California Digital Learning Landscape
| State virtual school? | NO |
| Multi-district fully online schools? | YES |
| Online learning requirement for graduation? | NO |
| State approval process for online providers? | NO |
| State approval process for online courses? | NO |
Online learning is decentralized in California with extensive activity through districts, county offices, and charter schools. California does not have a state virtual school, and students access supplemental online courses offered by their district, a district partner, or consortia.
There were at least 38 online charter schools that collectively provide all students in the state access to a full-time online option during the 2021-22 SY. These fully online schools are restricted by a requirement that they serve students in contiguous counties only, so the number of schools is higher than it is in states that allow for statewide online enrollment. Education management organizations (EMOs) often operate only one fully online school in other states, drawing students from across the state. In California some EMOs operate multiple schools because of the contiguous counties’ requirement. The fully online schools enrolled 42,690 students in the 2021-22 SY compared to 37,334 in the 2020-21 SY and 27,175 during the 2019-20 SY. The nine California Virtual Academies account for nearly half of the 2021-22 SY student enrollments (19,104).
Below are just a few examples of the growing number of district virtual programs.
Los Angeles USD has six thematic Virtual Academies based on college and career pathways for grades K-12 including – Arts & Entertainment, Computer Science, International Studies and World Languages, STEAM Business and Entrepreneurship, STEAM Leadership and Public Service, and STEAM.
West Contra Costa Unified offers multiple online options including Vista K-12 Virtual Academy and through independent study.
Davis Joint Unified launched its Virtual Academy for K-12 students for fall 2021 that includes multiple online learning options including independent study.
El Dorado Union High School District’s Pacific Crest Academy is a full-time program serving six regional high schools. It emphasizes STEM curriculum, communication, historical perspectives, internships and early college experience.
Washington Unified School District’s Virtual Academy provides a full-time option for district students in grades K-8.
The Elk Grove Unified School District Virtual Academy serves K-8 students in the Sacramento contiguous counties (Sacramento, Amador, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Placer, San Joaquin, Solano, Sutter and Yolo).
Another path for students to access online learning is through the state’s Independent Study program. California Education Code sections 51745–51749.3 provide an alternative instructional option that includes various modes of instruction and learning, including online learning. Although the California Department of Education tracks course enrollment data in the independent study and other programs, the latest data posted is from the 2018-19 SY.
In addition to district online programs, The University of California Scout program offers online high school Advanced Placement®, honors, and “a-g” college preparation online courses. The University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) designed “a-g” policy standards that all courses must meet to satisfy the UC and CSU entrance requirements. California public schools, teachers, or students may choose to use Scout’s courses to supplement existing curriculum, or as stand-alone courses although it does not grant credit; students must coordinate with their school or district to receive credit and/or a grade. Scout offers three options: a free version of course content available to students and teachers, a version limited to video lectures, or a teacher-led version for a fee.
A growing number of districts and charter schools offer hybrid or blended learning options for students. These include:
Cyber High is operated by the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools and offers online courses for original credit, credit recovery, and to support a hybrid learning approach.
Aspire Public Schools operates 36 schools across three California regions in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and the Central Valley.
Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, which operates 26 blended schools for middle and high schoolers serving over 12,000 students.
Los Altos School District offers both hybrid and virtual learning options for elementary and middle school students.
The Silicon Schools Fund provides seed funding for blended learning schools, either in the form of multi-year launch grants or single-year planning grants. It has funded schools and provided launch grants to Alpha Public Schools, Summit Public Schools, Navigator Schools, San Jose Unified School District, KIPP Public Schools Northern California, Caliber Schools and others. Silicon Schools recognizes 50 grant recipients.
A national consortium of public and private agencies, including many in California, fund the Leading Edge Certification, an effort to address the need for professional development related to digital learning. The project offers training programs for online teachers, classroom (blended learning) teachers, administrators, teacher librarians, and lead learners (course developers) seeking certification in digital skills.
State Policies
No major legislation impacting online and/or blended learning was passed January through August 2022.