How It Works
Online Middle School
Who can attend?
The Georgia Digital School (GDS) middle school program serves students in grades 6–8 who reside in Georgia.
What are the costs?
Because GDS is a public school, it’s tuition-free. Enrolled families receive the K12 curriculum, and qualified students receive a loaner computer.
What’s my role as a parent?
Middle school is a time when students become more independent, taking on more responsibility and ownership for their learning and working more directly with their teachers. But parent involvement is still critical to student success. As a parent, you (or another responsible adult you choose) serve as your child’s Learning Coach.
While teachers set the pace of instruction, the Learning Coach helps their student stay on track. Parent/Learning Coach involvement is essential for at least 20 hours a week, and roughly 50–60% of this time is online. The initial 4–8 weeks can be intensive as your family settles into a routine.
Working with Your Teacher
Teachers provide support through live online classes, small-group instruction, and one-to-one assistance. Students are expected to attend all required live classes and meet with their teachers for instruction, academic support, and tutoring as needed. The number of live classes varies by grade level and is determined by the teacher.
Expectations for Completing Schoolwork
In middle school, courses follow a semester-based schedule, and students are expected to earn passing grades on assignments, assessments, and online lessons. Teachers assign due dates to help students stay on pace and make steady progress throughout the semester.
While most online coursework can be completed at flexible times during the day, students are required to attend scheduled, teacher-led live classes. These sessions provide direct instruction, opportunities to ask questions, and meaningful interaction with classmates.
Regular attendance, active participation in live classes, and staying on track with coursework are key to helping your student succeed in an online learning environment.
Attendance
Attendance is logged Monday through Friday according to a traditional school calendar; however, academic progress can be achieved during the weekends as well.
Time Commitment
Middle school students are expected to spend between 4 to 7 hours on schoolwork per school day. Most of the school day is spent online, with some opportunities for offline work.
Middle School
- 4 to 7 hours daily
- Mostly online work
Email is the primary form of communication between the school and families. It’s important for both students and Learning Coaches to check and respond to emails each school day.
State Testing
Yes. As public school students, all students enrolled in GDS are required to participate in state-mandated testing. These assessments must be taken in person at designated testing locations, so families should plan for travel to a testing site. Participation is mandatory for all enrolled students.
A Day in the Life of Online Students
Want to learn more about the daily life of an online middle school student? Meet Connor!
