Missouri Online Learning
Don’t overlook online learning, which offers a uniquely flexible learning environment that meets a variety of family needs. Whether your child wants to accelerate his or her learning or needs a quieter environment in which to focus, you may be interested in giving virtual school a try.
Missouri public school students have access to individual online courses or free, full-time online programs primarily throughMOCAP (Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program). In order to participate, students must get enrollment approved by their resident school district. (Missouri is one of theonly stateswith such a requirement for switching to online school.) Some districts only allow classes to be taken on campus, while others allow for full-time virtual learning, such as throughMissouri Virtual AcademyorMissouri Connections Academy.
Students must be currently enrolled in a Missouri public school to switch to online courses through MOCAP. Any non-public student in Missouri, from kindergarten through 12th grademay be able to enroll through the district andtake courses online through MOCAP for a fee. In some cases, such as students having certain medical conditions, the tuition can be waived.
Another virtual learning program that partners with many Missouri districts is Launch Virtual Learning. You can checkLaunch’s member directoryto see if your child’s school partners with Launch. If so, your child may be able to enroll in Launch’s part-time or full-time online courses for free through your home district.
There are also some district online learning programs, such asR-7 Online Academy,Columbia Public Schools Virtual School,Douglas County School District’s Choice Online Learning,North Kansas City Schools’ Virtual Learning, andSLPS Virtual Learning program.
Unfortunately, some families applying to Missouri online schools have experiencedadministrative delays or been challenged by their school district. In response, abill passed in summer 2022seeks to streamline the application process and improve families’ access to virtual schooling. To read more about online learning in Missouri, check out theDigital Learning Collaborative’s state profile.
