As a parent, fewer things are more important than your child’s education. One alternative to traditional school that is rising in popularity is online schooling. We asked Primavera Online High School, Arizona’s largest online high school, to explain the differences between the two:

Difference: Classroom setting

The biggest difference between traditional and online school is the classroom setting. At a traditional school, students go from class to class each period and sit in assigned seats with 30 or more students.

Online schooling, on the other hand, allows students to study at home, a library or anywhere with internet access. This can be benefit students who find the traditional classroom setting distracting, find safety and comfort studying at home or have responsibilities that make it difficult to adhere to a rigid class schedule.

Similarity: Course Curriculum

Any school that is accredited offers core courses that a student needs to to graduate high school. Parents and students can expect to see the same rigor from online and traditional courses, as both are accredited and aligned to state standards.
Difference: Course Curriculum

While the basics of curriculum will be the same at accredited online and traditional schools, online high school curriculum can look a little different from that at brick-and-mortar schools.

Similarity: Tuition Free

Online and traditional public or public charter schools do not charge tuition. However, it is important to do research because private schools can charge tuition.

Similarity: Teacher Qualifications

Unless the school is not accredited or is not a public charter school, online instructors have to hold the same qualifications as teachers in traditional schools. In fact, many teachers in the online education world came from the traditional setting.

Difference: Teacher-Student Communication

Oftentimes, online high school students find that they receive more personalized attention in online setting than they do at a traditional school, because teachers have more opportunities to individually communicate with each student.

Should a student have a question, the teacher is easily accessible through emails, phone calls and instant messaging. Online instructors also keep in contact with parents and students through online school announcements and weekly personally phone calls and emails in order to ensure the success of each student.

For more information on Primavera Online High School, head to ChoosePrimavera.com.