53.7% of Online Tutor Households 'Combine' with Cram Schools -- Over Half Practice Hybrid Learning
A survey by Manabuterasu on 417 households revealed that 53.7% combine online tutoring with cram schools or other services. The biggest reason for choosing online is the elimination of drop-off/pick-up times.
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- 📰 Published: April 13, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 13, 2026 at 16:35
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 20:11 (147h 36m after Collected)
The online home tutoring service 'Manabuterasu' (Operated by Dream Education Co., Ltd., Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, President: Shichiro Sakamoto) has released the results of a learning reality survey targeting the parents of 417 member households.
The survey was conducted over a 12-month period from April 2025 to March 2026, revealing that 53.7% of households using online home tutors also use other learning services such as cram schools, correspondence education, and video lesson services in combination.
More than half of the households use multiple learning methods depending on their purpose, and this survey defines such a learning style as 'Hybrid Learning'.
1. Survey Results
(1) 53.7% combine with cram schools or correspondence education -- Over half practice 'Hybrid Learning' (Figure 1, Figure 2)
Among households using the online tutor 'Manabuterasu', the percentage that responded they also use either cram schools, individual tutoring schools, correspondence education, video lesson services, or other extracurricular activities reached 53.7%, surpassing the households studying exclusively with online tutors (46.3%). It has become clear that more than half of the households use a combination of multiple learning methods, including online tutors.
Figure 1: Rate of combined use of other learning services by online tutor users (N=417)
The breakdown of combined use shows that cram schools are the most common at 24.2%, followed by individual tutoring schools at 13.9%, correspondence education at 11.0%, video lesson services at 8.6%, and other extracurricular activities (online English, abacus, etc.) at 7.4% (Multiple answers, N=417). Households combining some form of cram school (cram school or individual tutoring school) account for 35.7%, making the combination of cram school and online tutor the most common form of hybrid learning.
Figure 2: Learning services combined by online tutor users (N=417, multiple answers)
* The above breakdown is based on multiple answers, so households using multiple categories are counted in each category. The sum of each category does not match the aforementioned combined rate of 53.7%.
* 'Other online tutors', which are the same service format, are excluded from the combined rate calculation of this survey (Reference value: combined use with other online tutors is 7.7%).
(2) The most common reason for choosing online is 'No need for transportation, reduction of travel time' at 25.9% (Figure 3)
When asked about the reasons for choosing an online home tutor in a free-text format, and categorizing the answers by the primary reason, the most common was 'No need for transportation, reduction of travel time' at 25.9%. This was followed by 'Living overseas' at 13.7%, 'Effective use of time/taking classes at home' at 11.8%, 'No good classroom/teacher nearby' at 9.6%, and 'As an alternative/combination with cram school' at 7.2% (N=417).
Figure 3: Reasons for choosing an online home tutor (N=417, free text categorized into 1 category per response)
(3) Anxiety before the first time: 'About choosing a teacher' at 66.9%, 'Technical anxiety' at only 16.3% (Figure 4)
When asked about their anxieties before taking their first lesson in a multiple-choice format, the most common was 'About choosing a teacher' at 66.9%, followed by 'Communication with the teacher' at 54.7% and 'Lesson content' at 54.2%. On the other hand, 'Fee structure' at 18.0%, 'Technical anxiety' at 16.3%, and 'Using the calling app' at 15.6% were below 20%, showing that technical anxieties such as computers or internet connections remained at a limited level (N=417, multiple answers).
Figure 4: Anxieties felt by parents before the first lesson (N=417, multiple answers)
Regarding these anxieties, 79.6% answered that they were resolved by taking the first lesson, and 6.5% answered that they were resolved through the pre-guidance service. The total number of households answering that they resolved their anxieties by either method reached 85.1%.
2. What the survey results show
The results of this survey highlight the reality that more than half of households are not making an either-or choice between 'cram school or online', but are using learning methods selectively depending on the purpose and subject.
While attending group tutoring schools, individually reinforcing only weak subjects with an online home tutor. Families living overseas who want to continue Japanese learning combine local education with online home tutors. Such selective use has become an everyday occurrence, and online home tutors function not as an 'alternative to commuting to cram school' but as 'another option that supplements commuting'.
Also, the fact that only 16.3% of households cited 'technical aspects' as a pre-lesson anxiety suggests that learning online itself has become natural for many families.
The survey was conducted over a 12-month period from April 2025 to March 2026, revealing that 53.7% of households using online home tutors also use other learning services such as cram schools, correspondence education, and video lesson services in combination.
More than half of the households use multiple learning methods depending on their purpose, and this survey defines such a learning style as 'Hybrid Learning'.
1. Survey Results
(1) 53.7% combine with cram schools or correspondence education -- Over half practice 'Hybrid Learning' (Figure 1, Figure 2)
Among households using the online tutor 'Manabuterasu', the percentage that responded they also use either cram schools, individual tutoring schools, correspondence education, video lesson services, or other extracurricular activities reached 53.7%, surpassing the households studying exclusively with online tutors (46.3%). It has become clear that more than half of the households use a combination of multiple learning methods, including online tutors.
Figure 1: Rate of combined use of other learning services by online tutor users (N=417)
The breakdown of combined use shows that cram schools are the most common at 24.2%, followed by individual tutoring schools at 13.9%, correspondence education at 11.0%, video lesson services at 8.6%, and other extracurricular activities (online English, abacus, etc.) at 7.4% (Multiple answers, N=417). Households combining some form of cram school (cram school or individual tutoring school) account for 35.7%, making the combination of cram school and online tutor the most common form of hybrid learning.
Figure 2: Learning services combined by online tutor users (N=417, multiple answers)
* The above breakdown is based on multiple answers, so households using multiple categories are counted in each category. The sum of each category does not match the aforementioned combined rate of 53.7%.
* 'Other online tutors', which are the same service format, are excluded from the combined rate calculation of this survey (Reference value: combined use with other online tutors is 7.7%).
(2) The most common reason for choosing online is 'No need for transportation, reduction of travel time' at 25.9% (Figure 3)
When asked about the reasons for choosing an online home tutor in a free-text format, and categorizing the answers by the primary reason, the most common was 'No need for transportation, reduction of travel time' at 25.9%. This was followed by 'Living overseas' at 13.7%, 'Effective use of time/taking classes at home' at 11.8%, 'No good classroom/teacher nearby' at 9.6%, and 'As an alternative/combination with cram school' at 7.2% (N=417).
Figure 3: Reasons for choosing an online home tutor (N=417, free text categorized into 1 category per response)
(3) Anxiety before the first time: 'About choosing a teacher' at 66.9%, 'Technical anxiety' at only 16.3% (Figure 4)
When asked about their anxieties before taking their first lesson in a multiple-choice format, the most common was 'About choosing a teacher' at 66.9%, followed by 'Communication with the teacher' at 54.7% and 'Lesson content' at 54.2%. On the other hand, 'Fee structure' at 18.0%, 'Technical anxiety' at 16.3%, and 'Using the calling app' at 15.6% were below 20%, showing that technical anxieties such as computers or internet connections remained at a limited level (N=417, multiple answers).
Figure 4: Anxieties felt by parents before the first lesson (N=417, multiple answers)
Regarding these anxieties, 79.6% answered that they were resolved by taking the first lesson, and 6.5% answered that they were resolved through the pre-guidance service. The total number of households answering that they resolved their anxieties by either method reached 85.1%.
2. What the survey results show
The results of this survey highlight the reality that more than half of households are not making an either-or choice between 'cram school or online', but are using learning methods selectively depending on the purpose and subject.
While attending group tutoring schools, individually reinforcing only weak subjects with an online home tutor. Families living overseas who want to continue Japanese learning combine local education with online home tutors. Such selective use has become an everyday occurrence, and online home tutors function not as an 'alternative to commuting to cram school' but as 'another option that supplements commuting'.
Also, the fact that only 16.3% of households cited 'technical aspects' as a pre-lesson anxiety suggests that learning online itself has become natural for many families.