My son has decided that he is not going back to high school in the fall. The problem is that he is only 15. When we try to talk with him about it, he shuts down. I suspect that he gets picked on. He has very few friends and is probably too smart for his own good. His grades are very different from last year in middle school (where he got all As and Bs).

I know how hard school can be for children who are a little different. I was one of them. We are told by the school (and supported by scores on state tests) that he is very intelligent.

Would an online high school be a good choice for him? If it matters, we live in California.


Jan Stevens

Hi Jan,

I think that an online high school could be a very good choice for him if it is a choice that he wants to make and that works for him.

Online high schools do require a great deal of commitment. While I am not terribly concerned about his comments about not going back to school (because teens say many things and he hasn't actually acted on that impulse yet), I would have a long conversation with him before making the commitment to go online.

If you would like specific recommendations for online high schools, please let me know.


Tom Nixon

Okay, I'll bite. What specific recommendations do you have to offer in terms of choosing a school?


Jan Stevens