How a District-Run Virtual Program Can Improve Student Enrollment and Retention

When LaPorte Community School Corporation in Indiana started losing students to online schools in other parts of Indiana, district leaders realized that the supports they had in place weren’t enough to keep students connected to the public school district. They needed a virtual program of their own. As Assistant Superintendent Ben Donegal explained, “We wanted it to be LaPorte. We wanted it to be our brand, our staff, our flying-L logo on it.”

Virtual programs are playing an increasingly important role in district enrollment and retention strategy across the country. In Building Virtual Schools That Recapture Enrollment and Boost Outcomes, Donegal joined other leaders from districts in South Carolina, Ohio, and Alabama to discuss the virtual programs they’ve built and how they’re serving a wide range of different student populations in their communities. 

Enrollment and retention came up repeatedly as a top reason for expanding their virtual options. Here’s what these leaders said, and what they recommend to other districts.

Why Are Students Leaving for Out-of-District Virtual Programs?

The LaPorte leadership team saw it coming. Online schools were expanding across Indiana, bringing more choice to families, and students were leaving the district for those programs. Because enrollment drives funding, the departures also created financial pressure that would impact the students still in the district. They had to act.

LaPorte wasn’t alone with that challenge; Akron Public Schools had also lost enrollment to charter and virtual schools before building APS Online. Jefferson County Virtual School in Alabama built their virtual program to help them reconnect with families who had moved to homeschooling. “One of our main goals too is to try to bring the homeschoolers back in,” said Principal Kim Weaver.

Students consider leaving for many reasons, but there’s a common thread: They leave when their home districts don’t offer what out-of-district programs do. 

Some students need flexibility because of athletics, employment, health issues, transportation challenges, or circumstances that made daily attendance difficult. Some need a different model for only one semester, and some just do better in a virtual setting. Districts that can offer those options have a much better chance to keep students connected locally.

How Can a Virtual Program Keep Students in the District?

Shelton Kimble, Director at Clover School District in South Carolina, said their students need different degrees of structure. Some want synchronous interaction, while others need to work around practices, jobs, or other commitments. “It’s finding the schedule that meets what our community of students needs,” he explained.

Clover’s virtual academy aims to meet those needs with flexibility. Some can enroll in the virtual program temporarily. They also have an option to also take an in-person course on the main campus, including classes at the career center or in areas such as music and athletics.

Other districts are offering similar options. Akron students can earn an Akron Public Schools diploma while continuing to participate in district activities, and Jefferson County students can complete coursework virtually while remaining involved with their home schools. And in these districts, virtual learning is serving several purposes at once:

• Keeping current students from leaving for outside virtual options
• Giving families a district alternative when circumstances change
• Bringing students back after they have chosen another model
• Allowing students to move between virtual and in-person learning as their needs change

What Helps Students Succeed in a Virtual Program?

Flexibility alone doesn’t guarantee results. Akron Principal Cheryl Paradise described the goal as creating “a heart and soul for our school” so students still feel part of a community. Her students begin the day with a virtual homeroom and have an assigned mentor. Younger students follow a more structured schedule, and older students may have more flexibility around work or family responsibilities. Students can get face-to-face help whenever they need it.

Jefferson County similarly combines virtual instruction with local support. Students have access to EdOptions Academy’s state-certified teachers as well as district counselors, intervention staff, and other educators. “We tell our students, you know, there’s always someone every day that you can talk to,” Weaver said.

Clover built an intervention process specifically for its virtual students, who used Edmentum Courseware. Staff review progress every two weeks and add support when students begin falling behind. That can include family conferences, video conferencing sessions focused on study habits or time management, or time working in person with staff. The academy reported that the share of courses students passed increased from 68% to 93% the following year.

The same process can also reveal when virtual learning isn’t quite right for a particular student. Some of the leaders said they had sent a few students back to the main campus when the virtual model wasn’t working for them.

What to Consider When Planning a District Virtual Program

What can other districts learn from this discussion? Here are 6 bits of advice:

1) Get clarity on why students are leaving. 
What are out-of-district programs offering that you aren’t? Design the virtual program around those needs.

2) Virtual doesn’t always mean full-time or permanent.
Provide flexibility for students who only need a virtual setting for one semester, one course, or part of the day.

3) Preserve what students value about the district. 
Make sure they can still participate in the aspects of school life they don’t want to give up.

4) Understand who is likely to thrive. 
Application processes, attendance, and regular progress checks can show which students need more support or a different setting.

5) Build intervention into the model. 
Some virtual students need structured check-ins, in-person help, or tighter pacing expectations more than independence.

6) Keep the big picture in sight.
When a virtual program helps to stabilize enrollment, it benefits the district’s funding and ability to maintain countless other offerings.

Watch the full webinar here and learn more about partnering with Edmentum to build a sustainable virtual program that benefits all students.