Online school websites are everywhere. Every state has them. Some are private, some public, some charter (either public or private), and some umbrella group home schools. With all these options, it's easy for parents to become confused on the options available for alternative education formats.
In a previous blog post, we examined the differences between online school and home schools. In this post, we'll look at the various types of online schools, the two major types being private and public schools (note: charters can be either public or private so read school about us website pages carefully).
Private and public online schools actually have many of the fundamental differences as their brick-and-mortar counterparts. It's easier to be mislead however if websites don't clearly outline who they are. Here's the rundown on online school differences to look for:
Private Online Schools
– Have tuition costs (often per course)
– Enrollment can be selective (application process)
– Often allow enrollment at any time of year
– Are often accredited by private bodies/or can be non-accredited
– Can offer faith-based or religious instruction
– May have un-certified teachers
– Often have religious terms or International in school name
– Curriculum is often faith based
– Generally have lower teacher-to-student ratio
– Can often enroll students nationally or internationally
Public Online Schools
– Are free of charge/minimal cost (online school gets public district funding per student enrolled)
– Enrollment is open
– Often enrollment is restricted to set date ranges
– Are often accredited by states/governmental bodies
– Offer secular or non-religious instruction
– Require state teacher certification (often teachers are hired in states where students are enrolled to meet governmental requirements)
– Often have state names in school name
– Curriculum is secular and state approved
– Generally have higher teacher-to-student ratio
– Are often limited to enrolling students only in a single state
Still not sure if the online school you are considering is public or private after you've reviewed the website and checked against these items? Dig deeper. Call online schools and ask. Research other reviews or news articles. Chances are if the website isn't clear up front, it must be that way for a reason.
Do your homework before enrolling your student in an online school. This will help avoid any unexpected surprises about the school later.
Do you think private or public online schools are better options than traditional schools?