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Education Commission of the States • 700 Broadway, Suite 810 • Denver, CO 80203-3442 • 303.299.3600 • Fax: 303.296.8332 • www.ecs.org
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Virtual High Schools: Has the State Established a Statewide Virtual High School?
Statewide virtual high schools are typically established by the state legislature and administered by a state-level agency.
Why does it matter?
States benefit when they are not limited by a school's offerings.
Students benefit when they have equal (i.e. statewide) access to class offerings.
Students and districts benefit from having a central resource available.
Highlights:
Twenty-eight states have established statewide virtual high schools.
One of the programs (New Mexico) is a pilot program.
One has suspended new enrollments. Methodology: This information was collected from state statutes, rules and regulations, and state education agencies, and will be updated as new policies and programs are enacted. Sources for all data points are available through this link. Last updated: December 3, 2007 Research conducted by Melodye Bush and Michael Colasanti. Please contact Melodye Bush (303.299.3631 or mbush@ecs.org) with comments or questions about this database. |
| Alabama |
Yes, the Alabama Online High School, part of Alabama's ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide)
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| Alaska |
No |
| American Samoa |
No
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| Arizona |
Yes, the Arizona Virtual Academy |
| Arkansas |
Yes, the Arkansas Virtual High School
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| California |
Yes, the University of California College Prep Online. New enrollment were suspended in the 2006-2007 school year; however, a new strategic plan will be put into place in Spring 2008 with new courses and new enrollees.
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| Colorado |
Yes, the Colorado Online Learning
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| Connecticut |
Opening January 2008, Connecticut Virtual Learning Center is a pilot program. Regulations have not been formalized.
In February 2008, the state continues to recruit teachers for the Connecticut Virtual Learning Center. They are specifically looking for teachers certified in earth science, health, U.S. history, civics, English, math, Chinese and forensic science. Dozens of high schools in the state have asked to participate in the program. The pilot program is available at no cost to school districts. The primary focus of the program is twofold: 1) Courses for students at risk of falling behind or failing will be offered in algebra, geometry, English, civics and health; and 2) interesting electives that may not be available at many schools. Curriculum has been approved by the State Department of Education's Bureau of Curriculum and Instruction and will be taught by certified teachers. |
| Delaware |
No |
| District of Columbia |
No |
| Florida |
Yes, the Florida Virtual School
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| Georgia |
Yes, the Georgia Virtual School
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| Guam |
No |
| Hawaii |
Yes, Hawaii's Electronic School, E-School
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| Idaho |
Yes, the Idaho Digital Learning Academy
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| Illinois |
Yes, the Illinois Virtual High School
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| Indiana |
No |
| Iowa |
Yes, Iowa Learning Online. Iowa has not established a program in statute but appears, in practice, to have a statewide program.
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| Kansas |
No |
| Kentucky |
Yes, the Kentucky Virtual High School has recently been renamed Kentucky Virtual Schools.
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| Louisiana |
Yes, the Louisiana Virtual School
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| Maine |
No |
| Maryland |
Yes, the Maryland Virtual Learning Opportunities
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| Massachusetts |
No |
| Michigan |
Yes, the Michigan Virtual School
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| Minnesota |
No |
| Mississippi |
Yes, the Mississippi Virtual Public School
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| Missouri |
Yes, Missouri Virtual Instruction Program |
| Montana |
No |
| Nebraska |
No |
| Nevada |
No |
| New Hampshire |
No |
| New Jersey |
No |
| New Mexico |
Yes, a pilot program beginning in the 2007-2008 school year. |
| New York |
No |
| North Carolina |
Yes, the North Carolina Virtual Public School |
| North Dakota |
Yes, the North Dakota Center for Distance Education |
| Ohio |
No |
| Oklahoma |
No |
| Oregon |
Yes, the Oregon Virtual School District |
| Pennsylvania |
No |
| Puerto Rico |
No |
| Rhode Island |
No |
| South Carolina |
Yes, the South Carolina Virtual School |
| South Dakota |
Yes, the South Dakota Virtual High School |
| Tennessee |
No |
| Texas |
Yes, the Texas Virtual School |
| Utah |
Yes, the Electronic High School |
| Vermont |
No |
| Virgin Islands |
No |
| Virginia |
Yes, Virtual Virginia and the Virtual Advanced Placement School |
| Washington |
No |
| West Virginia |
Yes, the West Virginia Virtual School |
| Wisconsin |
No; however, the Wisconsin Virtual School is a statewide supplemental program operated by a legislatively created agency. In July 2008, the state designated the Wisconsin Virtual School as their state-led Wisconsin Web Academy. |
| Wyoming |
No |