How It Works

How Online Middle School Works

The Carolus Online Academy (COA) middle school program serves students in grades 6–8 who reside in South Carolina.


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 middle school, students become more independent and take on more responsibility and ownership of their work. 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
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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

The following expectations are in place for middle 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

Middle school students are expected to spend between 4 to 7 hours on schoolwork per school day. Most of the school day is spent online, with some opportunities for offline work.

Middle School

  • 4 to 7 hours daily
  • Mostly online work

Email

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

A Day in the Life of Online Students

Want to learn more about the daily life of an online middle school student? Meet Connor!

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*Course materials vary by course. Please check with school staff to see what offline course materials are provided.