LEGO retires SPIKE: the end of an era for school robotics
LEGO Education is retiring the entire SPIKE range, with sales ending 30 June 2026 and a pricier CS and AI kit as successor. Here is what schools with class sets should do now.
LEGO Education has confirmed it is retiring the entire SPIKE range. The company shared the news in January 2026, and it arrives with a firm deadline: new sales end on 30 June 2026. If your school built its robotics programme around SPIKE Essential or SPIKE Prime, nothing breaks overnight, but the clock has started. This is a planning problem, not an emergency.
What LEGO actually announced
Strip away the noise and the announcement comes down to a few dates and one product decision. Here is what is confirmed:
- The full SPIKE portfolio is being retired, with sales ending on 30 June 2026.
- The older EV3 app reaches end of support on 31 July 2026.
- Teams in the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) may keep using SPIKE through the 2027-28 season.
- The successor is a new Computer Science and AI kit, starting at $339.95.
This is not a shock to anyone who watched Mindstorms go. LEGO wound down its consumer Mindstorms line about four years ago, and SPIKE was the education platform that carried the torch. Retiring it closes a chapter that began with the RCX brick more than two decades ago. LEGO has published the full details and dates on its official SPIKE update page.
Why this matters if your school runs SPIKE
The practical worry is not that your kits stop working on 1 July 2026. Bricks, motors and sensors will keep doing exactly what they did the day before. The real issues are slower and quieter.
Spare parts get harder to find. A class set that loses a few colour sensors or large motors each term depends on a steady replacement supply. Once official sales end, you are drawing from a shrinking pool of stock, and prices on the second-hand market tend to drift upward. Software support matters too: app updates, firmware fixes and new operating-system compatibility usually stop once a product is retired, so a routine tablet or laptop refresh at school can quietly strand a working kit.
Then there is curriculum. If your lessons, worksheets and assessment rubrics are written around SPIKE blocks, that represents real teacher time. Competition teams have their own runway: FLL support through 2027-28 gives you roughly two more seasons of legitimate use, which is generous next to the sales cut-off.
What to do before June 2026
South African schools are opening for the new year right now, so this is a good moment to fold SPIKE planning into your annual budget rather than scrambling later. Work through this list:
- Audit what you own. Count your kits and note which parts already go missing most often. Small sensors and axles usually top the list.
- Buy spares before 30 June 2026. Budget roughly 10 to 15 percent of your kit value for replacement motors, sensors and hubs while they are still on shelves.
- Back up your software. Save installers, project files and any custom blocks locally, and freeze the tablet or laptop image that currently runs SPIKE.
- Map your competition runway. If you run FLL, plan around the 2027-28 cut-off and decide whether the next step is a new platform or a move up to FIRST Tech Challenge.
- Pause big new purchases. Do not buy fresh SPIKE class sets now. Put that money toward whatever platform you will run in 2027 and beyond.
Weighing your next platform
There is no single right answer, and the honest tradeoffs depend on your budget, your teachers and whether you compete. Three broad paths are worth comparing:
| Path | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Stay on SPIKE for now | Schools with a large existing set and active FLL teams | Shrinking spares and no new software support |
| Move to LEGO's Computer Science and AI kit | Schools committed to the LEGO ecosystem | Higher price from $339.95 and a fresh curriculum to learn |
| Move to an open, code-first platform | Schools wanting lower per-seat cost and a path to text coding | More initial setup and less brick compatibility |
If lower running cost and a smoother path from blocks to real Python matter to you, a microcontroller-based platform is worth a look. Our own sheenbot∞ board sits in that category, and when it comes to sourcing kits or spares across brands without chasing endless quotes, lab sourcing support can carry a lot of that load.
The takeaway
SPIKE is not dead the moment sales end. It is a mature platform on a clear wind-down, and that gives you a window rather than a cliff. Audit your kits, buy the spares you will need, protect your software, and use the FLL runway to 2027-28 to choose a successor calmly rather than under pressure. If your teachers need help rebuilding lessons for whatever comes next, structured teacher workshops are a faster route than starting from a blank page. The end of an era is only a problem if it catches you unprepared.
Common questions
Can we still use SPIKE after June 2026?
Yes. The 30 June 2026 date ends new sales, not your right to use kits you already own. They keep working. You simply cannot buy more through official channels, and software support winds down over time.
Do FLL teams need to switch straight away?
No. FLL allows SPIKE through the 2027-28 season, so most teams have two more competition years to plan a transition.
Is the new Computer Science and AI kit a drop-in replacement?
Not quite. It starts at $339.95 and comes with its own curriculum, so budget for both the hardware and the teacher time to learn it.
