I have been a student in the Stanford EPGY Online High School (OHS) since it opened in the 2006-07 academic year. I do not think it is possible to say that participating in online high school does not have its drawbacks; there are neither proms nor homecoming games. However, there are also significant advantages. Students interact with a much more multicultural peer group than at a normal high school. In spite of the physical distance, students communicate with great frequency, via such tools as instant messaging and email. In addition, many OHS students have specific social activities which would be impossible without the flexibility of an online environment.
Furthermore, and probably more importantly, the academics provided are both extremely rigorous and rewarding. I know of no other high school, at least in my geographic area, which offers the level of coursework and teaching that OHS does. So it is a trade-off: OHS students surrender some of the social opportunities of physical high schools for a higher quality of learning. For OHS students, it is a trade they are willing to make.
