Today we’re going to review the K12 online school. Whether you’re looking at it as a virtual public school option, or as an online private school, or even if you’re looking for some online classes for your homeschooler, you can find all of these options on K12.
But with so many options, it can definitely be confusing. Don’t worry, I’m going to help you understand all of the options, and everything the K12 online school has to offer. So let’s get started.
K12 Online Public School
First let’s talk about the K12 online public school, because if you’re lucky enough to live in an area where this is offered, this may be a great option for you. You won’t have to pay any tuition fees which is great. And you’ll still have the flexibility of an online school. Students will have a mix of teacher led live online classes, and offline work to complete at their own pace. They’ll also be able to participate in virtual online clubs and activities to get to know other students.
To see if your state has an online public school option, you can just go to their website and enter your grade level and zip code, or choose your state, and you can see all the public and private school options through K12.
You’ll notice in a lot of states that offer K12 powered online public schools is that you’ll have more than one option. So I know that can be kind of confusing. But these are all K12 schools – they just have some slight differences, so you’ll want to choose the one that best fits your needs.
Remember these are all public schools. They just happen to be online. They still have state certified teachers, and your child will still need to complete any required state testing, just like they would if they were attending a local brick and mortar school. They will also receive a state issued diploma upon graduation. If your student has an IEP or 504 plan, that would apply here as well. You can transfer year round, but you’ll need to keep your child in their current public school while you wait for your enrollment to be processed, which can take a couple weeks.
K12 Online Private School Options
Now if your state doesn’t offer an online public school option, or you don’t wish to be affiliated with state run public schools, then you can still get the same K12 online school curriculum through one of their online private school options. You can search the same way you would for the public school choices. Just pick your state and grade level to see the options.
There are 5 different K12 online private school options. Some of these schools cover all grade levels, and others are just for high school. All of these schools have the same K12 curriculum and certified teachers, just like the K12 online public schools.
So let’s just take a quick look at the 5 different K12 powered private schools.
K12 Private Academy
Let’s start with K12 Private Academy. This online school is offered for kids in PreK through high school. There are several start dates from August through October, as well as spring enrollment dates in January, February and March. Students can enroll full time or part time, and even take individual courses.
K12 Private Academy also offers AP courses, dual enrollment and college prep options. Full time tuition ranges from $3995 for PreK to $6995 for high school. They also offer payment plans and family discounts.
Grand Canyon Private Academy
Next is Grand Canyon Private Academy. This K12 online school is also offered for kids in PreK through 12th grade, and includes certified teachers and the K12 zone for students. This school also offers a special education program for students with an IEP or 504 plan.
Students can enroll full or part-time, and tuition varies by grade level. A full year of full time preschool would cost $5300, and high school is $6500 per year.
The Keystone School
The Keystone School offers K-12 programs, credit recovery programs and adult learning options. Students can enroll year round, and full time tuition is $2475 for elementary school and high school tuition is per course, with students taking an average of 5 to 6 full credit courses per year.
The price per course ranges from $399 for core classes and electives, to $549 for AP science. So you can expect to pay around 2 to 3 thousand dollars per year.
Marian University Preparatory School
Marian University Preparatory School is an online Catholic school using the K12 curriculum. This school also offers full and part time enrollment, and enrollment is year round for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Tuition is a flat fee of $6500 per year for full time students.
George Washington University Online High School
Finally there is George Washington University Online High School. As you can guess from their name, this K12 online private school is just for high school students, although they do also offer 8th grade courses.
They have AP courses, dual credit courses, and full and part time enrollment. Applications are accepted year round, but there are fall and spring enrollment deadlines. There are also quite a number of online clubs which I think is really nice. Tuition here is a bit pricier, at $12,000 per year for full time students.
For international students, you can enroll in any of the K12 online private schools to get a US diploma.
K12 Online School for Homeschool
Ok so we’ve looked at your options for K12 online public and private schools, but now let’s look at the single course options for homeschoolers. I think this is a really great opportunity when you don’t feel comfortable teaching a specific course yourself, or your child is looking for an extra challenge. So let’s take a look at your options.
You can download the entire elementary, middle and high school course catalogues on their website. When you’re ready to purchase a course, you can search by subject or grade level to find the courses you’re looking for.
You can also search by teacher led, teacher supported or independent study courses. For teacher led courses, they have everything from social studies to science to career readiness and world languages. So there are a lot of courses to choose from if you’re looking to sign up for just one or two courses for your homeschool student.
K12 Online School Curriculum
Now I just want to take some time to talk about the actual curriculum that your child will be using from K12 online school. Remember, no matter which option you choose, the curriculum all comes from the same company.
Everything is done online, although many of the courses will have live teacher led classes. The classes are recorded as well in case a student has to miss one. But all of the work is done through their online learning system. So this is where they will log in to view their daily schedule, submit assignments, join their classes, and view their grades and progress.
If you want to view some sample courses, you can do that here:
They also have something called the K12 Zone, which is included in all the different public and private school options. This is an interactive virtual campus where students can go to connect with their classmates, participate in activities and clubs, attend school assemblies, and play games like chess.
So hopefully I’ve covered everything you need to know about the K12 online school options for both public, private and homeschool. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments and I will be happy to help.
