10 Best Online High Schools

Academic Highlights: Offering a flexible schedule and a personalized learning plan, Laurel Springs’ education model emphasizes critical thinking, time management, and independent scholarship. Students can choose from more than 200 college prep courses, including over 20 AP and dual enrollment options and 100+ electives. 86% of students scored a “3” or higher on their AP exams. 24/7 academic support is available as well as over 30 online clubs and a secure social network to collaborate with peers.

College Admissions Highlights: 91% of students in the class of 2023 were college-bound, and 77% were admitted to their first-choice college. Laurel Springs grads were admitted to the following prestigious institutions, among many others: Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Harvard, NYU, Northeastern, Northwestern, Princeton, Princeton, Rice, Stanford, the Naval Academy, Berkeley, Penn, USC, Williams, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: At Stanford OHS, the average class size is just 12 students. 65% of teachers hold PhDs in their field, and there are 82 courses offered; most follow a college-style schedule and meet synchronously twice a week. Although the school has phased out AP courses, they offer 30+ rigorous post-AP and university-level options. Moreover, all students take a Core Sequence that covers human nature, science, science history, political theory, and philosophy. There are over 40 student-run clubs and organizations that meet online and in person.

College Admissions Highlights: Stanford OHS has a dedicated college counseling program to help students plan their higher education trajectories. Over the past three years, grads have matriculated to elite institutions like Amherst, Boston College, Brown, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Emory, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Middlebury, Northeastern, Northwestern, Princeton, Rice, Stanford, UNC Chapel Hill, Tufts, Berkeley, UCLA, UChicago, Penn, Vanderbilt, WPI, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: Davidson is a school exclusively for extremely gifted students, offering highly rigorous high school and undergraduate-level courses. Students are grouped by ability level rather than age, and each creates a Personalized Learning Plan (PLP). All courses include frequent live sessions and peer collaboration. Moreover, 85% of students attend the school full-time, and there are 20 student-run clubs including music ensembles, debate, poetry, and robotics. Although APs are not offered, many students self-study—67% received a score of 5, and 19% received a 4.

College Admissions Highlights: Davidson offers college and career counseling to all students. Since 2020, Davidson students have been accepted at many prestigious institutions, including Boston College, Boston University, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Duke, Georgia Tech, Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, Princeton, Rice, Swarthmore, UT Austin, Berkeley, Notre Dame, and WashU.

Academic Highlights: At CMASAS, courses are asynchronous and mastery-based, meaning that students take a small courseload but must earn a minimum of 80% in each class. All students are assigned a Personalized Education Coach and a subject-specific Course Instructor who provide support and guidance. 27 dual enrollment courses, 15 APs, 26 STEAM courses, and over 30 student clubs are offered. On average, faculty members have worked 15 years in education; 50% have post-graduate degrees.

College Admissions Highlights: CMASAS graduates attend college at a diverse array of institutions across the globe, including Boston College, Brown, Cornell, University of St Andrews, NYU, Northeastern, University of Michigan, Notre Dame, UT Austin, the University of Washington, Purdue, Williams, Santa Clara, King’s College London, University of Toronto, Oxford University, Baylor, Agnes Scott College, San Diego State, University of Glasgow, Syracuse, and UC San Diego.

Academic Highlights: UTHS offers over 75 on-level, honors, and AP courses in an asynchronous format. Students stay on track using pacing guides, and are taught by Texas-certified educators. All core courses are NCAA-approved. 12 AP courses are offered, and all are approved by the College Board. The student body is diverse and includes a wide range of students, including those who are pursuing professional careers, homeschooled, military-connected, and gifted & talented.

College Admissions Highlights: UTHS students head directly into careers, the military, or college. Those attending college landed at a diverse array of prestigious institutions, including UT Austin, NYU, Rice, UCLA, MIT, Berkeley, UNC Chapel Hill, Pepperdine, Drexel, Fordham, and Juilliard. They also headed to TX schools such as Southern Methodist, Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Texas State, and Texas Christian.

Academic Highlights: GWUOHS offers an innovative, rigorous college prep curriculum that prioritizes individualized learning. A solid slate of honors, AP, dual enrollment, and elective courses are offered. Moreover, juniors and seniors can declare a concentration in one of the following: science and technology, entrepreneurship, liberal arts, or their own design. All students undertake the four-year-long Journeys Symposium that culminates in a capstone project. The average GPA is a 3.5, and 100% of students pass their AP exams with a 3 or better.

College Admissions Highlights: All students receive individualized college counseling and planning early in their high school careers. Since 2014, GWUOHS students have been accepted at hundreds of colleges that include Babson, Berklee, Boston University, Claremont McKenna, Colorado College, Columbia, Cornell, Drexel, Emory, Fordham, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Macalester, NYU, Pepperdine, Rice, Santa Clara, Syracuse, Tufts, the UCs, University of Michigan, UNC Chapel Hill, USC, UT Austin, and Virginia Tech.

Academic Highlights: As one of the oldest online learning institutions, IUHS is a leader in distance education and constantly refining its curriculum. Diploma students choose from one of three tracks: General Education, College Prep, or Academic Honors. The General Education Track is for students who do not plan to attend college while the College Prep & Academic Honors tracks were designed for college-bound students. IUHS offers dozens of course options, both Cooperative (synchronous) and Independent (asynchronous), including 5 APs.

College Admissions Highlights: If students need assistance with their college application journey, IU advisors are available. Students head to a wide range of postsecondary destinations, including the workforce, vocational training, the military, and college. Graduates have gone on to Indiana University as well as Ivy League schools like Harvard and Columbia.

Academic Highlights: University of Nebraska offers a diploma option as well as part-time options. Over 100 courses are available, including core, elective, AP, dual enrollment, and NCAA-approved options. 11 APs and 12 dual enrollment classes are offered. All courses are self-paced, can be completed in between 5-52 weeks, and are taught by certified teachers. The student-to-faculty ratio is 11:1. Moreover, there are no restrictions on age or grade level for any course.

College Admissions Highlights: UNHS students have gone on to attend nearly 600 different colleges and universities, including prestigious institutions like Berklee, Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Colgate, Holy Cross, Colorado College, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Dickinson, Drexel, Emory, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Kenyon, Macalester, NYU, Northeastern, Penn State, Santa Clara, Stanford, UT Austin, University of Georgia, University of Michigan, USC, Vanderbilt, Wesleyan, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: Oak Meadows students enjoy a “book-based curriculum and project-based, interest-led learning.” With the help of parents, students work through their curriculum on their own schedule over the course of the year. They submit assignments to their assigned teacher and receive consistent support via phone, email, and video conferencing. A number of college-prep courses are available across grade levels in every major subject. In addition, students can connect via online workshops, forums, blogs, and book clubs.

College Admissions Highlights: High school tuition includes personalized college counseling, and graduates go on to attend a wide range of excellent institutions like American University, Berklee, Case Western, Clark, Columbia, Cooper Union, Dickinson, Eastman School of Music, Fordham, Harvard, Juilliard, NYU, Northwestern, Rice, Rochester Institute of Technology, Santa Clara, Sarah Lawrence, Skidmore, Tulane, the UCs, the University of Maryland, the University of Massachusetts, USC, UVA, WPI, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: Mizzou Academy is housed within the nationally ranked University of Missouri College of Education and Human Development, and researchers, professionals, and faculty within the College frequently contribute to course development and teaching. Over 200 self-paced core, elective, honors, and NCAA-approved courses are offered. In addition, 9 AP classes are currently available in a semester-based, collaborative format. Accelerated courses are also available for gifted, talented, and advanced students. The mean AP score is a 4.

College Admissions Highlights: According to Mizzou Academy, “Graduates enjoy collegiate opportunities the world over and are assured an accredited, academic experience, all under a research-intensive university.” Notable alumni include athletes Gracie Gold and Lindsey Vonn as well as Eugenie Carys de Silva, the youngest person ever to graduate from Harvard.