DroneBlocks pushes FPV racing kits to launch school leagues

DroneBlocks is trying to solve the hardest part of bringing FPV racing into schools: not the flying, but the setup. Its racing kit packages hardware, curriculum and simulation software into one program, with registration for two teams in the MultiGP Drones in Schools League built in from the start.

That matters because school drone programs usually stall when teachers have to assemble everything themselves. DroneBlocks says its kit is FCC Part 15 compliant, which helps with district rules, and it pairs that with more than 30 hours of curriculum aimed at grades 6-12. A Pitsco listing prices the Level 1 kit at $3,497, a concrete number that shows this is pitched as a full program purchase, not a casual club add-on.

The larger strategy is to move students from screen to track without forcing a school to invent its own pathway. DroneBlocks says the curriculum covers aeronautics, engineering, project management, entrepreneurship, graphic design and marketing, while the simulator gives beginners a place to practice before they touch real hardware. That sequence, simulator first and track second, is the clearest sign that the company understands why many FPV efforts never get past the first semester: safety concerns, teacher workload and the cost of broken drones.

The league tie-in is just as important. DroneBlocks announced its partnership with the MultiGP STEM Alliance on Feb. 9, 2024, plugging schools directly into a competition ecosystem rather than leaving them with a one-off classroom exercise. MultiGP says it formed the alliance in 2020 with Drones in School and the Collegiate Drone Racing Association to provide training, curriculum and competitions worldwide. MultiGP also says it has more than 30,000 registered pilots and 500 active chapters worldwide, a scale that gives school leagues a path into something bigger than a local club.

There is already evidence of demand. Drones in School says its program serves students from 6th grade through post-secondary, and 27 teams competed in its 2025 Season Championship in Houston. Its championship page says 20 high school teams and 20 middle school teams will be invited to the 2026 Championship Race in Detroit at AUVSI XPONENTIAL. A 2024 national championship report listed the top six high school teams and top six middle school teams in San Diego. The program’s origin story also fits the pitch: an interview says it emerged after a robotics team built a drone in 2017 and organizers saw racing as an accessible STEM option for schools.

The real question is whether DroneBlocks has finally made scholastic FPV easy enough to scale. On paper, the answer looks closer to yes than most school-tech packages ever get. It gives teachers the gear, the lessons, the simulator and the race registration in one box, which is exactly the sort of structure that can turn a niche into a league.