What is a virtual school?

Public schools have joined the trend of providing distance education to people in different parts of the country. Virtual schools are making headway in several states. Virtual school will be a term that many people will not be familiar with.

Virtual schools are distance learning schools run by the state’s public school system. They are done on the web and students get the information at home. They are responsible for state testing requirements and records of academic achievement are maintained by the school.

Virtual schools within states have a curriculum for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Others have virtual schools for middle and high school students, but this depends on the state. Some states say they have virtual schools for the full scope of K-12. Most schools have a full curriculum, but some schools, which are still developing, have some classes in some subjects. Check if your virtual school has a diploma. Some have a complete curriculum but do not have a diploma.

There are virtual schools in states such as: Missouri, Florida, Louisiana and Michigan. These schools may or may not have tuition charges. If the state finances the school, the students will be financed. Other states have a tuition fee like a private school. Virtual schools will allow people from different states to enroll. This means that if you reside in a state that does not have a virtual school, you can still receive an education. If enrollment is in an out-of-state virtual school, tuition may be higher in this case.

Virtual schools have similar high standards as regular public schools. Instructors are teachers who are certified and work only for these schools, or work for the school as part of their contract with the school district. These schools work hard to provide high school students with great school experiences for a lifetime. Once a student enters a virtual school, they can sometimes join high school clubs. Some examples are the foreign language club, the science club, the virtual school newspapers that are for the journalists of the future, and the international clubs. There may even be online science fairs where students can participate. Students can also play sports. There will be variations in virtual school for sports, so please contact the district and learn about their policy before signing up.

Parents can be confused as to whether or not it is homeschooling. For the record, virtual schools are not home schools. They think of students as public school students and receive money from the state for their tuition. Students must meet state testing requirements and all records are kept by the school.

Many states do not require registration or testing for homeschooled students, so the public school system still controls virtual school students. If you want to leave education controlled by the government, then virtual school is not for you. If you want to keep your children at home safe and still get a good education, then virtual school will work for you.