In a brick-and-mortar high school, a class is a group of learners in the same grade, studying the same subject with a teacher in the same room. 

Size matters because of physical constraints; the number of desks that can fit into the classroom, the ability to hear and see the teacher, and the amount of attention that a teacher can give to individual learners before a bell sounds and everyone leaves. 

In contrast, in an online high school, physical constraints fall away; there are no desks, a teacher can be seen and heard by any number of students, and there are multiple ways of engaging individually with each learner.

So, does class size have an impact on the learning environment, and should this factor into your decision?

TL;DR

• Comparing online high schools
• When does class size matter?
• Is it worth paying higher fees for online high schools that offer live classes to small groups of learners?
• Moving away from the constraints of traditional class-based approaches

How to compare online high schools 

Online high schools are diverse. So before we answer our question, we need to find a common denominator to help guide our comparison. We chose learning model.

In our recent review of twelve leading online high schools, available to families in South Africa, we looked at each school’s approach to online learning and teaching. 

We found that they fall into two categories:

1. Schools that focus on live lessons
2. Schools that treat live lessons as secondary  

1. Schools that focus on live lessons

In the first group of schools, the learning model is grounded in tradition, and all learners are required to attend live classes for all or part of their education. 

While they’re not together in a physical space, the virtual staging is designed to approximate, as far as possible, a physical classroom, with the teacher presenting a lesson on camera and students raising virtual hands when they want to ask a question. 

2. Schools that treat live lessons as secondary  

In the second group of schools, live lessons are a secondary focus. Learners learn at their own pace, ideally within a broader term structure that ensures that they stay on track. 

This freedom allows them to build their own daily schedule and to fully master challenging concepts by concentrating on their unique combination of needs. 

They can engage directly with teachers and other support professionals in a variety of ways, including in focussed live sessions online. In these kinds of learning models, there are no “classes”, and class size is irrelevant (provided there are enough support staff on hand). 

When does class size matter? 

For online schools in the first category, class size clearly matters. We noted that only the more expensive schools in this group specify average or maximum class sizes. 

All three international online high schools that we reviewed advertise class sizes of between 12 and 25 learners, at annual school fees of between R116,000 and R506,000 per annum. 

The one South African based online high school that specifies its class sizes – a maximum of 25 learners – is also the most expensive local school in this group, at R56,200 per annum. 

The other two South African based schools in this group do not specify their class size, allowing them to have much larger numbers in their conference calls.

Is it worth paying higher fees for online high schools that offer live classes to small groups of learners?

This takes us to the crux of the question: Is it worth paying higher school fees for an online high school that offers live classes to smaller groups of learners? And, following that, will this kind of school setup mean your child receives better learning outcomes?

It’s hard to say for sure. This is because, in South Africa as in many other parts of the world, educational achievement is closely tied to household income, and this skews available data. 

By the time they reach high school, students from higher income families are more prepared and have better resources than their peers from low income households.  

High school fees (like those for smaller, online classes) are a kind of barrier to entry, only letting in those who can afford the price of entry or who have already demonstrated the ability to succeed by winning a scholarship. 

As a result, online high schools that limit the number of learners in their virtual classes are likely to already have higher levels of academic success. They have – directly or indirectly – attracted learners who are better prepared and excluded those without the resources needed to succeed in the same way.

Moving away from the constraints of class-based approaches

With that in mind, let’s take another look back at the online high schools in our survey that have embraced new educational technologies that can free learning from the constraints of classroom-based approaches.  

There are strong indications that it is this group of schools, rather than their more conservative counterparts, that will offer all learners the opportunity to realise their potential, no matter their circumstances. 

Find out about your online schooling options

If you would like to take a deeper dive on online high schools and how they compare, you can download our 12 Leading Online Schools Compared guide. You can also reach out to one of our Admissions Consultants for general advice or insights on what online learning can do for you and your child.