What Online School Looks Like: A Student Day in the Life Q&A With Justin

By: Justin P., 10th grade student and SAC intern

SAC Blog Series: Each year, the K12 Marketing Department hires a cohort of high school interns known as the Student Advisory Council or SAC. This year, the talented group of students is creating social media content across platforms to help build brand awareness and engage our audiences around the online learning experience.

Let’s get to know these amazing SAC students. We asked them what makes online school so great, and here’s what Justin had to say.

My K12 Why

What do you like about online school? Why does online learning work for you?

I’ve only done PreK in person, the rest of my education so far has been online with K12.

I like online school because of the flexibility and opportunities it provides, like this internship I have now with the Student Advisory Council. There’s also the Career and College Prep program that includes things like dual enrollment and career technical exploration (CTE).

My Online School Day

Can you describe a typical day and week for your virtual school experience?

A typical day would be waking up at 7 AM and signing on for live classes starting at 8:15 AM. Depending on the electives I have on specific days, I’ll be online until 12 PM or 1:40 PM.  Then I do homework and other assignments until 3 or 4 PM, sometimes later, it depends how much I have to get finished.

My favorite part of the day is probably lunch or the break I have for business electives depending on the day.

What classes are you taking right now?

I am in English 10 honors, modern United States history honors, geometry honors, biology honors, business foundations (elective), and intro to business communication (elective). I love that I have the option to take honors classes, it helps boost the resume.

Math or biology would have to be my favorite subject overall.

I am the finance pathway, that’s why I’m taking those business electives. I’ll be taking courses in accounting and marketing later, things I wouldn’t find at a traditional public school. Next semester I’ll be taking my first college course via dual enrollment too. I’m excited that I’ll be able to take a lot of the core requirements and get them out of the way so that I can enjoy my college experience more.

What do you like to do on your breaks?

I usually finish up homework on my breaks or spend time with my siblings; I have four brothers. We love to play board games and do things outside like swim, play soccer, or throw a frisbee. I also do individual training for soccer.

My Teachers & Classmates

How do your teachers support you at online school?

All my teachers are very friendly and they’re flexible if anything unexpected comes up. My teachers support me in various ways. They always email, text, call back fast, and they take extra time to answer questions even after class time is over. They also help by reminding us if we’re missing any homework or assignments that may have been forgotten or glitched out.

How do you stay connected with friends? Have you met friends through online school?

My friends and I stay connected through school, clubs like esports, and phone calls. Most of the friends I’ve made at online school were in the same clubs as me.

What are your hobbies? Are you in any school clubs?

A lot of my free time goes to practicing soccer. I have two practices for my team a week and one is very late.  I get back home at like 11 PM and so with online school I have the flexibility to wake up later and still get to all of my classes.

As far as clubs, I’m in debate club, trivia, and esports. I play chess through esports. I’m also in Business Professionals of America where I’m learning more about what a career in business looks like and meeting other students like me who are interested in the field.

Can you tell us about your workspace?

I have a desk in my room where I do the bulk of my work. The most interesting place I’ve done schoolwork is either in an RV or an airplane when we were flying for vacation. I wouldn’t be able go on a vacation in the middle of the week and keep up with my work if I were in traditional school.

My Future

What do you want to do after high school?

I’m going to go to a four-year university. Online school is definitely helping me get ready for that. It enables me to do dual enrollment to knock out some core classes I have to take at the college I am going to attend.

Thank you, Justin! To learn more about the K12 Student Advisory Council, visit their webpage, or see how your high school student can thrive in online school with K12-powered programs.

Justin is a 2025 student at a K12-powered school in OH, and their statement reflects their experience at their school.