Ten years ago, a little over 12,000 students attended school virtually, according to the Oregon Department of Education.

Today, the total is more than twice that. If all of Oregon’s virtual schools were put together into one school district, it’d be the fourth largest in the state, with more than 28,000 students from all over the state.

As Oregon’s total public school enrollment has dropped by more than 37,000 students, the number of students attending virtual schools in the state has steadily increased, including a significant boom during and immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic.

For years, the Oregon Secretary of State has pushed the Department of Education to increase oversight and accountability for online schools, but it hasn’t. State officials say they will soon be holding virtual schools accountable for meeting academic targets under a new Oregon law.

The Oregon Department of Education’s most recent data brief on the topic showed virtual students are less likely to be on track to graduate at the end of ninth grade than the state average. Both in Oregon and nationally, students enrolling online tend to be behind in credits or with “academic deficits.” A 2023 National Education Policy Center report found “virtual school performance remains poor” in the country. It recommended that state legislatures “establish a virtual school student intake screening” and require virtual school graduation rates to meet statewide averages. Oregon has not taken such steps.

Graduation rates for virtual schools have trailed the state’s average for years, often by more than 20 percentage points. Oregon’s statewide graduation rate ticked up to 83% for the Class of 2025. For virtual schools, the graduation rate was 62.8%, which is lower than all but four of the more than 20 student groups ODE tracks.

An OPB analysis of dropout rates for the Class of 2025 found a significant disparity, with 70% of virtual schools in Oregon having high school dropout rates higher than the state average of 2.9%.

High dropout rates and low graduation rates at virtual schools isn’t unique to Oregon. Studies of student achievement in Indiana and Pennsylvania reached similar conclusions.

But as Oregon’s graduation rate remains far from its 100% goal set by former Gov. John Kitzhaber, improving outcomes for students attending virtual schools could be crucial in better outcomes for the state as a whole.

What counts as a virtual school?

The only thing that’s typical about a virtual school in Oregon is that the majority of learning takes place online. After that, virtual schools across the state fall into a few different categories, according to Oregon Department of Education classifications.

Some online schools are district-run, like the Hillsboro Online Academy or Beaverton’s FLEX online school. Others are charter schools run by a separate entity but sponsored by a school district or the state, like Baker Web Academy, sponsored by the Baker School District, or Oregon Family School, sponsored by the Harney County School District. Alternative schools offer different types of learning environments based on student needs, some of which are administered online.

Interest and enrollment in online schools blew up during the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools closed their doors and instruction moved online. In Oregon, students learned remotely, at home, longer than students in other states. Thousands of students stayed online, including three students in OPB’s Class of 2025 project.

RELATED: The COVID generation: Class of 2025 students on how the pandemic changed their school experience

Yet students had varying degrees of success in virtual school. While one of the three online students in OPB’s project graduated on time, two others did not. Yet another student earned her diploma after spending several years out of the county, by enrolling at an online school based outside of Oregon.

There are many reasons students might choose to move to online learning — from medical or safety concerns to anxiety and work or family commitments.

With the federal government showing more support for school choice, virtual charter schools may become a growing part of a national conversation.

It’s clear that students and families are interested in virtual school options. And for some students, virtual school works. Not every school has a high dropout rate.

What’s working?

It might be unsurprising to learn that what works in a brick-and-mortar school setting is also what helps students succeed at a virtual school.

Hillsboro Online Academy, 0.7% dropout rate

Hillsboro Online Academy principal Shannon Lawson said her school has leaned “heavily” into a hybrid model of learning in the last three years. For high school students, that includes offering on-site opportunities for students to meet with teachers and peers both academically and socially.

“This Hybrid model gives students and families flexibility in their schedule but also provides predictable routines for students with scheduled weekly meeting times,” Lawson shared with OPB via email.

“It also gives them the opportunity to join peers and enjoy the social aspect of school at a smaller and safer level.”

HOA started in 2012 and serves 380 students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Since HOA is connected to the Hillsboro School District, Lawson said her students can still take electives and participate in extracurricular activities like sports.

Lawson said counselors, a graduation coach, and assistants all work with students to keep them on top of schoolwork, with texts and messages to keep students engaged.

“Our teachers meet each week in Professional Learning Community groups to work collaboratively on what is working well for students or figure out where there are opportunities for growth,” Lawson wrote.

Oregon Family School, 1.9% dropout rate

Oregon Family School is an online charter school sponsored by the Harney County School District that serves students statewide. Like HOA, the rural school district offers some in-person learning opportunities — but they’re only available in Central Oregon.

Established in 2018, OFS is a K-12 school serving 900 students. Jennifer Breedlove is the Bend-based high school principal for OFS. She said OFS finds success because it offers “choice within boundaries”, partnering with parents in how a student accesses school and what types of classes interest them.

“Parents are coming in and they know their student,” Breedlove said.

“We’re creating clear boundaries that meet the state requirements, but we’re also giving them some choice with the delivery style.”

Cenicio Ulit works with Breedlove as OFS’ assistant executive director. He said finding success in a virtual school setting means having both the student and the parent engaged in a student’s education.

“The school can only do so much,” Ulit said.

“It’s getting that parent to not set it and forget it, but to really engage with their child and be a partner with us.”

Ulit said an online school can also be more fluid and responsive to a student’s needs, something that can be hard to replicate in a traditional school setting. It’s more similar to how alternative schools approach education.

“Nothing’s ever solidified,” Ulit said. “Even in the middle of the year, we can say, ‘OK, that semester didn’t work and you got a half a credit by the skin of your teeth, but now let’s change something in the second semester to make it so that you’re more successful.’”

But Breedlove and Ulit acknowledge that virtual schooling does not work for every student and family, especially if there’s not a relationship and buy-in from the student and the parent.

“I can give your student the most amazing education, but if they’re doing it at home, I can’t come to your house and make them do it,” Breedlove said. “You have to be the one who is, you know, helping keep them accountable.”

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/25/high-school-dropout-rate-oregon-virtual-schools-higher/