"The + plural nouns" vs "they"

[subhajit]

Hi there, are both the students and they correct in the following sentence?

Here's the example:


There are 50 students in my class. The students/they are very honest and creative.

I think both are correct. I would use they here. I want to know if as an extra option if I could use the students. Are they both grammatical?

[Joe]

1. There are 50 students in my class. They are very honest and creative.

2. There are 50 students in my class. The students are very honest and creative.

Both are possible and "correct".
1 is natural and idiomatic.
2 is repetitive but possible.