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Free Online High Schools

About Free Online High Schools

Guide to Online Education > Online Education Trends > Hot Topics in Online Education > Free Online High Schools

The single-most common question concerning online high schools is about whether there are any free ones available. Just a few short years ago, the answer was mostly in the negative. That fact is changing almost faster than it is possible to keep up.

There are several reasons for this phenomenon, but the main one is that schools, states, and companies have figured out a way to use public money to create online high schools and online courses. All perfectly legal and a reasonable use of our tax dollars.

However, before you decide to sign up for that free online high school, there are some things that you need to know.

Spotting Fraudulent Online High Schools

Here's a secret: The Internet has many online high schools. Quite a few of those are fakes. They are in it to take your money. Yes, there will be talk about using your "life experience" toward that high school diploma. It does not exist. Often these fake schools will even show up very high in Google searches. How does that happen? Because they make a lot of money bilking unsuspecting students and are able to invest that money into their Web site.

They will talk about their GED programs. They do not exist. The GED is an examination program offered solely by the American Council on Education. ACE does not offer the exam online. The only thing offered online might be GED preparation. This may be acceptable as long as it is clear that it is preparing you for no other reason than to take the legitimate off-line GED examination.

Why do I mention the fakes here? To my knowledge, there are no fake free online high schools, but this is what you will be comparing that free one to, so it helps to know what is out there.

Types of Free Online High Schools

There are a number of different kinds of free online high schools. They can be roughly broken down into these four categories:

1. Charter schools.
These schools are public schools, but which do not have to follow the same rules as traditional public schools. Depending on the state, they receive the charter from a department of education, a state university, or a local public school district.

2. Department of Education-sponsored or school-district-sponsored schools.
Some states have gone into the online high school business as a way to offer courses in rural areas or areas with high poverty and where they do not have the ability to offer a full breadth of courses on the high school campus. Often this is a way for them to offer Advanced Placement, foreign languages in situations where it would otherwise not be possible.

3. School-district-sponsored schools.
Some school districts have decided that they also want to be part of this new wave of online learning. While some offer a full load of courses, others use online courses for credit recovery (for failed courses) or for more advanced courses.

4. Corporate-sponsored, but government-approved schools.
These schools are co-sponsored by an online high school chain and by the state department of education (or local school district).

Advice for Those Seeking Out Online High School Programs

There are certain pieces of information you must possess whether an online high school is free or not. This includes knowing the answers to the following questions:

1. How long has the school been in business?
While the threshold for what is a long time varies widely, when you are talking about online high schools, ten years is a long time. I think you want to tread lightly with schools that are a year or two old and are still trying to figure everything out.

2. Does it offer a diploma?
Many free online high schools offer diplomas, but many do not. Rather, what they offer are individual courses to supplement your traditional high school experience. In some cases, this may be exactly what you need. An example would be the student who needs to pick up a couple of Advanced Placement (AP) courses to be more competitive for college admissions.

3. Do they provide equipment?
Some free online high schools include the use of a computer as part of the deal. If that is something that you need, you will want to be sure to choose a program that offers it. Usually, you must return the computer when you leave the program or you graduate.

4. Is it accredited by a recognized accreditor and/or approved by its state department of education?
The two resources that I use to determine if an accreditor is valid are Accreditation in the United States and CITA. Why is it important to check the accreditation? Because, just as there are fake online high schools, so, too, there are fake accreditors. While there may be other legitimate accrediting efforts going on out there, you cannot go wrong with those two sites.

Look Before You Leap

Yes, there are free online high schools. Yes, the number of such schools is on the rise and will continue to grow. Often, they will be a good choice for you. That being said, like all things in life, it is important to do your research before you start the program.

About the Author

Thomas Nixon is the author of Complete Guide to Online High Schools: Distance Learning Options For Teens & Adults. He is the manager of BestOnlineHighSchools.com and Virtual School News Web sites. He often writes about free online high schools.

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