Minnesota Offers A Variety of Virtual School Opportunities

There’s no doubt that education is important. The more you know, the more opportunities you are likely to have. But not every student thrives in a traditional school environment.  

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We learned during Covid that some students felt more comfortable learning from home. My nephew’s youngest fell into that category. She went from struggling with not just learning but the social scene at her school to thriving and enjoying her virtual school.  

For some parents, ensuring their child is learning is the most important part of their education and virtual seems to work best. If you find yourself in one of those categories, you’re in luck. Minnesota offers at least 35 virtual options, with at least 25 of those being fully virtual.  

Thus far, according to the stats I found from the National Center for Educational Statistics, a little more than 7,500 students in Minnesota choose virtual learning.  

Our neighboring states are using virtual learning as well, but they don’t offer as many options, at least for fully virtual programs. 

North Dakota doesn’t have any fully virtual schools, but the NCES says there are 154 programs that are not fully virtual. 

South Dakota has six fully virtual programs, 159 partially virtual programs. Of the six fully virtual programs, there are only 177 students participating in South Dakota. 

Iowa has five fully virtual schools with a higher number of students using them compared to Minnesota, with almost 8,400 students enrolled. 

Wisconsin offers 34 fully virtual programs but just over 8,000 students use them.  

The most important tools you’ll need for your students to learn virtually are a computer and a solid internet connection. Depending on the program you choose to go through, there could be additional material needed. Some programs provide material and even the computer for your child to use.  

You’ll also want to verify accreditation that might impact the future hopes your child has. Also, if they have hopes of playing a sport in college, make sure the program you choose is approved by the NCAA.  

Again, the traditional school structure isn’t the best for all children, or at least it doesn’t meet their needs now. It’s good to know that there are many options out there if you feel your child needs or wants something different.