Hi there, @mntcastle… are you going for something like this…
… with the added classes displayed in a repeating group like this…
… and the ability to filter the repeating group (or as you said, search the db) like this…
If that’s what you are trying to accomplish, I did that with a Classes table that includes category and sub category fields, and the categories and sub categories are powered by an option set.
If you are not familiar with option sets, check out this post…
Anyway, I hope I understood your post correctly and that my response can help you to get down a good path… best of luck!
Best…
Mike