Online religious home-schools offer devout parents a way to home-educate their children in a religious atmosphere. Parents choose a school that best suits their religious beliefs. The online religious home-school incorporates their particular worldview into all courses.
Secular online home-schools do not teach religion. This type of online school offers academics from a nonreligious viewpoint. Secular home-schools allow the parents to teach religion as they see fit, if at all.
One reason for using an accredited online private school for homeschooling is that it makes it easier to transfer into a traditional public or private school. Accredited online public schools offer teacher support. Students submit selected assignments and tests to the online teacher for grading and assessment. Children enrolled in an accredited online school receive a report card and grade at the end of the year. High school students have an official transcript.
Accredited online schools charge tuition. The tuition is comparable to traditional private school tuition. Some schools offer payment plans.
Online umbrella schools are unique in the services they offer home-schooling families. For a fee, the umbrella school provides home-school students using their own curriculum a way to have their work assessed by a certified teacher. The umbrella school allows families to use the curriculum of their choice. Students have conferences at set times with the online teacher to discuss what they are learning. Tests and selected assignments are sent in to teachers for grading. Some umbrella schools offer the option of providing curriculum at an additional charge.
Virtual public schools are either part of the local school system or a separate state charter school. Kids who enroll in this type of school are considered public school students and they are subject to all of the rules and regulations of the local school district. Students take classes at home, just like other home-school kids. Many home-school support groups, like the Home School Legal Defense Association, do not recognize virtual public schools as valid home schools.
Virtual public schools are provided to families at no charge. This makes them attractive to those who want to home-educate their children but cannot afford to use an online private school.