Student & Parent Information for the 2020-21 School Year

As a public school district in the state of Florida, Florida Virtual School offers a number of different online learning options to students.

FLVS Full Time is a fully online public school requiring students take a standard public school course load of six courses per semester. The school runs on a traditional 180-day academic calendar (August to June) and serves as the school of record, managing all student transcripts and progress reports. It is open to students in Kindergarten-12th grade and issues diplomas to graduating high school seniors. As a public school, it requires students to meet all state testing requirements, including the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) and End-of-Course (EOC) exams.

FLVS Flex allows students to take one or more online courses anytime during the year. It is open to homeschool students who want to customize their own schedule and curriculum or traditional students who take the majority of their courses at a public or private school.

Visit our options page to learn more.

We have prepared many resources to help parents in the online learning environment. Please visit our Homeschool Hub for more information to get started and check all the requirements on the Florida Department of Education website.

For general tips and insights on how to make the most of learning online, please visit our award-winning Online Learning Community.

We are here to help ensure that families have choices when it comes to education. Learn more about our online learning options that are free to Kindergarten-12th grade students in the state of Florida.

Students that live outside Florida or the U.S. can take FLVS courses through the FLVS Global School on a tuition basis.

*Unique requirements apply to Florida students who receive a school choice scholarship to attend private school or receive other educational services. Read more on scholarship student requirements.

Students do not have to withdraw from their school of record to take classes through FLVS Flex. All public, private, or charter school students can enroll in FLVS Flex to supplement their traditional brick-and-mortar classes with online courses.

Once a student registers for online courses on FLVS.net, his/her school counselor will be automatically notified of the FLVS course enrollment. The student's guidance counselor will then approve the selected online courses within 3-5 business days.

Homeschool Notice: Parents who registered their children as full-time homeschoolers with their local Home Education office will need to approve their children’s course selection by following instructions in the Welcome Email once registered with FLVS.

When the student is registered in the same class twice (at their school and with FLVS), this is considered a “concurrent enrollment” and must be adjusted prior to enrolling with FLVS by talking to your school counselor about the right courses to take through FLVS.

If you have questions regarding the McKay scholarship related to the impacts of COVID-19, please call the school choice hotline at 1-800-447-1636.

FLVS may be able to provide additional accommodations per a student’s Individual Educational Plan (IEP) or Section 504 Plan if the accommodation(s) is/are applicable to the online educational environment. Please note, some accommodations may not be possible to implement in the online educational setting. For additional details, please refer to page 9 of the FLVS Flex Student and Parent Handbook.

If a student has a disability or impairment, this should be indicated when prompted during the FLVS enrollment process. Parents/guardians are responsible for submitting a copy of the student’s most current IEP or 504 Plan to FLVS.

Students with disabilities or impairments enrolled in FLVS Flex must work with their district of enrollment to receive any necessary ESE services, related services, evaluations, annual reviews, re-evaluations, and initial eligibility determinations.

Decisions related to meeting graduation requirements will continue to be determined by the student’s brick-and-mortar school. FLVS Flex does not issue diplomas.

For more information on all the FLVS school options, including FLVS Full Time, please see the 2020-21 FLVS Brochure.

We have recorded info sessions you can view on your own schedule. You can also join our Facebook group to view open office hours offering live Q&A sessions on Zoom.

Info Sessions:

• FLVS Flex Elementary
• FLVS Flex Middle & High School
• FLVS Full Time Elementary School
• FLVS Full Time Middle School
• FLVS Full Time High School

FLVS students can personalize their schedules to meet their individual needs throughout the day. For example, students can work around sports practice, schedule breaks, and arrange their own class schedules to meet their learning needs. Students work on each course at their own pace, with teacher support and guidance to help them achieve subject mastery by the end of each course.

In middle and high school, FLVS students have greater flexibility with their daily schedules than compared to a traditional school schedule, whether that is in person or online. In elementary school, FLVS students are offered more structure than upper grade levels, but students also benefit from the more flexible schedule FLVS provides.

FLVS students enjoy a healthy balance between working online and completing offline projects. On average, elementary students spend about 75 percent of their time working on computer-based activities and 25 percent working on hands-on learning activities. Middle and high school students usually do more work online with fewer offline assignments.

FLVS Flex: A student who takes some or all of his/her courses through FLVS Flex and is registered with the school district as a home education student is eligible to participate in athletics. Participation is typically at the public school to which the student would be normally assigned according to the district school board attendance area policies but could vary. Learn more about home education student eligibility and registration through the Florida High School Athletic Association.

FLVS Full Time: A student who takes all of his/her courses through FLVS Full Time is eligible to participate in athletics at the public school to which he/she would be assigned according to the school district attendance area policies if he/she meets the requirements outlined by the Florida High School Athletic Association policy 16.3.5. Students must register with the school as a representative of the school using the official Association process as approved by the Principal (prior to the Monday of the first week of regular season competition for the sport(s) in which he/she wishes to participate). For additional information, please see FHSAA policy 16.7.2.

FLVS high school and middle school students have greater flexibility with their daily schedules than compared to a traditional school schedule, whether that is in person or online. FLVS students can personalize their schedules to meet their individual needs throughout the day.

Start your enrollment now by clicking the “Enroll” button in the top navigation of FLVS.net or by visiting the Enrollment Page.

To enroll with FLVS Flex, please follow five (5) simple steps outlined on the Enrollment Page to get started.

Our online enrollment is self-paced with guided information to help you along each step of the process.

FLVS Flex: Once you register for courses on FLVS.net, your school counselor will be automatically notified of your course enrollment. Your counselor will then approve your selected courses within 3-5 business days. Once the courses are approved, the FLVS instructional team will schedule your first Welcome Call with your new teachers!

• Please note: There may be a delay in starting your course(s) due to higher than usual student application volume.
• FLVS Flex K-5: Enrollment is open for courses starting as early as December 2020. Art and PE start dates are as early as January 2021.

• Homeschool Notice: Parents who registered their children as full-time homeschoolers with their local Home Education office will need to approve their children’s course selection by following instructions in the Welcome Email once registered with FLVS.

FLVS Full Time: Applications are reviewed during open enrollment periods. Once the FLVS admissions team receives your child’s information, they will review your application and will contact you with status updates.

Each school should have counselors and school administrators still available to verify your FLVS Flex courses in the FLVS registration system. If course verifications are not taking place within a few days of registration, please contact your school counselor/administration.

With FLVS Flex, private school students can take online courses at school or at home to customize and enhance their education. Private schools may affiliate with FLVS free of charge to offer their students the flexibility of online learning. FLVS courses are also available to students who receive school choice scholarships, including the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, McKay Scholarship, and Gardiner/Personalized Learning Scholarship Account (PLSA). View eligibility details here.

Students who wish to only take online classes temporarily for the fall semester or the 2020-21 school year can easily transfer back to their brick-and-mortar school. Grades received at FLVS will be on the official student transcript. We encourage students to fully complete their FLVS courses prior to switching schools.

FLVS offers more than 190 award-winning digital courses online. The courses meet all the state standards, and are available for every grade level from Kindergarten through 12th grade.

FLVS Offers:

• Core Courses
• AP Courses
• Electives
• Career and Technical Education

FLVS Course Catalog:

We invite you to explore all the courses offered in our FLVS Course Catalog (PDF).

• High School Courses - Online Catalog
• Middle School Courses - Online Catalog
• Elementary School Courses - Online Catalog

FLVS develops its own rigorous, award-winning curriculum that features:

• Interactive Lessons and Modules
• Videos
• Written Lessons
• Assessments, Quizzes, and Exams

The lessons focus on engagement and achievement that allow students to master key concepts. Our mastery-based learning model allows students to work at their pace, moving on only once they have mastered the content.

Students choose from a full catalog of more than 190 online courses for grades Kindergarten–12. We invite you to explore all the courses offered in our FLVS Course Catalog (PDF).

• High School Courses - Online Catalog
• Middle School Courses - Online Catalog
• Elementary School Courses - Online Catalog

Students in grades Kindergarten-12 can register for credit courses through FLVS. If you aren't sure which course to take, view our FLVS Course Progression Recommendations for students in Florida.

Public, private, and charter school students should also contact their school counselors for academic advice as to their academic needs.

Yes, FLVS digital courses meet Florida Standards.

FLVS, the district and its schools, is accredited by Cognia and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). SACS CASI is an accrediting division of Cognia.

FLVS core course curriculum has been approved by NCAA.

Temporarily enrolled public, charter, and private school students should check with their school of record to see if there are course completion deadlines that have to be met.

Homeschooling parents set course completion deadlines for their students while following district guidelines for annual evaluations.

All Florida Virtual School courses are taught by dedicated Florida’s state-certified teachers who are specifically trained to teach in the online learning environment. FLVS has more than 1,800 virtual teachers from across Florida and an instructional model built on 22 years of successful online teaching.

FLVS students receive 1:1 personalized instruction and support from all of their teachers. FLVS teachers frequently communicate with students and parents through email, calls, and text messaging, and are available Monday through Friday for personalized support.

All new courses start with an introductory Welcome Call from the course teacher to get the student oriented to the new learning environment.