For the last few months, COVID-19 has affected all of us, including parents and students. One of the biggest decisions parents will make during this pandemic involves the upcoming school year. Many schools across the country are opting to reopen, a concern for parents who aren’t yet sure in-person classes are a safe option for their student. If you’re not comfortable sending your child back to a brick-and-mortar school, don’t worry: you have online options.

Homeschooling offers an independent, self-paced education for students who may not thrive in a public school environment or who want the option to finish high school on their terms. But completing classwork and studying only at home—especially during a pandemic that keeps everyone inside—can start to feel like being stuck in a rut for your student. Without a change of scenery, they can get bored and find it harder to focus. Shaking up their study sessions can help them get back on track and excited to learn, but what can you do when the world is practicing social distancing? Here are five ideas to get started!

Graduating from high school is a big milestone and it deserves to be celebrated! Whether you’re a traditional student graduating on time or a little early, or an adult learner who just had the opportunity to complete their high school diploma, you’ve accomplished something huge. As an online high school graduate, though, you may not be sure how to celebrate your success. But did you know that James Madison High School has a graduation ceremony that allows you to share your achievement with family, friends, teachers, and fellow grads? Here’s everything you should know to prepare for the 2020 ceremony.

As you get closer to finishing high school, people can’t seem to stop asking “what do you plan to do with the rest of your life?” That’s a big question to answer. It can even be a little scary - if what you choose to do after high school decides the rest of your life, will a “mistake’ set you back? Before going into a full-on panic about what will happen after graduation, here’s how you can start deciding what you want to do when you finish your diploma.

Earning your diploma is essential to finding a job and pursuing a college degree or career after graduation. Traditional high school - going to a physical school every day, sitting in a classroom with other students in your grade - isn’t going to work for you, though. So, the next step is searching for an online high school program that fits your goals. You don’t want to start from the beginning; the thought of repeating things you’ve completed seems frustrating. With transfer credits, however, you can pick up where you left off! Here’s what you need to know about transferring your credits to James Madison High School.