How Online School Can Improve Student Engagement
April 11, 2025
Research shows that higher student engagement often results in better academic performance, so it’s critical for students to stay engaged with their education. Online learning is in a prime position to keep students highly motivated and engaged throughout their education. We’ll show you how.
When considering online learning versus a “traditional” education in a brick-and-mortar school, you’ll likely find pros and cons to each. However, for the many students who make the transition from a brick-and-mortar school to an online school, one factor is consistently high on the list–student engagement. With research showing that higher student engagement often results in better academic performance, it’s important for students to stay engaged with their education. And online learning is in a prime position to keep students highly motivated and engaged throughout their education. Here’s how:
Smaller Class Sizes
Many brick-and-mortar schools are either understaffed or overpopulated. The result? High student-to-teacher ratios and classrooms stuffed with students. And you know that the higher the student-to-teacher ratio, the less likely it is that your student is receiving the attention and assistance they might need. When that happens, student engagement decreases. But when students develop a rapport and a respectful relationship with their teachers, they’re far more likely to be motivated and engaged in their studies.
Unfortunately, in a classroom full of 15 to 30 students, most teachers simply lack the capacity to offer one-on-one time and support. Students become just another number, lost in the shuffle among the rest. Online learning, however, affords students the opportunity to receive this critical individualized attention and support that keep them engaged. Most online school teachers offer their time to meet with students individually to build an important relationship and provide the support students need and want. Additionally, decades of research illustrate that teacher instruction and student engagement flourish in smaller classes.
From a student’s perspective, larger classes may discourage those who are more shy than others from participating. Fewer peers in the classroom, whether in a building or on a screen, can create a more comfortable environment for those students to confidently speak up and engage with the lesson and the class.
Learn at Your Own Pace
In any given classroom at a traditional middle school or high school, a few students struggle to stay on pace, a few master the concepts ahead of their classmates, and the rest are somewhere in the middle. It’s that “middle” that receives the most instruction and attention. Why? Because that “middle” is where most of the students reside.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t help the students who are struggling, nor does it do the more advanced students any favors. Those struggling will likely continue to struggle and fall even further behind. Those who are ahead of the game will grow bored and disengaged as the class tries to catch up. Neither of these scenarios is conducive to student engagement.
Online learning throws all of these scenarios out the window. Most online middle schools and online high schools build their academics around students learning at their own pace. This includes personalizing the learning to each student based on their strengths and areas of opportunity. At Holston Academy, for example, our academic team works with every student to create a personalized learning plan that sets them up for academic success.
This type of self-paced, personalized learning means that students who have difficulty grasping a concept can spend as much time as they need on that specific topic until they learn it. And students who learn the material quickly can move on, not sit idly by waiting for others. Both of these situations encourage and improve student engagement.
Make a Flexible Schedule
Let’s look at a typical brick-and-mortar school day, give or take 15 minutes here or there.
- 5:45 am – 6:00 am: Wake up
- 6:00 am – 6:30 am: Shower/get ready for school
- 6:30 am – 6:45 am: Eat breakfast
- 6:45 am – 7:15 am: Out the door, on the way to school
- 7:15 am – 2:15 pm: School
- 2:15 pm – 2:45 pm: On the way home
A few things stand out. First, if kids are waking up at 5:45 am or 6:00 five days a week, how are they getting enough sleep? For students to get at least seven hours of sleep (which is highly recommended), they’d have to be in bed and asleep by 11:00 pm. Which sounds reasonable. But that’s not taking into account any after-school activities that consume several more hours on top of their school day.
If your child is an athlete, they likely have practice for a couple hours every day after school. Most days, they’re not getting home until nearly 5:00 pm. If they have a game, meet, or match at a different school, they’re arriving home closer to 7:00 or even 8:00 pm. How about competitive athletes who play for teams outside of school? Their time requirements are often even more demanding than a school’s. Or performers who must practice and study their craft for hours every day? There just aren’t enough hours. And that results in exhausted, disengaged, and overwhelmed students.
Online learning solves this problem. With online school, students can create a flexible schedule that works for them. If they’re more rested by sleeping until 10:00 am, they can begin their day at 10:30 am to ensure they’re sharp and engaged in their studies. If they need to take three or four hours in the middle of the day to practice, travel, or train, they can do so without worrying about missing school. Online learning is not only how many competitive athletes and performers attend school, but it’s also growing in popularity among students who prefer a schedule that suits them and works around their extracurricular activities.
Dive Into Your Passions
In traditional schools, students have a limited say in their class choices. Sure, they get to pick their schedules as they get into high school. But there’s little variety in what they’re able to choose. Online middle schools and online high schools, however, often present students with a very wide variety of courses–including many they simply won’t find in a brick-and-mortar class catalog.
Holston Academy, for example, offers more than 300 online middle school and high school courses. Our catalog includes dozens of awesome electives in subjects that students are passionate about…such as Business Law, Media and Communication, Psychology, Cybersecurity, Social Media Business Marketing, and so many more.
There are also students designed for advanced students, such as Honors and AP®. And world languages most schools don’t offer, such as Mandarin, American Sign Language, Hebrew, Portuguese, and several others. Students love these courses because it allows them to explore their interests. It also gives them a head start toward potential college majors and career choices. And that takes student engagement to the next level.
That’s what it’s all about…student engagement. Online learning at an accredited online school lends itself to high student engagement by offering a flexible schedule that builds in more time for sleep and extracurricular activities (without sacrificing on education), the individualized support and attention that students need to thrive, an opportunity for them to learn at just the right place, and the ability for students to pursue their passions and dreams while receiving an amazing education.
It’s never too late to switch from traditional school to online learning. For more information on Holston Academy and to enroll, click here or call us at (833) 782-6922. It may be the best choice you make for your child.