Lynda’s boys were homeschooled initially, but as they got older, she wanted an option that would give them more structure and skills for the future. K12 provides advanced curriculum, career prep, dual enrollment, and the flexibility for extracurriculars.
Schoolwork for Geoffrey and Matthew is a mix of scheduled, live classes called Class Connects, self-guided assignments, and college and career prep activities like Matthew’s dual enrollment film course at the local community college.
A benefit of schools powered by K12 is that the educational materials—a computer, textbooks, supplies for offline activities, and more—are provided.
Learning Coaches typically spend between 1 to 3 hours each day with high school students, providing support.
Piano and theater practice, teaching swim lessons, playing videogames with the pets watching, and family bike rides.
The number of classes students take varies per grade level and individual. For example, high school students like Geoffrey and Matthew, typically take 3–6 subjects each semester, with 2–3 of those requiring scheduled, live classes.
In addition to core academic subjects, there’s a great selection of career-related electives, including the criminal justice pathway courses Geoffrey is exploring.
The career prep pathways allow students to explore different fields. In addition to Geoffrey’s classes in the criminal justice pathway, Matthew is in the editing pathway. Since they don’t offer his film classes, his advisor helped him take those at a community college for high school and college credit!
Lynda: I was a little intimidated at first because I’m not very technologically literate, but Matthew was able to set things up and fix any kinks. The first few weeks, we all settled in getting to know the teachers and other students.
Lynda: You can tell the teachers really care. They’re very patient and accessible. I get correspondence from them, and the boys also communicate with them on their own. Matthew: My old government teacher was one of my favorites. He was so calm and kind we’d start each class with a meditation and mental health check-in. He’s the one who started the bike club too. You could tell teaching was more than a job for him, he really cared about all his students.
Lynda: There are a lot of field trips. We’ve been to a botanical garden, a mobile nursing unit, and we volunteered at an animal shelter. Geoffrey has made a lot of friends, and I love the hands-on learning of it all. Matthew: I was in mountain biking club, and that was a lot of fun. We’d get together and go on trails, and the club provided the whole bike!
Lynda: Some of the extracurriculars surprised me. Like, there was a talent show, and Geoffrey got to be a part of a national spelling bee. Matthew: I was surprised they helped me figure out how to take the film classes I was interested in since they didn’t offer them directly. Now, I’m learning my craft and getting college credit too! Geoffrey: I was surprised how similar it is to public school—there are students, teachers, and homework.
Lynda: I love how K12 structures the curriculum and that I can log in myself to see what they’re learning. I want to see for myself so I can help provide supplemental activities along the way.
Matthew: I’d tell them it’s very different, but it’s easy to switch. It’s the perfect set up, and you can learn from anywhere. Lynda: I think for each family, it’s important to find out what best fits their needs. For us, K12 provided the full umbrella of what we needed—a structured, advanced curriculum and the freedom and flexibility to keep the bond we wanted as a family. Geoffrey: I would say give it a shot! You get way more freedom with online school, and you have more flexibility to do other activities.
Grade 9
Why K12: John’s mom wanted an option where her teens could focus on their schoolwork and where she wouldn’t be worried about their safety.
See John’s Day with His Sister
Grade 11
Why K12: JessieAnn uses the extra time online school allows to take additional healthcare courses and participate in more clubs and activities.
Join JessieAnn and Her Siblings for a Day
Grade 11
Why K12: Donesha wanted a school option with college and career prep so her teens can prepare for the future, now, with less interruptions during any military family moves.
Join Tre and His Siblings for a Day
K12 powers a wide variety of educational options, including tuition-free public schools and tuition-based private schools. See what’s available in your area.
These are the stories of real students attending K12-powered schools and their families. Content is a combination of direct quotes and summaries from in-person interviews. Their stories each reflect their experiences at their respective schools. Experiences can vary by student and school. These pages are designed to reflect a typical day in the life of a student attending an online K12-powered school. Individual class schedules and requirements will vary by state, school, and the individual needs of each student.
Social Activities and Extracurriculars
There’s a big misconception that online school has no socialization, but that simply isn’t the case. Geoffrey loves the school field trips and has the time to do his theater shows and piano performances. Matthew’s been in bike club and has time for his schedule teaching swim lessons.