A Day in the Life
Scroll down to explore the stories of real students, families, and educators.
Each story below takes you through real students’ schedules and their classes, and see how they learn in ways that work best for them.
Featured Stories
Mia
Grade 11
Why K12: Mia wanted an environment where she could focus on building her future. She’s earning certifications and developing skills for a career in healthcare.
Explore a Day in the Life of Mia
Josh
Grade 8
Why K12: Josh’s mom wanted her advanced students to be challenged academically. Now, Josh can work at his own, quicker pace through lessons and focus on his science experiments.
See Josh’s Day with His Sister
Peter
Grade 2
Why K12: Samantha wanted an option where Peter could work at his fast pace and advanced level while still having time to be a kid.
Explore a Day in the Life of Peter
Student and Family Stories
Arianna
Grade 9
Why K12: Arianna’s mom wanted an option with enough flexibility in their school schedule to work at their own pace so Arianna could run her baking business.
See Arianna’s Day with Her Sister
Abi
Grade 11
Why K12: Abi wanted structure and flexibility that let her explore her career interests in healthcare. With K12, she has time for school, extracurriculars, and work at the family restaurant.
Explore a Day in the Life of Abi
Cash
Grade 5
Why K12: Brandi switched her children to online school for more rigorous curriculum and so Cash could get the services he needs for his dyslexia and dysgraphia.
Explore a Day in the Life of Cash
Connor
Grade 6
Why K12: Connor wanted a hands-on learning option where he could take breaks, move around, and use his fidgets to focus while taking the time he needed to finish assignments.
Explore a Day in the Life of Connor
Demonty
Grade K
Why K12: Janell wanted an option where she could be more involved as well as have the extra support to keep Demonty on track academically.
Explore a Day in the Life of Demonty
Gabbie
Grade 3
Why K12: Gabbie’s mom wanted her advanced students to be challenged academically. Now, Gabbie can work at her own, quicker pace through lessons and take breaks when she needs them.
See Gabbie’s Day with Her Brother
Gabriela
Grade 11
Why K12: Gabriela’s mom wanted an option that provided career exploration and prep for her teens in a safe environment.
See Gabriela’s Day with Her Brother
Geoffrey
Grade 9
Why K12: Geoffrey’s mom wanted an online option with a more in-depth curriculum. Now, Geoffrey can work at his own pace and design his days to leave time for theater productions and piano recitals.
See Geoffrey’s Day With His Brother
Jaala
Grade 3
Why K12: Donesha wanted a school option for her military family where she had more control over her children’s safety, especially considering Jaala’s severe allergies.
Join Jaala and Her Siblings for a Day
JessieAnn
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
John
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
Jordin
Grade 11
Why K12: Donesha wanted a school option for her military family with career prep and the flexibility to work in jobs, internships, and dual enrollment college courses.
Join Jordin and Her Siblings for a Day
Josh
Grade 8
Why K12: Josh’s mom wanted her advanced students to be challenged academically. Now, Josh can work at his own, quicker pace through lessons and focus on his science experiments.
See Josh’s Day with His Sister
Keegan
Grade 3
Why K12: Keegan’s reading and writing improved so much after starting support services like speech therapy at online school, his mom decided they’d stay.
Join Keegan and His Siblings for a Day
Klara
Grade 1
Why K12: Klara’s mom switched her kids to online school during the pandemic for more consistency, and the family gained more control over their time.
Join Klara and Her Siblings for a Day
Lily
Grade 7
Why K12: Lily’s mom wanted an option where her daughters could focus on their learning and not the distractions of being a teenager at a traditional school.
See Lily’s Day with Her Sister
Mari
Grade 7
Why K12: Mari is part of a military family, and they wanted a learning option that would support her mom and be flexible enough to help her focus on her health and school.
Explore a Day in the Life of Mari
Matthew
Grade 11
Why K12: Matthew’s mom wanted an online option with more advanced curriculum to help her boys prepare for their futures. Now, Matthew can take career courses, college courses, and make time for work.
See Matthew’s Day With His Brother
Mia
Grade 11
Why K12: Mia wanted an environment where she could focus on building her future. She’s earning certifications and developing skills for a career in healthcare.
Explore a Day in the Life of Mia
Micah
Grade 1
Why K12: Micah’s parents wanted an option where their children could be challenged and learn in a way that worked for them as individuals.
See Micah’s Day with His Sister
Peter
Grade 2
Why K12: Samantha wanted an option where Peter could work at his fast pace and advanced level while still having time to be a kid.
Explore a Day in the Life of Peter
Sabrina
Grade 8
Why K12: Mabiel wanted an option where Sabrina could catch up, learn, and be comfortable while adapting to a new country, language, and culture.
Explore a Day in the Life of Sabrina
Sarai
Grade 3
Why K12: Sarai’s parents wanted an option with built-in flexibility outside of scheduled live classes to allow them to arrange each school day in a way that works for them.
See Sarai’s Day with Her Brother
Stephen
Grade 10
Why K12: Stephen wanted a school option that would be flexible enough to fit his competitive swimming schedule and rigorous enough to get him ready for college.
Explore a Day in the Life of Stephen
Tre
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
Willa
Grade 3
Why K12: Donesha wanted a school option where her children would face less bullying, while maintaining more consistency for their military family.
Join Willa and Her Siblings for a Day
Zoe
Grade 4
Why K12: Zoe gets much more support for her autism and ADHD at online school. Services like occupational therapy have helped her advance academically.
Join Zoe and Her Siblings for a Day
Families Often Ask These Questions; We Have Answers
The students featured here in Day in the Life are real online students who attend K12-powered schools across the country. Their families worked with our team to help tell their stories so other families can see how online school might be a great fit for them too! Everyone consented to have their photos and videos shared. Explore their stories to learn more about the day in the life of online elementary, middle, and high school students.
We meet learners where they are with a personalized approach. The K12 curriculum is specifically designed to be online and to fit students’ learning needs in grades K through 12. Students attend scheduled, live classes where state-certified teachers provide instruction. These live classes are called “Class Connect Sessions” and may involve group work and project-based learning, and they offer opportunities for students to interact with each other and with the teacher one-to-one if needed. Other schoolwork happens through offline assignments and activities that students can complete more at their own pace within the week’s schedule.
Yes, online schools powered by K12 offer a wide range of activities for students to be social, from school-based clubs to national contests and more. Explore the extracurricular programs and events.
We call parents, or other responsible adults, Learning Coaches because they are major players in their child’s education. The state-certified teachers, other school support staff, and Learning Coaches work closely for each student’s personalized learning and success.
We understand that family time commitment is a big concern when considering online school. In elementary school grades, Learning Coaches typically spend 4 to 6 hours per day helping their student. As students become more independent learners, the oversight of the Learning Coach can lessen. In middle school and high school, the time commitment tends to take 1 to 3 hours per day.
Our curriculum is for students in grades K through 12th grade. There are schools powered by K12 across the country, many of them tuition-free public schools. There are also private school options available. You can use our school finder tool to learn more about the options available in your area, their enrollment requirements, and see how to enroll.
There is a structured schedule provided by K12-powered school with set live class times, assignment dates, and suggested lesson plans. Outside of their scheduled live classes, students can complete other assignments and activities at their own pace within the deadlines. Live classes are also recorded in case anything has to be made up. Explore the featured Day in the Life of online student stories above to see examples of how the schedule works in action.
The tuition-free schools powered by K12 are public schools that follow the same testing requirements as your specific state (in most cases). Some of the private school options may offer different testing requirements. You can speak to one of our enrollment consultants for more specific testing information for a particular state or school.
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. Actual experience 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.