Erie Online High School
Learn About Our
Erie Online High School
Online High School Options for Erie Students
Erie City School District sends its high school students to Erie High School or the Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy, the district's selective magnet program. Erie High is one of the largest high schools in northwestern Pennsylvania, serving a student body that reflects the city's full diversity. Both schools work well for many students. Others need a different structure. PA Virtual Charter School is a tuition-free public cyber charter school open to any Pennsylvania resident, serving grades K-12 statewide since 2001. Every family in Erie has access to it as an alternative within the public education system.
PA Virtual's online high school program includes AP courses, dual enrollment, National Honor Societies, career services, early graduation pathways, and an in-person commencement ceremony. The diploma graduates earn is a Pennsylvania high school diploma, recognized by colleges, universities, employers, and the military. The same diploma Erie High and Collegiate Academy graduates earn.
Academic Expectations in High School
High school coursework covers English, mathematics, science, social studies, and electives, with rigor that builds every year. By junior and senior year, students are doing genuine analytical work: research papers, complex problem sets, and independent assignments that assume real self-direction.
Online high school programs earn their differences in the course catalog. PA Virtual's high school curriculum includes AP courses and honors offerings. Dual enrollment earns college credit before graduation. Career-focused electives cover digital technology, culinary arts, psychology, and business. Pennsylvania also requires all public high school students to complete Keystone exams in Algebra, Literature, and Biology. PA Virtual students complete those requirements the same as any other Pennsylvania public school student.
The curriculum is built to Pennsylvania standards. The transcript and diploma reflect that.
How Online High School Works
PA Virtual runs on a mix of synchronous and asynchronous instruction. Synchronous courses meet live Monday through Thursday with PA-certified teachers; Fridays are asynchronous. Asynchronous courses offer a more flexible daily schedule, with teachers planning coursework, tracking progress, and available for support throughout the week. All coursework happens at home.
Lessons, assignments, discussions, and projects come through a digital learning platform. The work is structured and teacher-led. What changes from a traditional school is the location and the degree of personal accountability the student carries. Managing assignments, meeting deadlines, and communicating directly with teachers are daily requirements, not occasional expectations. Students who build those habits carry them into college and work.
Teachers are present and involved throughout. This is not self-paced material a student navigates alone.
Why Erie Families Consider a Cyber Charter School for High School
Erie High serves thousands of students, and the Collegiate Academy admits selectively. A student who does not fit either model does not have to leave the Pennsylvania public school system to find an alternative. That includes students who need a different pace, more individualized attention, or a schedule that accommodates a job, a health situation, or a family obligation.
Pennsylvania law allows cyber charter students to participate in extracurriculars, including sports, at their home district when eligible. A student enrolled in PA Virtual can still try out for an Erie High team. Online school and home district athletics are not mutually exclusive.
PA Virtual is a public school with a 20-plus year track record in Pennsylvania. Choosing it is choosing a different public school, not opting out of the system.
Preparing for College, Careers, and Life After Graduation
Erie's economy runs on healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, and tourism, anchored by employers like UPMC Hamot and Erie Insurance. Gannon University and Mercyhurst University sit inside the city, with Penn State Behrend just east of it. Students graduating from any Erie high school have real options close to home. The question is whether they arrive prepared to use them.
PA Virtual's Career Services program provides each student enrolled in grades 9-12 with more than 150 hours of college and career readiness preparation by senior year. That includes job shadowing, internships, college application support, interview preparation, and scholarship research. School counselors work on college exploration, application timelines, financial aid resources, and long-range planning across all four years.
Erie students with an eye on Gannon, Mercyhurst, Behrend, or any other path have those resources built in from ninth grade forward.
Building Independence and Responsibility
College professors do not chase students down for missing work. Employers don’t either. The self-discipline and accountability that online high school demands daily are not incidental side effects of the format. They are direct preparation for what comes next.
Students who complete a cyber high school with AP courses have built something transferable. Managing a schedule across synchronous and asynchronous courses and meeting deadlines without someone standing over them carries into whatever comes next. The diploma reflects it. So does the transcript.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Erie students earn a diploma through online high school?
Yes. PA Virtual graduates earn a Pennsylvania high school diploma, the same credential issued by Erie High School or any other Pennsylvania public high school. It is recognized by colleges, universities, employers, and the military.
Do online high school students work with certified teachers?
Yes. PA Virtual employs PA-certified teachers who deliver direct instruction in synchronous courses and supervise and support students in asynchronous ones. Students are not working through self-paced material without teacher involvement.
Are online high school courses challenging?
Yes. PA Virtual's curriculum follows Pennsylvania academic standards and includes AP courses, honors coursework, and dual enrollment options. Students also complete the required Keystone exams in Algebra, Literature, and Biology.
Can online high school students in Erie prepare for college?
Yes. PA Virtual offers AP courses, dual enrollment, and school counselors who assist with college applications and financial aid. A Career Services program adds more than 150 hours of college and career readiness preparation by senior year. Erie students with an eye on Gannon University, Mercyhurst University, or Penn State Behrend have those resources built in from ninth grade.
What is a cyber charter school?
A cyber charter school is a tuition-free public school that delivers instruction online rather than in a building. Pennsylvania authorizes cyber charters at the state level, and any Pennsylvania resident can enroll regardless of home district. Online high school programs in Pennsylvania operate under this model, and PA Virtual has run one since 2001.
Is online high school only for students who struggle in traditional schools?
No. PA Virtual serves students across the full academic spectrum. Some enroll for AP courses and dual enrollment in a more flexible format. Some because Erie High or the Collegiate Academy was not the right fit. Some because their schedule, health, or situation made a traditional school impractical. There is no required profile.