Online high schools in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has embraced the online revolution -- in fact, Philadelphia hosted the 2011 conference of The International Society for Technology in Education. At this conference, participants discussed the "new normal," meaning the post-recessionary outlook for education, and virtual solutions as a way to create a student-centric version of learning.
The Keystone State has created a Digital Learning Network to foster online K-12 education made possible by a $500,000 federal grant. Administrators from districts across the state are focused on standardizing online offerings to all students. A Virtual High School Commission was appointed by the legislature to study the feasibility of a state virtual school.
Public and private Pennsylvania online high schools
Public online high schools in Pennsylvania are typically charter schools. More than a dozen K-12 cyberschools serve school districts with full-time programs, while other districts offer a mix of supplemental and full-time studies. Programs are free for students in each of the served districts. Virtual schools may feature in-person support at satellite offices, educational field trips, fine art programs, and acceleration or enrichment programs for gifted students.
Pennsylvania's public online charter schools enrolled 24,603 K-12 students in the 2009-10 school year, an increase of 11 percent from the previous year, according to the Evergreen Education Group. This number grew by 16 percent to reach 28,578 students in 2010-2011. As one example, a full-time online charter school had a class of 500 when it opened, and by 2011 it served a student body of more than 11,000.
Students and parents can also choose among private, full-time online high schools in Pennsylvania, which feature diploma-focused programs. For-fee schools may provide increased flexibility in scheduling or studies tailored for individual students. Explore your choices for public and private online high schools in Pennsylvania and find a program that best suits your distance-education needs.
