From classrooms to screens: Lowry students opt for online learning

By Juliana Blatzheim Posted March 28, 2025

The number of high school students choosing to take digital classes rather than physically attending school has increased drastically within the last few years. Digital school entails students learning remotely at their own pace without an actual teacher there for help. At Lowry, many students have opted out and chosen to cross off credits through the online program. As much as administrators and staff, including Principal Shaun Taylor, have encouraged coming to school for the students’ benefit, many high schoolers have begun doing school entirely online.

“I honestly think Covid was the big push for online school to grow into what it is today,” said Taylor. “I also think that sometimes students need to learn from experience and no matter how many times we stress the importance of being at school every day, they need to try it for themselves to see that online school with minimal support can be difficult.”

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, the percentage of students who do online school entirely at home has increased from 3.7% in the 2018-2019 school year to 5.2% in the 2022-2023 school year, and the trend predicts a continuous increase.

Students’ perspectives

Those who participate in online education do not have to follow the school schedule, meaning that they have greater flexibility and can complete work at a personal pace. Junior Annika Elms began doing online school halfway through her sophomore year because she was struggling to balance school on top of working at two jobs. Elms is glad to have more time freed up without worrying as much about schoolwork.

“I find it beneficial in the sense of being able to work at your own pace,” said Elms. “You can always get ahead in school so you can focus on work or things going on in life without sacrificing learning.”

Freshman Piper Forgone recently began online classes after struggling to keep up with work and manage her time. Forgone finds the self-pacing to be a more fitting education for her needs.

“I definitely think the material online is way easier to time manage,” said Forgone. “Having a lot more time outside of doing school to do other activities and choosing my own schedule and self-pacing is the really nice thing about it.”

Sophomore Stella Hammargen attends in-person school but has been considering switching to the online program as she finds she may work better at her own pace.

“I would love to have the opportunity to work remotely because it would lessen the days I get sick, it would improve my morale, and it would be better for my sleep schedule,” said Hammargren.

Achievement Rate

Studies show that online learning can reduce the time needed to complete a subject by 40% to 60%, but does a fast course result in embedded education, or does it just allow a student to graduate from home without actually retaining material? History and Geography teacher Mr. Brett Westmoreland finds that the rate of success in online learning is entirely dependent on the individual.

“Students can have greater achievement rates through an online educational program if they are self-starters and academically motivated,” said Westmoreland. “For some students, a standard educational environment is not conducive to their learning needs. In these cases, an online education may be a better option. However, if students are not motivated, online school will be a negative experience. Also, students may lose out on the social opportunities that educational environments provide. Since Covid, there has been a 40-60% increase in the number of students who have chosen homeschooling over in-person learning. The trend seems to be leveling off, so within the next several years, we will have data for those who have chosen homeschooling over traditional schools. Presumably, their education is done online.”

According to Chicago Booth Review, 22% of surveyed parents said their children excelled with remote learning and about 10% of students performed better in online education than in the traditional classroom. The majority of students still prefer in-person instruction, but digital learning can be a more beneficial option for some.

Social Environment

School offers not only an outlet for education but also an introduction to social engagement. Certainly, many of these students work jobs, participate in sports, or pick up other activities to fill their additional time, but what about the ones that don’t? According to Westmoreland, socialization is something that can only truly be offered in a classroom environment.

“In many ways, there is no substitution for an experienced educator,” said Westmoreland. “If the educator is experienced in the classroom, has studied educational philosophy and theory, has a thorough understanding of their content area, keeps running records of their students’ strengths and areas of improvement, and implements all of these aspects of teaching, it will be hard to replace this educator. Humans are social; therefore, we have attachments to positive feedback and emotional support. Educators can provide these elements of human interaction; basic computer programs do not.”

Students choosing the online program, including Forgone, who switched to distance learning at then end of the first semester, note a decrease in social interaction.

“The disadvantages I’ve found are just not having as much hangout time with my friends and seeing them as much as I was every day is a little hard,” said Forgone. “I will definitely miss seeing my friends and teachers that I would always talk to and enjoyed seeing every day.”

Elms also described the isolation of choosing digital classes, but she is expecting to come back next year for her last year of high school.

“I do miss school,” said Elms. “I miss having teachers and friends to socialize with and learn with but I do plan on coming back my senior year to experience being a senior.”

Students are already feeling the lack of social environment within a month to a year, so how will this affect newer generations that may choose to start online education at a far younger age? 

“Some studies show that younger people are more depressed and socially awkward due to the amount of time they spend on electronic devices,” said Westmoreland. “Online school may contribute to social detachment.”

School Resources

Lowry offers various resources that are open to all students, including those choosing online learning. However, these materials are much easier to access to students who are on campus than those who do school from home.

“They do have access to the same resources that are on campus as far as counseling, or if they want to utilize the library, anything like that,” said Mayo. “However, it’s just a matter of whether they choose to or not. We have some students who come in and do credit checks or come in just to talk to us. We do have a couple, but it’s definitely not as many who are in person on campus.”

While in-person school offers support through a social environment, online school can possibly offer a more efficient response to students in need.

“Online platforms can provide immediate feedback and additional tutoring when students struggle,” said Westmoreland. “If the program is designed to reteach misunderstood content, the program yields better results than a human teacher.”

These students may have access to these sources online, but the Lowry administration and staff still strive to make the school a place for everybody, hoping to support all students with anything they need. 

“We have wonderful resources available to all our students who struggle with mental health, relationships, and school in general,” said Taylor. “I think some of our online students miss out on access to those resources if they are home all day. I know every student’s high school experience can be different, however, I feel we strive to have something for everyone as long as the students are willing to get involved with something.”

National Data

According to ABC News, 35 states now have schools that operate completely virtually. These schools have received low performance rates, with only 41.2% of students performing “acceptably”. NEPC director Alex Molnar finds that this may be the result of impersonal learning. Virtual education programs are standardized and do not lend the support that in-person schools do.

According to the Journal of Consumer Research, between the 2013-2014 and 2022-2023 school years, students enrolling in K-12 virtual schools have expanded by over 350,000 students across all levels. 

The following chart includes statistics on students enrolled at institutions in the U.S., showcasing a drop in students enrolled in online courses.