One of the most common questions with regard to online schools is how you can attend one for free. The online learning industry currently has both free and commercial online schools. The free types of online schools include:
- Online charter schools
- State Departments of Education Online Schools
- Public School District Online Schools
Which kind of school is the right choice for you can vary.
Online charter schools
A charter school is an educational organization that does not have to follow all of the rules of more traditional schools. They are, however, still public schools and must accept students provided they have space available.
Charter schools were established, in part, to be able to innovate. One of the innovations that a number of charter schools is to take their program online. Because they are a public school, they must be free.
State Departments of Education Online Schools
Several state departments of education have established online schools. Typically, though, these are not full-time endeavors for students, but are ways to take online courses for free (or at a greatly reduced rate).
Usually, the courses offered are Advanced Placement, foreign languages, more advanced mathematics. The reason for these particular courses has to do with providing access to college preparation courses for students who live in small towns. Think, for example, of Georgia which has just a few larger cities and many, many small towns. The likelihood of finding teachers for those sorts of courses can be challenging. Offering these courses online gives students great access to college. » Read more: Free Online Schools
