Parents of a serious young athlete or performer face a hard question: does committing to a sport mean sacrificing academic results — or vice versa? Many families feel forced to choose. Teneo Online School's own students answer that question directly, and this page sets out the evidence that sport and marks can rise together.

Young athletes who did online school

The clearest answer comes from Teneo Online School's own students who compete seriously while achieving academically. Documented examples include racing champion Christopher Tait and the Kani cycling brothers — young athletes who have balanced demanding competition and training schedules with their schooling through an online school. Their stories show, in real and named cases, that elite-level sport and strong marks are not mutually exclusive.

Why does online schooling make this possible where a traditional school often cannot? Because it offers the flexibility a competing athlete needs: live lessons that can work around a training and competition schedule, recordings to catch up after a race or a training camp, and the ability to learn from anywhere — home, a training base, or on the road. A young athlete travelling to compete does not miss their education; it travels with them. For families weighing this, it is worth understanding how online schooling works in South Africa and exploring the dedicated support for online school for young athletes in South Africa. The evidence from real students is that, with this flexibility, a serious athlete can protect both their sport and their marks.

Can you be a serious athlete and still get good marks?

Yes — and Teneo Online School's students are the evidence. This is the question at the heart of the matter, and the honest, evidenced answer is that a young person can commit seriously to a sport and achieve strong academic results, provided their schooling gives them the flexibility to do both. The examples above — a racing champion, competitive cyclists — are real, named cases of exactly that.

The reason it works comes down to how the school day is structured. In a traditional school, a fixed timetable and compulsory physical attendance can clash directly with training sessions, competitions and travel — forcing a genuine trade-off. A good online school removes that clash: the athlete attends live lessons where they can, catches up on recordings where they cannot, and fits serious study around serious training rather than choosing between them. Crucially, the academic standard is not lowered to accommodate the sport — the marks are real, achieved through a full curriculum. So the honest answer to "can you be a serious athlete and still get good marks?" is yes, with the right structure — and Teneo Online School's own athletes demonstrate it. For a child who is also balancing wellbeing alongside a demanding schedule, it is worth reading about emotional wellbeing at online school.

Online school for competitive swimmers and cyclists

For sports with especially demanding training loads — competitive swimming, cycling, and similar — the case for online schooling is particularly strong, and the Kani cycling brothers are a real example of it working. These are sports that often require early-morning training, long hours, travel to competitions and squads, and a level of commitment that a fixed school timetable simply cannot accommodate. A competitive swimmer with dawn training sessions, or a cyclist away for races and camps, needs a school that flexes around the sport.

That is exactly what a good online school provides: the swimmer can train at dawn and attend lessons afterwards (or catch recordings); the cyclist can keep up with their studies from a training base or a race destination. The sport sets the schedule where it must, and the schooling fits around it — without the academic side being neglected. This is why so many serious swimmers, cyclists and other competitive athletes and their families turn to online schooling: it is the structure that lets the sport and the schooling both thrive. If your child competes at this level, it is worth exploring whether an online school suits their situation, and speaking to the Teneo Online School team about your child's sport and schedule.

Why sport and academics thrive together at online school

Bringing the evidence together, a few things explain why serious athletes achieve academically at a good online school:

• Flexibility around training and competition — live lessons plus recordings mean the athlete never has to choose between a training session and a lesson.

• Learning from anywhere — home, a training base, or on the road, so travel for competition does not disrupt education.

• A full academic standard — the marks are real, achieved through a complete curriculum, not lowered to fit the sport.

• Support that understands the demands — a good school understands the pressures on a young athlete and supports both sides.

• Real, named results — Teneo Online School's own students, from racing to cycling, evidence that it works.

The message for a family with a serious young athlete or performer is that they do not have to sacrifice one for the other. With the right flexible structure, sport and marks rise together — as Teneo Online School's students show.

Frequently asked questions

Which young athletes have succeeded academically at online school? Teneo Online School's documented students include racing champion Christopher Tait and the Kani cycling brothers, who have balanced serious competition and training with their schooling and academic results. These are real, named examples showing that elite-level sport and strong marks genuinely coexist when a school offers the flexibility a competing athlete needs.

Can you be a serious athlete and still get good marks? Yes — Teneo Online School's students are the evidence. A young person can commit seriously to a sport and achieve strong results, provided their schooling flexes around training, competition and travel. Online schooling removes the clash a fixed timetable creates, letting an athlete fit full study around serious training — without lowering the academic standard, so the marks are real.

Is online school good for competitive swimmers and cyclists? Yes — for sports with demanding training loads like swimming and cycling (the Kani cycling brothers are a real example), online schooling is particularly well-suited. It flexes around dawn training, long hours, and travel to competitions and camps, letting the sport set the schedule where it must while the schooling fits around it, with the academic side kept full and serious.

Does the sport come at the cost of the marks? Not with the right structure. The point of a good online school is that the athlete does not have to trade one for the other: live lessons plus recordings mean training and competition do not cost lessons, and the curriculum and academic standard remain full. Teneo Online School's athlete students show marks and sport rising together, not one sacrificed for the other.

How does online school fit around a training and competition schedule? Through flexibility: an athlete attends live lessons where they can, catches up on recordings where they cannot, and learns from anywhere — home, a training base, or a competition destination. The sport sets the schedule where it must, and the schooling fits around it, so travel and training do not disrupt a child's education or results.

Where can I see these athlete stories? Teneo Online School documents its students' stories, including athletes like racing champion Christopher Tait and the Kani cycling brothers. To explore further, speak to the Teneo Online School team about your child's specific sport and schedule, and read the related evidence on academic turnarounds and university destinations linked throughout this page.

Teneo Online School's own athletes — from racing champion Christopher Tait to the Kani cycling brothers — show that elite sport and strong marks genuinely rise together with the right flexible structure.