diff --git a/api/src/app.ts b/api/src/app.ts
index 5d16c666d69..00739c210c5 100644
--- a/api/src/app.ts
+++ b/api/src/app.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ import {
   FCC_ENABLE_SWAGGER_UI,
   FCC_ENABLE_SHADOW_CAPTURE,
   FCC_ENABLE_SENTRY_ROUTES,
+  FCC_ENABLE_CLASSROOM,
   FREECODECAMP_NODE_ENV,
   GROWTHBOOK_FASTIFY_API_HOST,
   GROWTHBOOK_FASTIFY_CLIENT_KEY
@@ -237,11 +238,13 @@ export const build = async (
   });
   void fastify.register(examEnvironmentOpenRoutes);
 
-  // Service-to-service app routes (API key auth):
-  void fastify.register(async function (fastify) {
-    fastify.addHook('onRequest', fastify.validateBearerToken);
-    await fastify.register(classroomRoutes, { prefix: '/apps/classroom' });
-  });
+  // Service-to-service app routes (API key auth), gated by the classroom flag:
+  if (FCC_ENABLE_CLASSROOM ?? fastify.gb.isOn('classroom-mode')) {
+    void fastify.register(async function (fastify) {
+      fastify.addHook('onRequest', fastify.validateBearerToken);
+      await fastify.register(classroomRoutes, { prefix: '/apps/classroom' });
+    });
+  }
 
   if (FCC_ENABLE_SENTRY_ROUTES ?? fastify.gb.isOn('sentry-routes')) {
     void fastify.register(publicRoutes.sentryRoutes);
diff --git a/api/src/routes/apps/classroom.test.ts b/api/src/routes/apps/classroom.test.ts
index d1b4cb0d1d6..85bd15a9a31 100644
--- a/api/src/routes/apps/classroom.test.ts
+++ b/api/src/routes/apps/classroom.test.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@ vi.mock('../../utils/env', async importOriginal => {
   const actual = await importOriginal<typeof import('../../utils/env.js')>();
   return {
     ...actual,
-    TPA_API_BEARER_TOKEN: 'test-classroom-api-secret'
+    TPA_API_BEARER_TOKEN: 'test-classroom-api-secret',
+    FCC_ENABLE_CLASSROOM: true
   };
 });
 
diff --git a/api/src/utils/env.ts b/api/src/utils/env.ts
index 0f29b8bced6..50a6dd08988 100644
--- a/api/src/utils/env.ts
+++ b/api/src/utils/env.ts
@@ -166,15 +166,17 @@ if (process.env.FREECODECAMP_NODE_ENV !== 'development') {
     'fastify_api_sdk_client_key_from_growthbook_dashboard',
     'The GROWTHBOOK_FASTIFY_CLIENT_KEY env should be changed from the default value.'
   );
-  assert.ok(
-    process.env.TPA_API_BEARER_TOKEN,
-    'TPA_API_BEARER_TOKEN should be set.'
-  );
-  assert.notEqual(
-    process.env.TPA_API_BEARER_TOKEN,
-    'tpa_api_bearer_token_from_dashboard',
-    'The TPA_API_BEARER_TOKEN env should be changed from the default value.'
-  );
+  if (process.env.FCC_ENABLE_CLASSROOM === 'true') {
+    assert.ok(
+      process.env.TPA_API_BEARER_TOKEN,
+      'TPA_API_BEARER_TOKEN should be set.'
+    );
+    assert.notEqual(
+      process.env.TPA_API_BEARER_TOKEN,
+      'tpa_api_bearer_token_from_dashboard',
+      'The TPA_API_BEARER_TOKEN env should be changed from the default value.'
+    );
+  }
 }
 
 export const HOME_LOCATION = process.env.HOME_LOCATION;
@@ -211,6 +213,9 @@ export const FCC_ENABLE_SHADOW_CAPTURE = undefinedOrBool(
 export const FCC_ENABLE_SENTRY_ROUTES = undefinedOrBool(
   process.env.FCC_ENABLE_SENTRY_ROUTES
 );
+export const FCC_ENABLE_CLASSROOM = undefinedOrBool(
+  process.env.FCC_ENABLE_CLASSROOM
+);
 export const FREECODECAMP_NODE_ENV = _FREECODECAMP_NODE_ENV;
 export const DEPLOYMENT_ENV = process.env.DEPLOYMENT_ENV;
 export const SENTRY_DSN =
diff --git a/api/turbo.json b/api/turbo.json
index 8f6e4ae47f6..5daf5a13a98 100644
--- a/api/turbo.json
+++ b/api/turbo.json
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
         "EMAIL_PROVIDER",
         "FCC_API_LOG_LEVEL",
         "FCC_API_LOG_TRANSPORT",
+        "FCC_ENABLE_CLASSROOM",
         "FCC_ENABLE_DEV_LOGIN_MODE",
         "FCC_ENABLE_SENTRY_ROUTES",
         "FCC_ENABLE_SHADOW_CAPTURE",
@@ -58,6 +59,7 @@
         "EMAIL_PROVIDER",
         "FCC_API_LOG_LEVEL",
         "FCC_API_LOG_TRANSPORT",
+        "FCC_ENABLE_CLASSROOM",
         "FCC_ENABLE_DEV_LOGIN_MODE",
         "FCC_ENABLE_SENTRY_ROUTES",
         "FCC_ENABLE_SHADOW_CAPTURE",
diff --git a/sample.env b/sample.env
index 4f05afdbd79..08e9cf63e92 100644
--- a/sample.env
+++ b/sample.env
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ FCC_ENABLE_SWAGGER_UI=true
 FCC_ENABLE_DEV_LOGIN_MODE=true
 FCC_ENABLE_SHADOW_CAPTURE=false
 FCC_ENABLE_SENTRY_ROUTES=false
+FCC_ENABLE_CLASSROOM=false
 FCC_API_LOG_LEVEL=info
 FCC_API_LOG_TRANSPORT=pretty