K12 Private Academy is redefining online learning with flexible schedules and personalized academic pathways designed to meet students where they are.

Education plays a crucial role in every child’s life, shaping their development and preparing them for future opportunities and careers. For most students in the state of Florida, this journey takes place in traditional, in-person schools, beginning in kindergarten and continuing through high school.

But, while traditional public schools are effective for many students, they are not the best fit for everyone. Every child has unique learning needs, and some may struggle in larger classrooms or with standardized teaching methods. For these students, a more personalized educational environment can provide greater opportunities for success. 

One school helping to bridge these educational gaps is the K12 Private Academy, a fully accredited online private school that specializes in personalized education plans for students from pre-K through high school. With teacher-supported instruction and hundreds of courses available, individual needs are met as both the student and curriculum evolve each year.

“Students are learning in an environment where they’re more comfortable, often because they’re at home, and we have schedules that can better accommodate family needs, travel, athletics, performing arts, medical needs and other unique circumstances. However, they’re still receiving that structured education with certified teachers, live classes and interaction with peers,” says Tiffany Gleason, M.Ed., the elementary and pre-k principal.

Not only are class schedules flexible, start dates are as well, allowing for students to be enrolled at almost any time of the year. Summer courses are also available, both on condensed and standard 90-day timelines. 

The Academy also offers an online pre-K program to give the youngest students a jumpstart on their education. 

“It’s not young kiddos sitting in front of a computer all day. Instead, learning is hands-on, it’s play-based, it’s developmentally appropriate. Families receive engaging lessons and activities that are online and offline,” says Gleason.

The program also gives families the opportunity to be more involved with their children’s learning from the start.

“Parents in this program are actively involved, so they’re getting a deeper understanding of how their child learns and can reinforce those skills throughout the day, instead of just sending them off and not really being able to make those connections with the real world at home,” says Gleason.

Older students also see many different benefits from being enrolled with K12 Private Academy, with a number of opportunities for students throughout middle and high school.

For those in middle school through ninth grade, the academy offers its Shine Specialized Pathways, which offer a more focused approach based on an individual’s specific needs. Parents can enroll their child in one of these pathways whether they feel their child is behind, on track or advanced.  

“The Shine pathway is specifically focused on meeting students’ specific needs. Typically education tends to be one size fits all, but the Shine team and pathway is not using that approach at all,” says Kathryn Houlihan, MS, MBA, the academy’s high school principal.

For those enrolled in the pathway program, an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) is created, which is based on information from discussion with the parents, observations made by officials at the school and any documentation available. From there, students are assigned a Student Success Team consisting of a counselor, an academic coach and teachers for their courses. 

Besides the Shine pathway, the high school offers several different programs aimed at readying students for life after school. One of the most notable ways it does so is by providing an NCAA approved curriculum for elite student athletes. This means the courses are vetted and meet the educational standard for Division I or II eligibility at the college level.

“Our counselors are very familiar with which courses work, if there’s any concerns or issues, and [are able to] help student athletes build the right schedule that will help them be successful and still meet all of the requirements,” Houlihan says. 

The high school also gives students access to Advanced Placement (AP) classes, giving them an edge in college admissions and providing more challenging coursework. K12 Private Academy currently offers 13 different AP courses in English, math, science, history and elective subjects, with the online format allowing for more of these courses as class size is not taken into consideration.

“Our teachers work very closely with the students to prepare them, providing practice questions throughout both semesters. And many of our students get 4s and 5s on the AP test. They’re able to achieve the scores they need in order to get that college credit or whatever their goal is of taking the AP class,” says Houlihan. 

It’s just another example of the many ways the academy is able to personalize education plans to better serve its students.

“We can work with students to help them with their special learning needs [along with] any unique needs they have in terms of their scheduling flexibility to make sure that they’re able to be successful and earn the credits they need to graduate and achieve their longer-term goals beyond high school,” says Houlihan.

K12, Inc. (K12 Private Academy)
Serving Central Florida
(877) 512-7748
K12PrivateAcademy.com