Many school systems now offer distance learning, an option for students to learn at home through online methods.

Students are able to video conference with teachers, watch prerecorded lectures, and receive and submit assignments on sites like Google Classroom and Blackboard. The question that should be asked is if students actually benefit from online classes. Some students with long term illnesses and specific learning styles would learn better, but overall most students should choose to avoid online school because of fewer social interactions with peers, more learning distractions at home, and additional costs for students' families and schools.

Students will have less social interaction which may put them behind when it comes to going to college and entering the workforce. If students who chose to attend an online school throughout high school decide to go to a traditional college they may be at a disadvantage. Depending on what they major in, it could be very similar to their experience with online school. Other students would be faced with new challenges like labs and group projects. If a students has never done group work before they may struggle with communication and teamwork aspect that it takes to complete difficult group projects. It is possible that these students may struggle during their first year or two at college purely because they have trouble interacting with their peers. Online students may also struggle when entering the workforce. They may lack certain social skills necessary to shine during interviews. It is wise to send student to traditional school so they can absorb some of the culture that is needed to get far in life.

Students need to be able to get close to their peers through shared experiences at traditional schools in order to really excel in life.

Students learn better in school environments because they are faced with less distractions. Students who switch to online school may see a drop in grades because they are faced with new distractions like family members, pets, and poor learning spaces. If a student stays at home all day they may have to interact with stay-at-home parents and family pets who could be very distracting. Students who feel that they can not tell a pesky parent to stop bothering them will end up juggling their schoolwork, family life, and walking the dog. In traditional schools, students learn in classrooms everyday. When students attend online school they could do their work anywhere. Locations such as bedrooms, living rooms and next to the television are not good environments for learning. Students should find a spot which is only used for their schoolwork. Students at traditional schools will be free from these distractions and poor learning environments which may improve their grades.

Online schools could end up costing families and schools systems more. If families have to make sure their student has a working laptop computer everyday then they will spend more money on care and maintenance. Some families might not be able to spend extra money on a new device. Kids could be stuck with old devices that malfunction and do not have updated software. Old computers may not be able to keep up with all the programs students are expected to use. School systems will also have to hire staff so they can operate online schools. New teachers and technological aides would cause taxes to be increased. Families may not be able to keep up with this change. Online schools may seem like a budget friendly option because of lower transportation costs, but for some families it might be catastrophic.

Online school could benefit some groups of students like those with long term illnesses and some certain types of learning styles. Students that can not come to a traditional school because of illness but still have enough time and energy to continue learning should look into online schools. That way student who may have to miss months at a time can still keep up with their classmates. Another good use of online school would be for students with different learning styles. Some kids can not sit through long block scheduled classes and would thrive if they could split up the work in a different way. These students could have more freedom with the way they wanted to work and might be more interested in learning. Online school could contribute to certain groups of students continuing to grow intellectually and good learning habits, but overall would not work for the majority of students.

Online school currently has many problems, but if those problems can be fixed, online schools would be a great resource depending on what the future holds. Online schools may be more popular in the future, but for the present traditional schools are more effective for the growth of students. In conclusion online schools are better for some students, but right now most students should stay at a traditional school because of more social interactions, fewer distractions, and fewer costs for schools and families.