How It Works
How Online High School Works
Who can attend?
The Carolus Online Academy (COA) high school program serves students in grades 9–12 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?
In high school, students complete most of their work independently. Parents continue to serve as their child’s Learning Coach to support their success. As a Learning Coach, you will
- Help your child stay on track
- Monitor completion of lessons and assessments
- Communicate challenges with your child’s teacher as needed
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
Expectations for Completing Schoolwork
The following expectations are in place for high schoolers to ensure students are progressing academically:
- Students must earn a passing grade of 60% or above on assignments.
- Students must meet the assigned due dates of lessons and assessments.
- Students must attend live, teacher-led “Class Connect” sessions.
- Students must complete online lessons and can work on these any time of day.
Attending Class Connect sessions and completing coursework according to the assigned pacing schedule will help your student be successful.
In addition to regular classroom instruction, teachers offer support or small group sessions to assist student learning.
Time Commitment
High school students are expected to spend 6 hours per course per week. A student who takes 5 courses and spends 6 hours per week on each one is devoting approximately 30 hours per week to their coursework.
High School
- 6 hours daily
- Most work is online
Email is the primary form of communication between the school and families. Learning Coaches and students are required to check and respond to emails daily.
State Testing
Families enrolling at COA must be willing to participate in all required areas of the program.
*Course materials vary by course. Please check with school staff to see what offline course materials are provided.