Since technology is on the rise, it was only a matter of time for high schools to become virtual. Because of this, there are now many online high schools in Wisconsin. One school in particular is eAchieve Academy (originally known as iQ Academy).

EAchieve Academy has been a part of the Waukesha High School district since 2004. There is an open enrollment period every February that allows students all around Wisconsin enroll. There are 38 state certified teachers and, since 2004, there have been a total of 676 high school graduates.

“This school offered classes that my other school didn’t,” says Laura Lechleiter, a senior from eAchieve, “I was offered many different languages, many sciences, social studies classes, and many many electives that my school never even dreamt of. Along with that, these classes would be much more up-to-date because the school is new and current.”

When asking Laura if she likes online schooling, she went on to say, “I really enjoy having online classes. True, you don’t have as readily available access to your teachers and when you have questions, you have to either call or e-mail them. But you are able, for the most part, to work at your own pace. You can have a job during the day, and do your classes at night. Or you can finish all of your work in the beginning of the week and relax the rest of it, etc.”

There has also been a lot of speculation against online high schools. People often wonder if the credits are creditable and how the schools work. In most online high schools they give you the option to choose most of your courses and assign you a certain amount of homework per week. In some online high schools, like eAchieve, there will be a virtual classroom such as “Elluminates,” which allow you to interact with your classmates and teachers while going over the weekly assigned homework.

There are also meetings and activities that allow students to get out of the house and meet classmates in person. At eAchieve, there is an annual prom celebration at the Kalahari Resort, in the Wisconsin Dells. This allows ninth through 12th graders to attend.

Some argue that online high schools are not successful in anyway and don’t give students a proper or legitimate education. Ross Acker, a freshman at Madison Area Technical College, does not support online high schools, “I found online class to be a worthwhile experience, but personally I would not take another. The class made me truly appreciate my teachers a little bit more once I didn’t have them anymore,” says Ross.

“I’ve always had trouble reading textbooks, it becomes one big blur for me, and I rely on the teacher to make it clear. With the online class there was no teacher to help me through, to show me the way, so I struggled.”

Most importantly, all online high schools have to go through The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Going through this necessary step classifies Wisconsin online high schools in the unified school system.

With the way technology is advancing, more and more public schools are adding online schooling as an option. Those who are against the idea of schooling online should give it a chance. Who knows, maybe online schooling will become one of the primary options as an education in the future; much like online college classes have today.