Skip to the main content
PeabodyMake a free story

Best of the web

12 online schools and homeschool programs, free and paid

Here for your child to play now? Arcade · Library

Free online school exists: in many states, public online schools such as K12 and Connections Academy charge no tuition, from kindergarten to 12th grade. Paid options are private online schools, at about $5,000 to $8,000 a year, and homeschool programs you run yourself, such as Time4Learning, while free course sites such as Khan Academy and CK-12 fill gaps. The bigger difference is who is in charge: a public online school is enrolment in a school, with its teachers, calendar and state tests, while an online homeschool program leaves you as the teacher, under your state's homeschool law. Online kindergarten works the same way: K12 and Connections Academy schools start at kindergarten, while apps such as Khan Academy Kids are practice at home, not school.

The order follows the kind of program, not a score: public online schools first, then private online schools, then programs and courses you run yourself, then early-years apps. Every fact was read on the maker's own pages: the schools' cost, accreditation and how-it-works pages on 29 October 2026, the rest on 24 October 2026 for our directory, whose page for each is linked under it. Prices are in US dollars and change. Checked 2026-10-29. Nobody paid to be here and nothing is an affiliate link.

  1. K12 online public schools

    K12, part of Stride · Free: a public school, where your state has one · Ages 5-18 (K-12; online pre-K too)

    Tuition-free online public schools from kindergarten to 12th grade, in the states that have a K12-powered school: "Families do not pay tuition for a student to attend an online public school," its FAQ says. Children take live classes with state-certified teachers plus self-paced lessons, and K12's accreditation page says K12-powered schools are accredited by Cognia. K12 also sells a private academy (below) and a homeschool program, which cost money.

    Watch for: This is enrolling in a public school, not homeschooling. K12's Learning Coach page puts an elementary parent's time at 4 to 6 hours, "very hands-on and available during most of the school day" (1 to 3 hours in middle and high school). Which school you can join depends on your state.

    K12 online public schools in our directory: ages, price, data and what to watch

  2. Connections Academy

    Pearson · Free: a public school, where your state has a partner school · Ages 5-18 (K-12)

    Tuition-free online public schools for K-12 in states with a partner school, paid for with "state tax dollars," its cost page says; families pay for school supplies, internet and optional field trips. Students take state-aligned courses and live LiveLesson sessions with teachers. The same page says Connections Education, its parent, is accredited by Cognia.

    Watch for: Also enrolment in a public school, not homeschooling. Its how-it-works page counts 30 hours a week with a Learning Coach, and about 30% of an elementary day on a computer (75% in middle school, 90% in high school). Where there is no partner school, Pearson points families to its paid Pearson Online Academy.

    Connections Academy in our directory: ages, price, data and what to watch

  3. Your state's own virtual school (Florida Virtual School, for example)

    State-run; FLVS is Florida's · Free for that state's students · Ages 5-18 (K-12)

    Some states run their own online public school. Florida Virtual School is one: its home page offers "full-time, tuition-free learning for all Florida students" from kindergarten to 12th grade, calls its full-time school "a fully accredited online public school", and lets students take single courses part time, year-round, through FLVS Flex. Search your state education department's site for "virtual school" to see what yours runs.

    Watch for: Usually open only to residents of that state. Full time follows a school calendar: FLVS Full Time keeps a 180-day school year from August to May.

  4. Pearson Online Academy

    Pearson · Paid: $5,450 a year full time for K-5 · Ages 5-18 (K-12)

    An accredited online private school for K-12 that students can attend "from anywhere in the world"; its home page names the regional accrediting bodies, among them the Middle States Association. Full-time tuition on its tuition page is $5,450 a year for elementary, $7,050 for middle school and $8,250 for high school, with single courses from $335 (K-8). It says it accepts ESA funds where a state offers them.

    Watch for: Private school tuition, and it is enrolment in a school. Its page says tuition and discounts are subject to change.

  5. K12 Private Academy

    K12, part of Stride · Paid: about $4,995 to $6,995 a year, K12 says · Ages 3-18 (pre-K to 12th)

    K12's tuition-based online private school, open to students across the US and in many other countries. Its home page calls it "a fully accredited online private PK–12 school", and K12's homeschool page says private school tuition "generally ranges from $4,995 to $6,995 per year". It suits a family that wants K12's courses and teachers where there is no K12 public school.

    Watch for: The home page gives no exact price, so ask for the figure for your child's grade before you enrol. Its page lists countries it cannot enrol students from.

  6. Time4Learning

    Time4Learning · Paid: $39.95 a month per student · Ages 4-18 (PreK-12)

    An online homeschool curriculum, not a school: video lessons, learning games, quizzes and printable worksheets in language arts, math, science and social studies from PreK to 12th grade, with a parent dashboard. The parent is the teacher of record, so this is homeschooling and your state's homeschool law applies. It cost $39.95 a month per student for one grade level, with 10 to 25% off for two or more children.

    Watch for: Payments are non-refundable, its terms say. As it is not a school, an accredited virtual school is sold separately. A full curriculum on a screen is a lot of screen time.

    Time4Learning in our directory: ages, price, data and what to watch

  7. Khan Academy

    Khan Academy (nonprofit) · Free · Ages 5-18 (K-12)

    Free courses with videos, practice exercises, quizzes and unit tests in math, science, reading, grammar, history and computing, from early elementary through high school, with no ads. Parents can link an account to see progress. A common free core for homeschool math, or extra practice beside any school.

    Watch for: A course site, not a school: no enrolment and no teacher of record. It is self-paced and text-heavy, so younger children drift without an adult nearby. The Khanmigo AI tutor is a paid add-on ($4 a month for families).

    Khan Academy in our directory: ages, price, data and what to watch

  8. CK-12

    CK-12 Foundation (nonprofit) · Free · Ages 6-18 (grades 1-12)

    Free online textbooks (FlexBooks), practice, simulations and videos, mostly in math and science, for grades 1 to 12. Teachers and parents can assign lessons and track progress. A free math and science spine for middle and high school at home.

    Watch for: Its AI tutor, Flexi, is an open chat on the student home page whose answers can be wrong; decide whether your child uses it, and sit nearby when they do.

    CK-12 in our directory: ages, price, data and what to watch

  9. Outschool

    Outschool · Paid per class; memberships from $40 a month · Ages 3-18

    Online courses for kids: live small-group video classes, one-on-one tutoring, clubs and self-paced courses from independent teachers on almost any subject. Families pay per class at the price each teacher sets, or a monthly credit membership from $40 a month. Good for electives and interests beside any program above.

    Watch for: Your child is on live video with an adult you have not met, and classes are recorded. Outschool says teachers pass ID and yearly background checks, and that it does not control the classes. Memberships renew automatically.

    Outschool in our directory: ages, price, data and what to watch

  10. Khan Academy Kids

    Khan Academy (nonprofit) · Free · Ages 2-8

    For families looking for online kindergarten at home: a free app of short games, books, videos and drawing activities in early reading, phonics, math and social-emotional skills, along a personal learning path, with no ads and no subscription.

    Watch for: Practice, not a kindergarten program: there are no teachers and no enrolment. For an enrolled online kindergarten, K12-powered and Connections Academy schools start at K.

    Khan Academy Kids in our directory: ages, price, data and what to watch

  11. ABCmouse

    Age of Learning · Paid: $14.99 a month or $79.99 a year after a 30-day trial · Ages 2-6

    A subscription early-learning app with more than 13,000 activities in reading, math, science, art and music for preschool and kindergarten, along a guided learning path. Used at home as a preschool and kindergarten program, not a school.

    Watch for: It renews until you cancel; in 2020 its maker settled with the FTC for $10 million over auto-renewal and cancellation. Kids earn tickets for virtual prizes, and an assessments add-on costs extra.

    ABCmouse in our directory: ages, price, data and what to watch

  12. Oak National Academy

    Oak National Academy (UK) · Free · Ages 4-16

    Free video lessons with quizzes in every subject, following England's national curriculum from early years to age 16, with no account needed for pupils. Its year-by-year order gives a ready daily structure that some families use as a free core.

    Watch for: Built for England's curriculum and exams, so US grade names don't map one to one, and it is a video-and-quiz format with little back-and-forth.

    Oak National Academy in our directory: ages, price, data and what to watch

Questions parents ask

Is online school free?
Public online schools are. In states that have one, K12-powered schools and Connections Academy charge no tuition, their own pages say, and some states run their own, such as Florida Virtual School for Florida students. Families still pay for supplies and internet. Private online schools charge tuition: $5,450 a year for elementary at Pearson Online Academy, and about $4,995 to $6,995 a year at K12 Private Academy, as of 29 October 2026.
Is K12 online school homeschooling?
No. A K12-powered public school is a public school that happens to be online: your child is enrolled, taught by state-certified teachers and follows the school's calendar and state tests. K12 also sells a separate homeschool program, where you are the teacher.
Is K12 accredited?
K12's accreditation page says K12-powered schools are accredited by Cognia, and K12 Private Academy calls itself fully accredited. Each school is its own school, so ask the one in your state, especially for high school credits.
What is the best online homeschool program?
It depends on how much you want to teach yourself. For a free core, many families use Khan Academy for math and CK-12 for math and science. For an all-in-one paid program, Time4Learning covers four subjects from PreK to 12th grade for $39.95 a month per student (24 October 2026), and Outschool adds live classes. If you want someone else to teach and grade, that is an online school, not a homeschool program.
Is there free online kindergarten?
Yes, as public school: K12-powered schools and Connections Academy include kindergarten, tuition-free where your state has one. Free apps such as Khan Academy Kids, for ages 2 to 8, are good daily practice at home, but they are not a kindergarten program.
What are good online courses for kids?
Outschool has live classes on almost any subject, paid per class or by membership. Khan Academy and CK-12 have free self-paced courses. For reading and math practice from Pre-K to 8th grade, Peabody (ours, so not ranked above) is free through the end of 2026, with no sign-up.

More lists

All 113 lists →