Online High Schools are a non-traditional form of education that uses the internet to deliver distance education. This type of online education is offered by existing traditional high schools (both public and private), universities, charter high schools and private cyber high schools.
There are several types of online high schools:
Cyber charter schools are identical to normal bricks and mortar charter schools, except that the learning is delivered to the students via the internet. As with traditional charter schools, cyber charter schools are self-managed, and receive state or federal funding to support their existence. Online charter schools follow the guidelines set by local school districts, but offer flexibility in terms of curriculum and set-up. Students can enroll at online charter schools free of charge and are normally issued with computers and free dialup access. There are approximately 31 virtual charter schools in 12 states that can provide an online education. Those states include Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. Some of these schools are:
- 21st Century Cyber Charter School [est. 1999] http://www.21stcenturycyber.org
- Pinnacle Charter High School [est. 1998] http://www.pinnacleeducation.com
- Choice2000 [est.2003]
Online Private High Schools
Online private high schools are similar to regular private high schools. They are funded privately, so students need to pay tuition when enrolling. This can become rather expensive. The list of accredited high schools below was recommended by Online High Schools – http://www.cyberhighschools.com:
- Penn