Quality of Virtual K-12 Education

Stephen F Austin State University, Baker Pattillo Student Center

The focus of this study was an examination of the presence or absence of associations between operator status, graduation rate, student-teacher ratio, and school performance among online K- 12 schools across a five-year period. This study is timely and significant due to the proliferation of virtual school settings leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns about virtual school quality and performance. Secondary data from the National Education Policy Center was used to perform Chi-Square Tests for Association among various factors impacting K-12 school quality and performance. We tested for associations between and among school types, operator status, and time, with student-teacher ratio, the percentage of schools with acceptable performance ratings, and graduation rates as our measures of frequency. Statistical analysis of these variables showed no significant association between the type of school and school year with student-teacher ratio and graduation rates as the measures of frequency. There was also no significant association between the operator status and school year when compared against graduation rate. Statistically significant associations were found between operator status and school year when compared against student-teacher ratio and acceptable school performance ratings. These results add to the body of empirical knowledge about K-12 virtual schools leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic.