PhysicsWallah ventures into physical school, will enrol 400 students
The Alakh Pandey-led edtech firm has launched its maiden PW Gurukulam School in Gurugram, affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education Board (CBSE).
After investing in a brick-and-mortar skilling institute, edtech unicorn (PW) has ventured into physical schools, broadening its range of educational offerings.
The Alakh Pandey-led edtech firm has now launched its maiden PW Gurukulam School in Gurugram, affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education Board (CBSE).
The company said the school will offer primary education, spanning from play school to grade 7, with a curriculum framework grounded in the National Education Policy 2020.
PhysicsWallah Founder and CEO Alakh Pandey said that “all-inclusive education, innovation, and culture are the foundational aspects” of the newly launched school that will enrol 400 students in its inaugural batch.
“At PW Gurukulam, we aim to offer education that covers a wide spectrum and will enable them to choose from limitless possibilities rather than conventional career paths,” he added.
The school aims to offer education rooted in experiential learning, cultivating well-rounded students with a focus on areas such as financial literacy and entrepreneurship, complemented by initiatives like Model United Nations. It claims to have a zero-tolerance policy towards bullying.
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Founded in 2020, PW has expanded into 28 test prep categories and a skilling vertical, with over 72 tech-enabled Vidyapeeth (offline) and 28 Pathshala (hybrid) centres across India.
The launch of the physical school further strengthens PW’s offline portfolio—a trend in line with other edtech firms expressing increased interest in the offline channel following the pandemic-led edtech boom.
Unacademy, another edtech unicorn, has experienced a surge in revenue from significant growth in its offline business, leading to multiple leadership changes as it strengthens its physical centres.
While offline centres contributed 40% to PW’s revenue in 2023, the Noida-based company has witnessed significant growth in online learning, with an 182% surge in enrollment for online paid courses in 2023 compared to the prior year.
In the financial year 2022-23, PW’s revenue from operations increased to Rs 771.76 crore from Rs 232.47 crore in the previous fiscal. It reported an adjusted EBITDA of Rs 127 crore in FY23 (adjusted for ESOP costs, Lease Equalization Reserve—LER and one-time inventory provisioning), which stood at Rs 134 crore in FY22.
EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, is a measure of core operational efficiency.
Edited by Kanishk Singh
