Help please - considering online school for 7&8
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Anonymous
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DD is 11 and in 6th, and has been dealing with a really horrible bullying situation for two years now. I'll skip the gory details, but we are most likely going to have to pull her from her current small and decently academic private school. However, where we live (not DC), the local options are not great. The public MS is truly awful - watching videos all day instead of instruction and kids having sex in the bathrooms - and I know at least 6 parents who have pulled their kids because of how bad it is. I won't send her there. There is a good charter that we have a very small chance of getting into, but if she doesn't, I think we are looking at online school as all the other privates are deeply evangelical, which is not us.
I work PT from home and DH works full time from home, but am truly unqualified to homeschool. Not that I ever had the inclination, but Covid certainly taught me that. I don't have the patience or the bandwidth. So we are now trying to wrap our heads around online school for the next two years until she can go to public HS. I am tentatively looking at IVLA, Sora, ICL, Aquinas, and Crimson Global. The Stanford tuition is a dealbreaker - I think we max out around 15K / year, which is what we pay for her private now. Please give me your best online school for dummies spiel. Pros, cons, what to look out for, good programs or those to avoid - really anything. We're at the beginning of this and just trying to get a grip on what this could look like for us. All input appreciated! |
Anonymous
| You should do different things for different subjects. Not just one for everything. |
Anonymous
| The best I found and we did for two years was our public one as it was run like normal classes and school day. |
Anonymous
| Have you looked into the Calvert program? It’s been around for quite a while. |
Anonymous
| Acellus Academy. My 7th grader is in it now and loves it. It is self-paced and asynchronous. It takes way less time than a full school day, which leaves room for other activities. Your daughter can start now and finish the school year on time. Acellus Academy is accredited which will help with the transition back to public school. You can start and stop any time but your child will only get credit for completed classes. |
Anonymous
| Acellus poster above- the con for some people is that the instruction is asynchronous. But the videos are really good and if your child is struggling with content (they are doing poorly on the reviews), there are remedial videos that help your child get back on track. My 12 YO is able to work independently. We do have a math tutor on standby in case we need it, but haven’t had to use her yet (60 percent through pre-algebra). |
Anonymous
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We pulled our kid mid year in the early teen years because the public school was no longer an option for several reasons. I found an online program where he could finish the year and get credit. There are many virtual schools that will enroll mid year. This is the next year and things are more stable. DH both work outside of the home but everything is calmer. We are trying homeschooling two electives, which can be done in the evenings, weekends and vacations and taking the core classes through the virtual school. Next year he might try to do some in person at a different school and do a combo of homeschool and the virtual for the rest.
For us, this was high school credit so I was looking for places that would give us maximum flexibility and award credit for the year. You don’t need HS credit so determine if you want live classes or asynchronous, all online or correspondence, options for clubs etc. |
Anonymous
| Well Trained Mind Academy classes are live on-line and, at least in the pre-covid days, really well taught. My kids took many classes through WTMA and they were excellent, great teachers, material, and kids. |
Anonymous
| There is some Catholic homeschool setup out near Front Royal which administers tests online and has students scattered all over. One pays for the courses selected and they send the textbooks, workbooks, etc. Student is tested online. Parent needs to keep kid focused on schoolwork during the day. Curriculum is solid, but it is Catholic, so maybe not suitable for some families. |
Anonymous
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If you are looking at Stanford (SOHS) for your child you might want to check out Davidson in NV as well, you get the same kids applying to both. Davidson is a public charter school that has an online program.
My DD just graduated from SOHS and enjoyed the program but it is not for everyone. She now finds college very easy. I have friends that have sent kids to Laurel Springs for MS and have had easy transition to HS. |
Anonymous
I would highly suggest you reevaluate Acellus... |
Anonymous
| My nephew did Virginia Virtual School for middle school and is now doing great in public HS. I realize you may not be in Virginia but just saying this turned out to be a very good decision. |
Anonymous
Your private sounds like a bigger nightmare than the public. Two years of bullying and you continue to pay?? |
Anonymous
| We sent DS to GWUOHS (a k12 program) in 8th for similar reasons and have been very pleased. The administration is far better than the one at the school he attended in 7th. Classes are challenging (APs and honors are) and engaging. |
Anonymous
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OP we are a 2 mom family and send our 11yo DD to an evangelical Christian school ( we Christian but not evangelical) she’s really happy there and we’ve had no issues. Teachers have been great, I’ve made mom friends, she’s got friends etc.
maybe go look at the Christian schools and talk to admin before you rule them out. |