Classroom, and what does the app cost?
According to Microsoft, Classroom will be included at no additional cost in the current license tiers A1, A3, A5, and A7 from 2027. In the future license tiers from A2, the app will be a fixed part starting in January 2028. Microsoft does not state a price, a date for Germany, or a list of languages. The overview of the reorganized tiers can be found in our news on Office 365 A1.
Classroom: the dates
What Microsoft announced about the schedule on November 11, 2026
- November 11, 2026Microsoft announces Classroom on the Education Blog
- Early 2027Preview, registration via the administrators
- 2027Classroom at no extra charge in A1, A3, A5, and A7
- January 2028Fixed component of the future tiers from A2
All dates from 2027 are Microsoft's plans; Microsoft does not state an exact date.
Source: Microsoft Education Blog
For the preview, administrators register their institution via the registration page from the blog post. Teachers can give feedback beforehand via the EDU Insiders program. Classes and participant lists are transferred into the app via School Data Sync. Activation and policies are set by IT in the usual Microsoft 365 Education administration portals.
What this means for you
As a teacher, it's best to first check which platform your school uses today. If the staff has so far managed assignments and grades in Teams, that remains possible. It's best to ask the school leadership or IT whether the institution wants to register for the preview, because registration is done via administrators.
The OneNote Class Notebook is part of Classroom, so the basics of OneNote are worth learning before the launch. The OneNote tutorial shows page structure, sharing, and views step by step.
Before learners work with the AI features, it's best to clarify data protection questions with the school leadership. The announcement mentions neither age limits nor details on how Teach and the Study and Learn Agent handle learners' data.
As a student or learner, you don't need to change anything now, because your institution decides whether and when Classroom appears for you. For individuals and self-employed people who give courses, Microsoft does not provide access; Classroom is tied to the institutions' education licenses.
Microsoft announced Classroom on November 11, 2026 on the Education Blog.
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