K12 online schooling has expanded educational opportunities to meet the needs of diverse learners across the globe. And one such renowned online school is, The Keystone School.

This accredited online school offers some great educational programs through virtual learning. The very first program of this school was introduced in the year 1974. And since then, this online school is serving students from 50 states (from more than 75 countries), creating a positive impact on the lives of almost 170000 students. The school envisions a high-quality educational experience for students through the power of technology. If you wish to finish high school online Here’s all that you must know about this school.

Accreditation & Recognition

The Keystone School is also accredited by ‘Cognia’. Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC), and Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools(MSA-CESS).

Accreditation is important, as it assures students and parents that the academic credentials issued by the school are globally acknowledged and accepted by colleges, universities, and employers.

You can check the respective accreditations (applicable as per different programs) here. 

Features and Offerings:

This platform is one of the best online accredited high schools. Students can choose from the below-mentioned programs:

• Elementary School
• Middle School
• High School
• Adult Learner
• Credit Recovery

Let’s take a closer look at the details of these programs:

Elementary School

• Grades covered- Kindergarten to 5^th.
• Core subjects-  Electives, English, Fine Arts, Math, Science, Social Science.
• Parents/caregivers are given a list of household material. Besides, the school also informs some digital alternatives in case there is feasibility.

Middle School

• Grades covered- 6^th to 8^th.
• Core subjects- Electives, English, Fine Arts, Health, Math, Science, Social Science.
• Full year course is divided into semester 1 and semester 2 (like the best online k12 schools).

High School

• For high school grades, 9^th to 12^th the school offers Advanced, Honors, and Standard programs.
• These are available in both online and print options.
• Any student who wishes to opt for a full-time program can do that. Besides, the ones who wish to take up AP courses, credit recovery options and world languages etc. can also make the most of this accredited online school.
• Credit equivalents for high school courses completed by students at the Keystone School are 0.5 credits for a single semester course. And for a full year course it is 1 credit. 

Credit Recovery Courses

• Credit recovery program through The Keystone School is available for students from grades 6 to 12.
• Students who did not manage to earn credits (from accredited high schools or regular schools) in the first go can make use of these courses.
• The school has a tremendous track record with credit recovery courses. It has supported over 24000 students (39000 courses) from Aug’2017 to July’2020. And the best part is that over 90% of the students achieved success through these courses.
• The standard process defined for these courses requires the students to seek approval from their respective schools before enrolling in any of these courses.
• A student’s guidance counselor evaluates the student’s work, assigns a grade, and awards credit post successful completion.
• 40 credit recovery courses are available with online and print options. However, for middle school grades, this option is available in only print format. For High school students, some of the courses are in a print format others are online.

Adult Learning Career High School Diploma Program

The curriculum of this program has career-focused core and elective courses. These are suitable only for adult learners. The learning objectives aimed at developing professional skills through academic topics. Through real-world examples, there is a connection created between the course work and careers.

Students who enroll in this program take a pretest (in most units). They are allowed to skip the information that they already know.

The Keystone School Fee Structure

Elementary full-time- The bundle price for full year is $2375. An additional shipping and handling charges will apply to all the courses including material.

Middle School full-time program with 5 courses (4 core subjects and one elective) costs around $1995 and $2890 per year.

High School full-time students need to pay between $1800 and $2800. Like the best online k 12 schools, this amount varies as per the course options chosen at the time of enrollment. There is no limit to the number of courses that a student can choose. The shipping and handling charges also apply to the courses in which physical material is included.    

For the Keystone Adult Learning Career High School Diploma Program, the fee is $99/month (for the time it takes the student to earn the high school diploma). There is no defined age limit for this program.

Any new student enrolling with, The Keystone School gets a 30 days money back guarantee.  

Here’s a quick overview of the payment plans available at The Keystone School:

Payment Plans
1	* In all plans a down payment of 25% of the tuition fee and 100% applicable shipping and handling charges are to be paid at the time of enrollment * An administrative fee of $25 will be charged upon enrollment (non-refundable amount)	For tuition over $1751 remainder is to be paid over 4, 7, or 9 months
2		For tuition between $1000 and $1751 remainder is to be paid over 4 or 7 months
3		For tuition less than $1000 remainder is to be paid over 4 months

School Highlights:

• Online Sessions and Support

Educator support at the k12 online schooling platform, Keystone School is in the form of options to interact with core course teachers. They can connect with these teachers between 9 AM EST and 8 PM EST through the teacher link (Monday to Friday only). Students also have an option to email or call a teacher. The teacher support for electives is through the teacher link provided between 1 to 5 PM EST.

The direct support course teachers can also be approached anytime through email or voicemail extension. The response time is 24 business hours.

• Balance of Online & Offline Learning

In Elementary School, only 20 to 30% of the learning is online. Rest of the learning is done offline.

For Middle and High School students, more than 90% of the curriculum is completed online. Students enrolled in grades 6 to 12 spend around 6 hours per day with online studies.

These courses do not need any exceptional computer skills. An average computer skill along with the basic knowledge of PDFs, internet browsing and MS office, etc. is sufficient.

Acceptance in Colleges

Here’s a list of some universities and colleges that have accepted students from The Keystone School (​​k12 online school). The complete list can be checked on this page.

Colleges and Universities that Accept Graduates from The Keystone School

American University

Portland State University

Austin College

University of California, Berkeley

University of San Francisco

American University of Paris

Texas Tech University

Johns Hopkins University

Washington State University

University of Michigan- Ann Arbor

Points to Note Before Applying

1. Some of the students (enrolled in select high school courses) are given textbooks and instructional material from the school. Parents also need to purchase some low-cost extra material (items) in some courses, over and above the instructional material provided by the school.
2. When a student takes all 5 courses (full course load) at the same time, he/she gets an additional discount of 5%. Similarly, for 6 courses purchased for the same student at the same time, there is a discount of 10%. But, the school restricts these discounts for courses opted through the phone.
3. If you have transfer credits from elsewhere, you can claim them! Credit transfers from other schools and homeschooling programs are also accepted here.

Final Thoughts

For k12 online schooling, The Keystone School is a decent choice. However, we suggest a comparative cost analysis before you give it a final go-ahead. The cost attached to instructional material should also be probed as per the grade to get a fair idea. Rest it is also better to scrutinize their online content before finalizing it.

Connect with the school to know more about its online programs. Website: https://www.keystoneschoolonline.com/

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I finish high school online after ​​leaving middle school from any of the high schools in America?
  As long as you are eligible for enrollment, you can join any of the ​online accredited high schools and complete your education.
• Are the courses in Keystone rigorous as compared to the top US high schools?
  Yes, the courses provided by Keystone are as good as any of the ​​accredited online high schools or ​​​top US high schools
• Are the ​best online schools like the Keystone cost-effective?
  Certainly, there are many costs that a student can save through ​online accredited high schools like the Keystone. These include travel, relocation, physical books, and miscellaneous/hidden charges, etc.