Meet Geoffrey and Matthew

Matthew focuses on completing assignments quickly so he can move on to his latest film project. Geoffrey uses his extra time for activities outside of school, like piano practice and theater productions.

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Why This Family Chose K12

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.

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Choose advanced classes

Lynda knew that her boys would need more advanced curriculum than she could provide with homeschool as they got older, and K12’s curriculum provided those options.

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Prep for college and career

Both Geoffrey and Matthew take career-focused electives and Matthew is taking dual enrollment courses at the local college to get ready for his future in film.

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Make time for what you love

K12 provides the flexibility for extracurriculars so Matthew can work and seek out film projects while Geoffrey practices for his latest theater production.

Live Classes and Assignments

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.

Family Schedule

Learning Coaches typically spend between 1 to 3 hours each day with high school students, providing support.

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Time away from the computer looks like …

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Curriculum

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.

See How Our Curriculum Is Developed

Career Exploration and Opportunity

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!

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.

Family Q&A

Question 1 of 8

Why did you switch to online school?

I homeschooled the boys, but as they got older, I knew we needed something more advanced. Then, when the pandemic happened, online school just made sense, and it gave them the structure they needed with the flexibility to do other activities like theater and film.

Question 2 of 8

Why do you like online school?

I love the freedom and flexibility to still be able to do outside activities with the boys in an environment that lets them figure out what they love and follow their passions. Online school has opened up their free time to do the things they love, like theater for Geoffrey and film projects for Matthew.

I like online school because it’s a lot more structured, and I’m really able to focus on schoolwork and get that done faster. And then, I have more time to focus on other things, like my filmmaking.

I like online school because of all the friendships I’ve made and all the teachers I’ve met. It’s really taken me out of my comfort zone, and it’s been a good experience. Plus, I love having my pets at home when I’m doing schoolwork.

Question 3 of 8

How was the transition to online school?

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.

Question 4 of 8

How do the teachers support you?

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.

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.

Question 5 of 8

How do you keep up with your friends and stay social?

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.

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!

Question 6 of 8

Was there anything that surprised you about online school?

ome of the extracurriculars surprised me. Like, there was a talent show, and Geoffrey got to be a part of a national spelling bee.

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!

I was surprised how similar it is to public school—there are students, teachers, and homework.

Question 7 of 8

What was it specifically about K12-powered schools that made you choose that as the online learning option for your family?

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.

Question 8 of 8

Do you have any advice for families that might be considering online school?

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. 

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.

I would say give it a shot! You get way more freedom with online school, and you have more flexibility to do other activities.

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Learning With K12

From kindergarten to high school, K12 provides tuition-free online education that empowers students to learn in ways that work for them. Browse options in your state to find the perfect fit for your family.

Find Your 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 interviews. Their stories each reflect their experiences at their respective schools. Actual 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. Course materials vary, and certain schools may not provide computers or may have specific requirements for providing equipment.