Program Types

The promise of public education is that every child will have the same shot at the American Dream. That every child will have the same opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to meet the demands of the adult world.

Enter the online public school. Blending the best of modern technology and innovation with traditional, research-based academic approaches, online public schools are a powerful alternative for educators seeking to bring a great education to all kinds of students and all kinds of minds—regardless of where they live.

District managed online schools, cyber charter schools, and State Department of Education sponsored eSchools are all forms of online public schools. K12 is the leading provider of curriculum and services to online public school programs across the nation, with over one million total semester course enrollments.

Our online public school programs feature the best components of a traditional public school—a strong curriculum, certified teachers, involved parents, and high accountability—in a program that’s individualized to fit the needs of each student.

We combine high-end digital media with beautiful, well-written books and engaging, hands-on materials, all backed by decades of research regarding how kids' minds work. This unique blend accommodates a variety of learning styles, while allowing students to work both online and off in a true, distance-learning setting.

We match the right learning tools with the right task, so teachers can engage young minds effectively. There are even opportunities for students to stay connected with their peers, so that they’re well-educated and well-socialized.

Regular outside activities, including field trips and enrichment activities, provide socialization and a chance for personal growth. Kids get to be kids, build friendships, and participate in community, group-based activities like music and sports.

Additionally, we provide opportunities to proactively and productively engage parents in their children’s education.

We believe that a high-quality online public school program should meet the same accountability standards of any public school, that is, state content standards and objectives, state testing, and strict fiscal accountability requirements.

Teachers should be state-certified or licensed and have access to ongoing professional development, so they can perform at their best.

At K12, our e-learning solutions offer districts all of this, and a suite of services to make the implementation of an online public school painless.

Whether you're considering a virtual schooling program as a way of expanding course offerings for your students, or as a way to meet the needs of exceptional student groups, a K12 Virtual School Program can offer you a cost-effective solution. With years of experience in both the brick-and-mortar and virtual schooling environments, K12 specialists can help you get a program tailored to your needs up and running in as little as 90 days.

Districts typically use our programs to efficiently serve more types of students—including those students not currently counted as part of their student bodies—without adding physical infrastructure and other costs. Online public school programs are a simple, economical way to leverage technological infrastructure to serve all types of learners—from gifted and talented students, to those struggling through their lessons, to those with special needs, medical issues, or scheduling challenges.

Once considered cutting-edge, online public school programs are now widely accepted as a way of meeting the needs of a variety of student populations.

• By 2006, it's estimated that over one million students will participate in virtual schooling. (Peak Group)
  
• Virtual schooling will continue to grow over 30 percent annually. (Virtual Schools and 21st Century Skills, NACOL)
  
• Thirty-six percent of public school districts had students enrolled in virtual/distance education courses, according to a 2005 report by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. (NCES)
  
• Seventy-two percent of public school districts in the United States plan to expand distance-learning programs. (Federal government report, 2005)

• Thirty-eight states have already established e-learning initiatives. (Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning)
  
• Two and a half million higher education students are enrolled in at least one online class (Sloan Consortium)
  

Isn’t it time you considered adding a virtual component to your district’s offerings?