Classroom of the Elite is a Japanese light novel series written by Shōgo Kinugasa, with illustrations by Shunsaku Tomose. The novel was published from May 2015 to September 2019 under Media Factorys MF Bunko J imprint, and a sequel, Classroom of the Elite: Year 2, began serialization in December 2021. The story is set in Koudo Ikusei Senior High School, a prestigious school with state-of-the-art facilities where nearly 100% of students go on to university or find employment. The students enjoy an unparalleled amount of freedom, and it is ranked highly in Japan. The series follows the story of Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, a student who enrolls in the school and discovers just how merit-based the education system is. The students are streamed into classes A-D and given roughly £650 per month of spending money. The classes compete against each other, and the series focuses on the cutthroat competition between the first-year classes as they struggle to either climb or remain at the top. The series is a social commentary on class and status and relationships, and it features an incredible amount of scheming and rule manipulation. The anime adaptation of the series premiered in July 2017 and ran for 12 episodes.