In our guide today, we are going to focus our attention on the best online high schools in California. But before providing you with a list of these schools let us briefly consider the benefits associated with attending an online high school.
Why Attend High School Online?
Here are the benefits associated with attending high school online:
Flexibility
- Flexible schedule
- You can take courses whenever you want. You won’t have to worry about getting up at the crack of dawn for an early class or missing dinner with your family because of a late night study session.
- Flexible curriculum
- Online high school programs often offer classes that wouldn’t be available in a traditional school setting. Some also allow you to customize your program by choosing from a menu of electives so that you can tailor it to your interests and goals.
- Flexible pace
- Many online high school programs allow you to move through lessons at your own pace, which can give you more time to explore topics in greater depth and get ahead on work if you are able to work quickly through assignments.
Regular high school can be toxic
Second, high school can often be a toxic environment. A recent study of more than 12,000 high school students found that about 60 percent had been bullied in some way within the previous year and 30 percent had felt depressed for at least two weeks in the last month. If you’ve ever been to a high school, you know why: it’s an environment where people are competing to be the best, often with unhealthy competition and an unhealthy atmosphere. In these situations, people can feel pressure to be their “best selves,” which is often defined as what other people think their best selves should be.
There’s also the question of whether public schools are actually good at teaching all students. The traditional public classroom doesn’t allow for much individualized learning; it’s more like a one-size-fits-all approach that attempts to fit everyone into this cookie cutter system without any room for reflection or personal growth. This lack of agency has led many young adults away from pursuing traditional schooling because they feel it doesn’t meet their needs and interests.”
Read also: Music Therapy Degree Online: All You Need To Know
Individualized approach
The individualized approach is one of the most important advantages of online high school. Rather than being forced to adhere to a single, uniform curriculum in your online classes, you can customize your learning experience and get exactly what you need from your education. This can be particularly beneficial for students who have talents and interests outside their studies or who want to focus on skills that aren’t well explored in a traditional classroom setting. Traditional schools often provide only limited opportunities for this type of learning as they prioritize covering all material that is on the test.
For example, if you’re interested in photography, but don’t want it to cut into study time for other subjects like English or mathematics, an online school might allow you to take extra courses or free period electives in photo editing software instead of the standard art class that only provides pencil sketching instruction. If you’re already a voracious reader with strong writing skills, you might be able to move at a faster pace in English classes so that you’re always working on challenging material rather than having to wait for everyone else in the class before moving on from basic concepts like sentence structure and grammar points.
This flexibility not only gives you more control over what material your classes cover but also when and how it’s covered. You’ll spend less time reviewing things that are already familiar and more time developing new skills and knowledge based on specific areas where you feel improvement is needed most.
Online high school is the best way to get an education
You might have heard a lot of reasons why you should attend high school online. You’ve probably heard that it’s more flexible, that you can take classes at your own pace, and that it’s a good choice if you don’t learn well in a classroom setting. You might have even heard that an online education can be better than traditional classroom-based education.
But how do we know online high school is the best way to get an education? Is there any data or research showing that people who take high school classes online are better off than people who take them in person? The answer is yes. There has been extensive research on this topic.
Best Online High Schools In California
CALVIN COOLIDGE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
- Website: https://lauesd-ca.schoolloop.com/
- Phone number: 323-532-2300
- Address: 3939 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90062
Coolidge Senior High School is an online high school in California that ensures the educational attainment of all students through collaborative, data-driven instructional practices and a rigorous curriculum aligned with state content standards. The school provides a safe and supportive environment where success is expected and achieved.
Coolidge Senior High School serves students who are at risk of dropping out or have dropped out of school. All courses offered allow students to work at their own pace. Courses are aligned to state content standards and will enable students to be successful and competitive for entry into two or four year colleges as well as for career advancement upon graduation from high school.*Number of students enrolled: 330
- Number of teachers: 20
- Number of counselors: 3
- Number of administrators: 2
- Number of support staff (library staff, food service workers etc): 50
AVALON SCHOOL
Avalon School is a private school that operates out of Redwood City, California. In addition to being a private school, Avalon is ISACS (Independent Schools Association of the Central States) accredited, which means it has met certain standards of excellence in academics and teacher certification. Classes range from 9th-12th grade and the student body size is small at less than 100 students. Avalon offers a flexible schedule with core courses like math, science and social studies available online. Each course listing includes a description so you can see what each class covers and whether it meets your needs before signing up.
CALIFORNIA CONNECTIONS ACADEMY AT LOS ANGELES
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Grades served: K–12
School type: Public school district
Enrollment: 18,000 approx.
Website: www.connectionsacademy.com/california-virtual-school
CALIFORNIA VIRTUAL ACADEMIES – SAN DIEGO
A tuition-free program offered by the California Virtual Academies, which are public charter schools designed to provide an alternative to traditional classroom learning, this option is ideal for students with family or work commitments that make it difficult to attend a regular school. The curriculum is aligned with the California state standards, and students earn credits for each course they complete. Each course has an outline that lists materials used, objectives and student assessment. There are more than 100 courses available in core subjects and electives.
- Core subjects: English language arts, social studies, science and math
- Electives: Art history, debate and drama
Students must attend three full days of on-campus classes (8 hours per day) in either San Diego or Oceanside. There’s also a laptop program available for qualifying students in grades 10-12. In addition to high school programs, CALA offers middle and elementary school programs as well as a summer school program for all grades. The school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
HOPE ONLINE LEARNING ACADEMY CO-OP
Address: 5355 Auburn Blvd, E-5, Sacramento, CA 95841
Contact: (916) 338-7369
Grades: 9–12
Total enrollment: 2,000 students (K–12) student/teacher ratio: 21:1
Our mission is to provide an exemplary individualized and engaging educational experience for all students that provides a solid foundation for post-secondary achievement.
Hope Online Learning Academy Co-Op provides online education to high school students in California and beyond. We are committed to quality school choice options so parents can find the right fit for their child’s academic needs. Hope serves over 2000 families with grades K through 12 who want to do school on their own terms and on their own schedule. Hope Online is a full time, fully accredited private online academy that gives parents more choices than any other online option in the state of California!
CALIFORNIA VIRTUAL ACADEMIES – LOS ANGELES
Grades 9–12
Enrollment: 1,865
Location: Los Angeles
Accreditation: Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
CAVA-Los Angeles is part of the California Virtual Academies network of ten online public schools, serving students in grades K–12 throughout California. Founded in 2002, CAVA-Los Angeles offers a wide variety of course options to give students the opportunity to prepare for college or a career. The school’s strong extracurricular programs include student government and clubs such as Future Business Leaders of America, Key Club, National Honor Society, and more. Students also have access to CAVA-Los Angeles’ college and career center.
GATEWAY TO COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL
Gateway to College High School, Inc. is located in San Diego, CA and offers a diverse education with a curriculum that focuses on college preparedness and career development. The average graduation rate of Gateway to College High School, Inc. is 63%. This online high school in California is tuition free for all students!
This online high school in California offers many opportunities for its graduates after they graduate high school. If you are interested in attending this online high school in California please reach out to the admissions office today!
ILC CHARTER OF SANTA ANA, INC. AKA INTERNATIONAL LEARNING CENTER FOUNDATION
Located in Santa Ana, ILC CHARTER OF SANTA ANA, INC. AKA INTERNATIONAL LEARNING CENTER FOUNDATION is a free public charter school that provides online classes for grades 6 to 12. The school was started in 2003 and has a total enrollment of about 800 students, with most students attending full time.
Some of the courses ILC offers are:
- Spanish
- English
- Physical Education
- Visual/Performing Arts
K12 INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY
If you are looking for a fully accredited, tuition-based online private school that serves students in grades K–12 worldwide, then K12 International Academy may be the right choice for you.
As an accredited and insured institution, K12 International Academy features highly qualified teachers and a rigorous curriculum.
The school follows the California state standards which are accepted in all 50 states and throughout the world. The school’s well-rounded curriculum includes art, music, physical education and college prep courses as well as core subjects such as language arts, math, science and social studies. Most courses are taught live by U.S.-certified teachers using state-of-the-art technology to present schoolwork via voice, video and chat interactions.
LEARN4LIFE HUNTINGTON PARK HIGH SCHOOL, INC.
2726 E. Gage Ave.
Huntington Park, CA 90255
(323) 585-7300
Website
Rating: A-
LEARN4LIFE GRAND AVENUE CONTINUATION HIGH SCHOOL
- Address: 951 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach, CA
- Website: https://www.learn4life.org/
- Phone: (805) 489-2460
- Email Address: info@learn4life.org
- Type of School: Continuation High School
- District Name: Lucia Mar Unified
- County Name: San Luis Obispo County Office Of Education
- Grade Range: 9th–12th
- Enrollment Information for 2016–2017 School Year [source](https://www.ed-data.org/detail/profile/school/10722539):
- Total number of students enrolled at the school in 2016–2017 school year (total enrollment): 32 students per Ed Data site, though the Learn4Life site says it’s 100 students total across all grades and campuses.
