Students with Anxiety Benefit from Online School

March 25, 2025

Student mental health is a much-discussed topic. With so many adolescents suffering from anxiety and other mental health issues, online learning has emerged as an effective solution.

Student mental health is a much-discussed topic of late. The fact is, however, that student anxiety has been a growing concern for years–especially since COVID-19. Consider these statistics:

With these figures in mind, now is the time to truly look at the impact school has on the mental health of students and think about how online school can benefit many of these students who are battling anxiety and other mental health issues.

School and Anxiety

Here’s another figure to take into account: Half (50%) of middle school students and 56% of high school students reported feeling depressed, stressed, or anxious as being their biggest obstacle in the classroom. More CDC data show that between 2021 and 2023, the percentage of students who were threatened or injured with a weapon at school, who missed school because of safety concerns, and who were bullied at school increased. More specifically, in 2023, 13% of high school students did not go to school because they felt unsafe either at school or on their way to or from school at least once during the past 30 days 

These findings indicate a clear correlation between school and student anxiety. And that isn’t even factoring in academic pressure, another major stressor for students. According to Transforming Education:

  • 75% of high school students and 50% of middle school students feel constant stress over homework.
  • High school students spend an average of 17.5 hours per week on homework.
  • 30% of American teenagers report feeling sad or depressed due to excessive academic pressure.

On top of safety concerns and stress about their studies, students today face unprecedented pressure socially–especially through social media. When you combine all these factors, it’s no surprise that student anxiety is as prevalent as it is.

How can you know for sure? Student anxiety often presents itself in the form of fear or constant worrying. Symptoms vary, however. Anxiety may also appear as a short temper, irritability, trouble sleeping, fatigue, stomach issues, and headaches. That’s why it’s so important to pay close attention and talk to your child if you believe they’re suffering from anxiety.

No student should ever have to be anxious or even frightened about going to school. These years should be a time for fun and exploration. Unfortunately, way too often this isn’t the case. But there is hope for students with anxiety–a high-quality education that sheds the stress and inspires students.

The Benefits of Online School for Students with Anxiety

Online school has been a life-saver for so many students who used to suffer from anxiety, stress, and depression at traditional school. Let’s look at the reasons why:

Flexible Learning

A significant amount of academic pressure at school stems from the cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach to teaching. We know that all students learn in different ways and at different paces. Students who need more time with a topic or subject are often left behind as the class moves along to the next lesson because that’s what the syllabus dictates. It can be a helpless feeling for those students who are struggling to begin with, knowing that every day they’re falling further and further behind.

Online school and independent learning eliminate that stress immediately. Because of the flexible schedule online learning allows for, students can go at their own pace. That means they can spend as much time on a topic as is needed to fully understand it. They don’t need to sit through a class lecture if that’s not how they learn best. And learning is personalized to ensure the student is receiving the information in a way that’s most compatible with their learning style. With online learning, education is literally in the hands of students and their family.

Comfortable Learning Environment

As you read, concern for safety and security is a huge contributor to student anxiety. An anxious, stressed, and distracted student simply isn’t in a situation conducive to learning. When middle and high school students learn from home, however, those fears often melt away. They’re in a comfortable environment, meaning they can relax and focus on their studies. That means no distractions and other environmental stressors that come with traditional schooling.

Less Social Pressure

Similarly, students who experience social anxiety tend to thrive in an online learning environment. After all, how can a student who is bullied or threatened at school possibly stay focused enough to learn? It’s nearly impossible. With online learning, students simply don’t have to deal with those types of situations.

One thing to make clear–socialization is still a major part of online learning. It’s just more structured and doesn’t require the physical interaction that’s inevitable in traditional school. This can be a game-changer for students struggling with social anxiety.

Personalized Support System

It’s a common misperception that online learning is less personal than traditional school simply because there’s a physical distance between students and teachers, advisors, and other school personnel. However, online schools make personalized support a main focus because of the physical distance. And that winds up being a huge win for students.

Whereas traditional schools may offer one teacher for every 25 students or one guidance counselor for every 100 students, online learning takes a much different approach. Online schools offer more opportunities for 1:1 interaction between students and teachers as well as students and academic advisors. Holston Academy, for example, utilizes a student-centered learning model that includes personalized learning plans created between each student and their Academic Coach and small learning communities that foster more individualized student-teacher conversations.

So while online learning does allow for more student independence than traditional schools, it also involves quite a bit of highly personalized support, instruction, and guidance. All of that can contribute to less student anxiety.

Potential Drawbacks of Online School for Students with Anxiety

Though online learning offers so many benefits for students with anxiety, there are a couple of things to consider if you’re thinking about making the switch to online learning.

Need for Self-Discipline

As we previously mentioned, online learning offers a great deal of independence for students. That can be both a pro and a con. If your student is well-organized and is proficient with time management, odds are they’ll take to online learning quite well. But if your student is easily distracted and lacks self-discipline, they might struggle to adapt to the independent learning style.

That said…

The sooner your student learns how to work independently, the better off they’ll be once they attend college or begin their career. In fact, they’ll likely be well ahead of their traditional school peers in that sense. As a parent, you can help your child grow acclimated to the new schedule and learning style by working with them to create calendars and to-do lists that keep them organized.

Less Social Interaction

As a parent, you want what’s best for your child socially as well as academically. And we’d be disingenuous if we didn’t state the obvious fact that students learning at home often aren’t always as socially involved as students in traditional schools. At times, students in online school settle into a comfort zone–which is great. But they might become too comfortable and resist social interaction.

That certainly doesn’t have to be the case, however! Because online learning often saves students hours per day versus attending a traditional school, many students have more time to pursue extracurricular activities and interests. For example, there’s time to dedicate to volunteering at a local organization, working with a charity or foundation, pursuing an internship to prepare them for their college studies, participating in sports, taking on a part-time job, joining local student activity and extracurricular groups, and diving deeper into hobbies–all of which involve socializing.

Plus, the idea that students with anxiety aren’t being “forced” into socializing at a traditional school can help ease the pressure and lessen the stress and anxiety that comes with it.

More Screen Time, Less Physical Activity

Obviously, online learning is going to involve a fair amount of screen time, something parents typically want to avoid. And, because online learning involves sitting down with a computer, students may grow to be more sedentary than you’d like. There are ways around these drawbacks, however.

When helping your student create a schedule, be sure to work in frequent breaks that allow them to get up, move away from the screen, and perform some physical activity. It could be a quick walk or bike ride around the block, some play time with the family pet, or even just a conversation. These breaks help students stay relatively active, which keeps them refreshed and focused throughout the day.

And while it may not count as a school credit, work in a period of “physical education.” They just need 45 minutes a day to play basketball, lift weights, go for a jog, take a brisk walk, or even squeeze in a quick game of tennis or pickleball. Not only are these activities great for their physical health, they also can help lessen their stress and anxiety.

Online School Can Be Ideal for Student Anxiety

Every child deserves a high-quality education without being saddled with anxiety and stress about school. Online learning is an amazing solution. It’s a win-win for families who want their students to be able to learn, and to do so without anxiety.

As an accredited online school, Holston Academy offers all of the benefits of online learning…and then some. At Holston Academy, our mission is to cultivate future-ready students within small learning communities, where each student is known, valued, and supported. We aim to provide a transformative educational experience that equips our students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to excel in an ever-changing world…all while easing their minds and reducing student anxiety. To learn more about Holston Academy, call us at (833) 782-6922.

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