Waco-area schools adding online options with change in state law

Four McLennan County public school districts will start the school year with scores of students not in their classrooms and they're fine with that, if not hoping for more.

Those students will be part of virtual schools or academies that Waco, Midway, La Vega and Harmony public schools have set up thanks to changes in state law governing online instruction.

Senate Bill 569, which passed last year, allows districts to count students receiving online instruction in their enrollment and attendance, numbers which drive state financial support.

The same law also sets requirements for regular if not daily student participation, the availability of communication with a live instructor, and parental or district monitoring of student achievement.

For participating districts, a tuition-free online option not only offers a chance to expand enrollment with students living outside the district, but can provide a more flexible instructional schedule for students with family and work responsibilities, extracurricular interests or health issues.

At Midway Independent School District, administrators found interest in online instruction lingering among some families in the years after the district discontinued the online instruction it had created during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Superintendent Chris Allen raised the possibility of providing virtual courses at a trustee meeting in November. When district officials reached out to families and students earlier this year to gauge interest, more than 200 families responded.

"We were shocked," said Becky Odajima, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning.

Hybrid option

As Midway firmed up its plan, which will provide three levels of online involvement for grades six through 12, that interest translated into some 97 applicants after enrollment began in early May, some as far away as Bryan-College Station, Temple and Belton.

Roughly half that number were interested in Midway's hybrid option where students could take core classes online, but participate, under district rules and student handbook, in sports, fine arts and other extracurricular activities and in-person offerings. A smaller, but sizable number preferred the full-time virtual option.

Virtual school tuition is free, although individual courses are offered for a separate fee on an a la carte basis, an option officials feel may appeal to homeschool students.

Odajima said the virtual school provides instructional flexibility for students who cannot easily fit schools' in-person schedules due to medical conditions, extracurricular training and travel or who need an alternative environment.

As is with the case of Waco and La Vega ISDs, Midway will use online instruction from Pearson Connexus for its Midway Virtual School. Pearson supplies the Texas-certified instructors and course content with parameters set by the state.

Odajima said online students must log into class on a daily basis and expect to spend four to five hours in instruction. An online instructor is available to talk live with students to answer questions and discuss material.

Online students still must take state-required tests such as the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness in-person when the district administers those exams.

Odajima said Midway chose Pearson Connexus in part because its instruction allows parental and district oversight of student progress. Parents can log into their child's account with multiple opportunities to communicate with teachers, she said.

The district, too, can keep track of student participation.

"We can check grades and daily attendance, and communicate with families," Odajima said. "If things are not going well, we can prepare to move them back to Midway."

As of early June, 76 students had enrolled for the upcoming school year, with new registrations trickling in each week, she said.

Waco

Waco ISD trustees approved earlier this spring a five-year contract with Pearson to use its Texas Connection Academy as the district's virtual school offering.

The virtual school will cover grades three through 10 this year with possible expansion to earlier grades and 11th grade in the future.

Deputy Superintendent Melissa King-Knowles said the academy will offer advanced courses and career and technical education courses in addition to core curriculum.

Waco ISD counselors will work with students to make sure they are on track for completion of coursework to graduate, she said. Pearson will manage the academy's daily operations and support services such as special education, technology and marketing.

Though the district uses online instruction as part of its credit recovery program, it will not use the academy for credit recovery, King-Knowles said.

La Vega

La Vega ISD also will offer a virtual school for grades 3 to 12 in its Online Academy offered by Pearson Virtual School. The district started with a handful of students this spring to test its operation and anticipates 10 to 20 students may sign up for the fall, said Sandra Lopez, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

The online instruction may help some students who find attending class on a fixed schedule a problem, but it is not for everyone, Lopez said.

La Vega credit recovery specialist Chuck Viladevall communicates with families or students when they register to let them know about how the program works and whether it is a good fit for what they want, she said.

An information page on the district's website addresses parents and what they and their student will be responsible for in any online instruction.

Students enrolled in the academy can take part in La Vega sports and other extracurricular activities, but University Interscholastic League rules specify they must live within the district and maintain passing grades, Lopez said.

Harmony

Online instruction also is available for Harmony Public Schools, which operates Waco's Harmony Science Academy and Harmony School of Innovation charter schools. Harmony started its online instruction statewide this spring, spokesperson John Boyd said.

"There are no Waco sign-ups yet, but we are seeing explosive growth around the state, so we're hoping to bring more Waco families into the fold very soon," he said.

Five families had signed up for Harmony's online courses this spring, and that number had grown to 160 by this summer, he said.

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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 4:44 AM.