As students, parents, and educators see the value of online education, an increasing number of institutions are opting to go online. Examine what makes online colleges an excellent alternative!
Students who attend online institutions can receive academic credentials that are recognized and accepted all around the world. Online classes can provide students with the opportunity to interact with a diverse, global, and intercultural group of students, as well as provide international students with a unique cultural experience, and studying online has become a legitimate pathway into world-renowned international universities.
Finding the perfect online school can expand a student's educational opportunities well beyond what they might be able to encounter in their immediate surroundings, and it can help kids who have struggled in regular institutions shine.
Students who attend online schools obtain academic credentials that are recognized and acknowledged all around the world.
The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened public interest in online high schools. While brick-and-mortar public and private high schools have adapted to intermittent remote instruction with different degrees of success, virtual schools and their teachers have years of experience offering highly structured, relevant, and engaging instruction remotely. College Transitions has compiled a list of the top 15 online high schools in the United States, along with their physical location, the year they were founded, their tuition rate, a brief summary of their course offerings, and five interesting facts about each school, including SAT/ACT scores and recent college acceptances, when available. There are links to the schools so you may simply discover more about each possible online institution.
1. Stanford University Online High School
Physical location: Redwood City, California
Year Established: 2006
Tuition: $28,160 per year
Course offerings: Many AP courses are available, as well as 25 post-AP and university-level courses.
Quick facts:
- 64% of professors have doctorates in their areas.
- The typical class size is 13 people.
- There are 903 students enrolled in total.
- Financial aid is received by 12% of students.
- Graduates have an average SAT score of 1482.
2. Davidson Academy Online
Physical location: Reno, Nevada
Year established: 2006
Tuition: $14,595
Course offerings: Students develop a Personalized Learning Plan (PLP). The courses are difficult but do not have AP credit. Many students continue to take AP exams.
Quick facts:
- This school is for pupils who score 99.9% or higher on nationally normed intellect exams.
- The average SAT at the institution is 1529, while the average ACT is 34.8.
- Students have gone on to study at universities such as Caltech, Rice, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Chicago, and Yale.
- At this school, there is no such thing as a class rank.
- In one recent graduating class, 14 students were dubbed AP Scholars.
3. University of Texas High School
Physical location: Austin, Texas
Year established: 1999
Tuition: Texas citizens pay no tuition; non-residents pay $3,600.
Course offerings: Courses are available in 60 subjects, including numerous AP and IB alternatives.
Quick facts:
- There are 800 full-time students enrolled.
- Graduates have gone on to attend universities such as MIT, Cornell, USC, NYU, and Johns Hopkins.
- Non-Texas residents can participate in an IB Program.
- The average SAT score for students was 1170.
- The courses are NCAA-approved for collegiate athletes who meet the eligibility standards.
4. George Washington University Online High School
Physical location: Ashburn, Virginia
Year established: 2011
Tuition: $12,000 per year
Course offerings: Provides 16 AP courses as well as education in five international languages.
Quick facts:
- All grads are accepted to four-year colleges.
- Swarthmore, Columbia, Harvard, and Stanford have all recently accepted students.
- Scholarships totaling $2.7 million have been offered to GW graduates.
- The average SAT score is 1221, while the average ACT score is 26.
- The typical graduating GPA is 3.22.
5. Laurel Springs School
Physical location: West Chester, Pennsylvania
Year established: 1991
Tuition: $1,175-1,775 (depending on course selection)
Course offerings: 22 AP courses as well as honors choices for the majority of areas.
Quick facts:
- Over 75% of AP test takers receive a "3" or higher.
- Georgia, UMich, Columbia, Cornell, and Dartmouth are among the colleges that have accepted him.
- The average SAT score was 1180, while the average ACT score was 24.6. Eighty-eight percent of instructors hold master's degrees.
- Laurel Springs students make up 72% of those enrolled.
6. CompuHigh/Whitmore School
Physical location: Morgantown, WV
Year established: 1994
Tuition: $1,599 per year
Course offerings: Does not provide AP courses, but does offer a wide range of courses (including honors alternatives) in English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Languages, the Fine Arts, and Computer Science.
Quick facts:
- Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Duke, Georgetown, Dartmouth, and Yale are among the colleges that have accepted him.
- Many serious athletes, singers, and actors/actresses are among the alumni.
- Students have the entire year to complete their courses at their own speed.
- You will meet with teachers and a guidance counselor one-on-one.
- You can pay more for extra arithmetic tutoring or guidance.
7. James Madison High School
Physical location: Norcross, Georgia
Year established: 1996
Tuition: $1,630-$2,300
Course offerings: A full high school curriculum as well as various online college dual enrollment opportunities.
Quick facts:
- Acceptances to colleges include NYU, Penn State, Pitt, Cornell, and Georgia Tech.
- James Madison works with a large number of adult students, athletes, and homeschoolers.
- The school's parent institution is Ashworth College.
- Students can transfer up to 75% of their credits, but a full year at JMHS is required to get a diploma.
- Every year, around 2,500 students graduate from the school.
8. Indiana University High School
Physical location: Bloomington, Indiana
Year established: 1925 (as distance learning school)
Tuition: $231 per course
Course offerings: Three AP courses are available, as well as language opportunities in French, German, and Spanish.
Quick facts:
- Graduates have gone on to attend Indiana University and Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Columbia.
- College Prep, General Education, and Academic Honors are the three diploma tracks available.
- Athletes with NCAA permission can train to play at a Division I or II school.
- Cognia fully accredited, which acknowledges "institutions that have demonstrated an excellent commitment to continuous development and learner outcomes."
- Courses have a time limit of 26 weeks.
9. Northstar Academy
Physical location: Southaven, Mississippi
Year established: 1997
Tuition: $4,315
Course offerings: Northstar offers 200 core courses, as well as 21 Advanced Placement Courses.
Quick facts:
- The average SAT is 1243, and the average ACT is 25.
- Approximately 70% of recent graduates enrolled in a four-year college.
- Hamilton College, Northeastern University, the University of Wisconsin, and Dartmouth College have all accepted students.
- The school is Christian in nature.
- Over 3,000 children in grades 4-12 are enrolled.
10. University of Nebraska High School
Physical location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Year established: 1929 (for distance education)
Tuition: $250 per course ($50 off for citizens of the state).
Course offerings: There are over 100 courses available, including AP and dual enrollment possibilities.
Quick facts:
- Students have been accepted to institutions such as Yale, Brown, Wellesley, Vassar, and Purdue since 2010.
- Cognia accredited, and the school satisfies NCAA standards.
- Justin Timberlake, Andy Roddick, and Brittany Spears are among the alumni.
- In 2013, the institution joined the University of Nebraska's online network and was rebranded.
- There is a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio.
11. Mizzou Academy
Physical location: Columbia, Missouri
Year established: 1999
Tuition: $300 per course (in-state); $500 per course (out-of-state)
Course offerings: 230 subjects, a variety of electives, 9 AP courses, and 23 foreign languages.
Quick facts:
- Currently, nearly 7,000 students from 50 states and 40 countries are enrolled in at least one course.
- MU High has graduated a number of Olympic competitors and rising sports stars.
- Graduates score a 25 on the ACT, which is more than three points better than the state average.
- The institution employs 10 course designers/developers in addition to 45 full-time instructors.
- Over the last five years, "A" and "B" grades were issued in 80% of cases.
12. The Keystone School
Physical location: Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
Year established: 1974 (for correspondence courses)
Tuition: $399-549 per class
Course offerings: There are 120 high school courses available, including eight AP subjects and five global languages.
Quick facts:
- The institution currently has over 10,000 pupils enrolled.
- At least one college accepts 80% of graduates.
- The average SAT score is 1114, while the average ACT score is 22.6.
- Maria Sharapova, the tennis great, is a graduate.
- Students have gone on to attend universities such as Notre Dame, West Point, Duke, and Stanford.
13. Florida Virtual School
Physical location: Orlando, Florida
Year established: 2009
Tuition: Free (Florida residents); $800 per course (non-residents)
Course offerings: 15 AP courses and a similar number of honors courses.
Quick facts:
- Last year, FLVS serviced 240,000 (not a typo) students.
- The average SAT score is higher than the national average.
- FLVS is a unique online high school that employs a ranking system.
- It follows the same calendar as a regular school.
- West Point, Harvard, American University, Barnard College, and Babson College are among the colleges that have accepted him.
14. Oak Meadow School
Physical location: Brattleboro, Vermont
Year established: 1975 (distance learning)
Tuition: $1,545 per course
Course offerings: There are numerous alternatives within each major discipline, but no honors or AP courses are available.
Quick facts:
- There are 600 students from all over the world registered.
- Bard College, Cornell University, Northwestern University, UCLA, and Yale have all recently accepted students.
- Standardized testing is ideologically opposed at this school.
- Oak Meadow is accredited by six separate agencies in the United States, and it allows dual enrollment and will accept credit earned at other universities.
15. Christa McAuliffe School of Arts and Sciences
Physical location: Lake Oswego, Oregon
Year established: 2009
Tuition: $6,495-$9,495 (depending on level of service)
Course offerings: Provides a wide range of honors and AP options, as well as an in-house curriculum.
Quick facts:
- Graduates from the University of Michigan, Bryn Mawr College, the University of Texas at Austin, and Purdue University have recently graduated.
- Science laboratories and certain AP courses have additional expenses.
- Courses are largely mastery-based, and students must score at least 80% to pass.
- CMASAS has its own chapter of the National Honor Society.
- The "Personal Learning Model" provides students a lot of freedom in their classes.
