How It Works
How Online Elementary School Works
Who can attend?
The Carolus Online Academy (COA) elementary school program serves students in grades K–5 who reside in South Carolina.
What are the costs?
Because COA is part of the public school system, it’s tuition-free. We provide licensed teachers and instructional materials.* Students and families are responsible for providing some common household materials (such as printer ink and paper). Our enrollment consultants can help address your technology and computer questions and needs.
What’s my role as a parent?
Parents serve as their child’s Learning Coaches. As a Learning Coach, you will
- Communicate progress with your child’s teacher
- Monitor mastery of lessons and assessments
- Review your child’s work
- Record attendance
Mastering Lessons
In the elementary grades, students are required to show mastery of each lesson by achieving 80% or better on all lesson assessments. If your child has difficulty mastering a lesson, let their homeroom teacher know as soon as possible. Teachers offer many support sessions to help students learn new concepts.
Working with Your Teacher
Students work with their teachers and other classmates during “Class Connect” sessions. In Class Connect sessions, students
- Receive live instruction from teachers
- Interact with classmates
- Ask questions and receive real-time support
Students can interact with their teachers and classmates by
- Typing in the chat
- Speaking over their microphone
- Typing and drawing with online whiteboard features
- Joining small group breakouts to work on projects or receive targeted instruction
Time Commitment
K–5 students are expected to spend between 4 to 7 hours on schoolwork per school day, including both online and offline work.
Grades K–2
- 4 to 5 hours daily
- 30–40% online
Grades 3–5
- 5 to 7 hours daily
- 50–60% online
State Testing
Families enrolling at COA must be willing to participate in all required areas of the program.
A Day in the Life of Online Students
Want to learn more about the daily life of an online elementary student? Meet Micah and Sarai!
*Course materials vary by course. Please check with school staff to see what offline course materials are provided.