The Benefits of Online High School
byConnections Academy
5 min to read
This post was originally published in November 2022 and has been updated for relevancy in July 2024.
Students have been attending traditional brick-and-mortar schools for centuries. However, there’s a growing recognition and acceptance that individual students have unique learning preferences. Fixed schedules, busy classrooms, and standardized curriculum aren’t necessarily everyone’s recipe for success.
During the pandemic, many families discovered the benefits of online school for the first time, and today, more students than ever are reaching their full potential in a virtual school environment. If your family is considering a switch to online learning for your high schooler, you’re in good company.
Here are some of the reasons why:
Is Online Learning Better Than In-Person School?
Ultimately, the choice between online learning and in-person school is an individual one, based on the student’s own needs and the family’s overall goals. Some students will find the structured schedule, social interaction, and access to physical resources at traditional schools essential, while others value online school for the wealth of benefits they wouldn’t be able to access within the boundaries of their local, traditional school system such as flexible learning opportunities.
If your family is exploring online high school, you may be interested in learning some of the reasons why other students have chosen virtual learning through Connections Academy®:
The Top Benefits of Online High School
Work at your own pace.
As a result of this flexibility, students have more time to:
- Explore careers by shadowing or working as an intern for professionals in their field of interest
- Focus on becoming or remaining an elite athlete
- Attend or recover from important medical treatment
- Volunteer within the community
- Take early college courses or begin pursuing a trade certification
Early graduation
Students who tend to work at an accelerated speed or whose ambitions require them to attend many more years of school, such as pursuing medical or law school, may be interested in graduating early. Online high schools make the process of doing so much smoother with self-paced courses, summer courses, and individualized support.
Customized Workspace
Teens who attend virtual high school can ditch the hard plastic chairs, tight rows of desks that leave little room for personal space, and the harsh fluorescent lighting common in traditional high schools. Instead, they can create a more comfortable, naturally lit learning space of their own design.
Fewer Distractions
Going back to school online makes it easier for students to focus on their studies by minimizing distractions characteristic of in-person education, such as:
- Social Distractions
For some teens, the social dynamics of conventional high schools are too distracting for optimal learning. As an online high school student, teens don’t have to worry about who they’ll sit with at lunch, or if they’ll encounter a bully on the way to their next class, or if one of the other students is disruptive. - Sensory Overload
Online high school students generally have more freedom and privacy. They can choose when to eat lunch, take a restroom break, or simply get up and walk around. - Classroom Limitations
Online high school students can approach their learning in a myriad of ways. For example, one student may take their laptop outside on a nice day to listen to a lesson while spinning a fidget spinner to keep their hands busy. Another may find a quiet spot in the library or in a home office.
Sarah Hodsdon, the mother of a student at Michigan Connections Academy, shared that the limited distractions were one of the primary reasons switching to online learning was a “no-brainer” for her family.
“Although the class sizes are comparable to those at a traditional school, your child gets undivided attention from his or her teacher,” she said. “No flying paper airplanes, fights to break up, screaming distractions from other children in the classroom—just one-on-one, undivided interaction.”
Safe Learning Environment
Online schools tend to offer safe environments with strong inclusivity. This type of culture, coupled with a digital setting, creates an educational space where students are less likely to be bullied or pressured by peers and are given their best chance to succeed.
Beau, a former Arizona Connections Academy student, found that online high school was a great solution for him after he became a victim of bullying as a new student in his area. Going to school in a safe, online environment helped Beau improve his grades and repair his self-confidence.
While no academic setting is perfect, remote learning removes physical bullying from the equation. Virtual students still have many opportunities to talk with their peers throughout their academic career. However, they’ll have little to no in-person interactions with unkind classmates.
Learn more about succeeding in online high school in our article, “5 Keys to High School Success.”
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