More Georgia students than ever are taking to online classes for their schooling

As back to school time approaches for students in Georgia, numbers are showing that more and more families are choosing to turn to online schooling as their provider of education.

Though virtual education used to be seen by many as reserved for post-high school classes, many parents are now opting to place their kids in online schooling throughout their K-12 years.

Georgia Connections Academy, a free public virtual charter school open to students from every county of the state, is one of the many online schools in the state that is growing rapidly.

Last year, the school had 4000 students enroll in the school, the most since its inception in 2011.

“More and more, families are starting to see the benefits of what online schooling can offer,” said Georgia Connections Academy Executive Director Heather Robinson. “We are like any other school in that we meet state curriculum standards, require testing accountability and offer students all the opportunities of clubs and field trips. But we also offer personalized instruction and flexible scheduling.”

According to a survey done by Connections Academy, 91% of the parents who enrolled their children into Georgia Connections Academy gave the school a personal “A” or “B” grade. 45% of the parents noted that they chose online schooling because they “wanted a change from their traditional, local school” while 42% said online schooling offered their family “greater flexibility”.

Robinson remarked that a benefit of an online school compared to traditional school is that it can offer each child a personalized education that addresses their interests, learning pace and schedule.

“We work not only just for our students to graduate,” said Robinson. “We work to ensure our students experience success after graduation, whether in college, trade school, or the workplace.”

Being a fairly new school, the ability to now have some of their students for more than four years has helped the school manage a lot of students to successful paths in their education. Georgia Connections Academy’s graduating class of 2015 boasted scholarship opportunities from local and out of state universities this past school year.

“Online schooling continues to grow just like technology continues to advance and we look to be leaders in the virtual education revolution,” said Executive Director Robinson.

As the start of the year school approaches, Georgia Connections Academy encourages prospective students and parents to visit www.GeorgiaConnectionsAcademy.com to learn more about virtual schooling in Georgia and see if it is the right fit for their child with a special schedule, special needs or just in need of a change.

Parents can call the school about enrollment now at 1-800-382-6010. The first day of class is Monday, August 10.