Texas Parents’ Guide to Choosing the Best Online Private School in 2025

Why Texas Parents Are Considering Online Private Schools

While the COVID-19 pandemic brought many changes to the world, one benefit was the rise in quality for online educational environments. From the college level down to the secondary school level, online schooling has become a real alternative to the traditional learning experience. Texas families are realizing this and switching over due to a number of reasons. One of the big reasons lies with in-person learning environments and their culture. Many of these schools teach thousands of students with classrooms having upwards of 25 students all learning together. This can leave many students ‘falling through the cracks’ so to speak due to the learning model not having enough personalization. For this reason, more and more online learning environments are becoming a very real option for families.

What Defines the Best Online Private School?

The best online private school is defined by the one that works best for you. There’s no single online private school that beats the rest because each one specializes in a specific learning style or environment. For this reason, doing the research and finding the best one for you is essential! Furthermore, there are some common characteristics of online private schools you should consider, and I will be covering what these are in the next section.

Texas Specific Considerations

Before we jump into that let’s first break down Texas specific considerations that families should keep in mind.

Accreditation

texasprivateschools.org defines accreditation standards as:

Accreditation standards are often more rigorous than public school standards in operations, curriculum, staffing, and instruction. These standards include: consideration of the school’s goals and objectives; compliance with state and federal statutes; effective administration and governance; the teaching of a rigorous curriculum; hiring qualified instructional leaders with college degrees; student achievement; and quality of learning standards.

While accreditation is not required in the state of Texas, it’s highly recommended that you consider schools with accreditation to lower the risk of any credit issues down the line. You can read our full article on accreditation HERE.

Transferability of Credits

While this can be tied to the accreditation of a school, it’s always a good idea to double check the school’s transfer policy on credits. This is especially important if you’re only considering online private school as a ‘steppingstone’ to a different school. Each school is different, so consult with the school’s registrar or admissions office for more info on their policies.

What Parents Look For

1. Academic Model

In general, online programs can be divided into two primary learning models: Synchronous and asynchronous learning. Asynchronous learning is generally considered the weaker of the two due to its pre-recorded style of teaching. In this model, students attend class whenever convenient and are bound by due dates for specific assignments and tests. What this means is that there’s no strict time to attend class or complete work. This model can work for the right student, but generally students require more structure and the ability to connect with the teacher during class time.

This is where synchronous models can come in. Synchronous models are preferred by families and teachers alike while functioning like a traditional classroom. Students attend class at a given time and can interact with the teacher and other students in the class. On top of this, these models tend to have more personalization. It’s one of the reasons why we chose this type of learning model for our one-on-one, online private school!

2. Student Support

Student support is the backbone of any good program and that’s no different for the best online private school! It’s essential that the programs you’re considering have ample student support in the way of counseling and college preparation. Regardless of your child’s plans after high school, online private schools that have good counseling support can help guide them to achieve their academic goals!

3. Technology Platform

This comes down to you and your preferences, but many different online private schools offer variety in the way of their technology platforms. Many will opt to use video conferencing software like: Zoom or TEAMs. It’s important to know what your school offers in the way of devices too. Will the school make you use your own device? Will they lend your child a device? These are great questions to know the answer to before official enrollment.

4. Enrichment Availability

Many online private schools can offer classes or activities in the way of enrichment. This gives your child the opportunity to form social bonds with their peers in class too! Does the school offer after school clubs? Do they have meetups for online students, so they get to know one another? Each family is different in what their expectations are and if you want a strong sense of community in your child’s online program this is a great thing to keep track of during admissions!

Questions to Ask Before Enrolling

1. Is the School Accredited?

As discussed in the previous section, accreditation is important! An accredited school can help bring peace of mind to your child’s education by ensuring your child’s school is meeting state academic standards. I recommend asking this question early on in the admissions process. Most accredited schools will have a dedicated section on their ‘about us’ page that will discuss their school’s accreditation. As an example, you can see ours HERE.

2. What Does a Typical Day Look Like?

Every online program is different! Consulting with admissions will give you the best idea of what a typical day looks like in their school! If you’re new to online learning, this can also help ease some anxiety about make the switch.

3. How are Teachers Selected and Trained for Virtual Instruction

Knowing how the school selects teachers is important. Not every teacher does well with online instruction and consulting the school with how they train teachers is a great way to understand the qualifications of said teachers.

4. How is Progress Monitored and Reported to Parents?

Many online programs use online gradebook software such as Canvas, Blackbaud, etc. Every program is different, so understanding what program the online school uses can help you get an idea of how grades will be reported to yourself!

5. What Kind of College Counseling or Career Guidance is Available

For families considering online high school, this is a big one! Connecting with the online school and understanding the extent of their counseling is important. (especially if your child is planning on going to college!) Online programs like Tenney School Live have dedicated college counselors available by scheduling where students can meet and begin planning their route to college! Beginning in junior year, students will begin meeting with our college counselor weekly to make sure their meeting goals as indicated on their academic plan.

Why Tenney School Live is the Right Choice

When choosing the best online private school, there’s no better choice than Tenney School Live! We pride ourselves on our one-on-one model which has been developed for over 50 years through our in-person school: The Tenney School. This ensures your child is getting the best, individualized education possible-all from the comfort of home! On top of this, we are accredited through The Tenney School. If you’re ready to take the next step, I highly recommend submitting an inquiry and talking with an admissions representative.