Does your teenager feel hampered by the limited educational opportunities at your high school? Does she have trouble fitting in? There are alternatives to high school that may appeal to your teen.

Independent study, college or online courses, virtual high schools, and special summer programs are just some of the ways to engage your restless high school student.

Check out The ultimate guide to college and career readiness. College and career readiness is a fundamental part of every child鈥檚 K-12 education. Our guide provides practical insights to help you support your child鈥檚 path through high school and toward a successful college experience and a rewarding career.

Independent study

Is your teenager interested in psychology, computer science, or another subject they鈥檇 like to study more deeply? Many high schools will allow students to pursue independent study for high school credit.

At Berkeley High School in California, for example, independent study is an option for all students. Tali Biale, who later graduated from Wesleyan University, followed an independent study program during her senior year at Berkeley High. She took some regular courses, some AP courses, and created her own comparative religion course, all as part of independent study. 鈥淎s a senior, I was interested in something different from a regular high school schedule and I had a lot of other interests I wanted to pursue. I heard rumors that independent study was for slackers who didn鈥檛 want to be in school. But it was an amazing program for a whole range of kids. I took the same number of courses as regular high school students but instead of meeting in class every day, I met once a week with each teacher one-on-one for a half-hour or an hour and did my work independently. It was much more self-directed. It really prepared me well for college and got me used to managing my time.鈥�

Often high schools will offer regular classes in an independent study format if a student has a schedule conflict and a teacher is willing to meet with the student one-on-one. Some schools will allow students to pursue a particular subject they are interested in as an independent study, if the course is not offered at the school. Check with your high school to find out what independent study options are offered.

Advanced Placement

Many high schools offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are college-level courses offered at high schools. These courses are taught by AP-trained high school teachers who follow course guidelines and curriculum developed by the College Board. Students can also take AP courses through independent study, and some states sponsor online AP courses. Courses are available through high schools at no cost, but students who want to receive college credit must take and pass an AP exam, which costs $99. (to $37) are available in some states for students who qualify. There are 40 in a variety of subjects. Currently, nearly offer AP courses. For information on AP, check the website.

International Baccalaureate

Some high schools offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, which is a rigorous two-year pre-university program. Students who successfully complete the IB exams at the end of the program receive an IB diploma, which is accepted by universities in more than 100 countries.

Online options

Online high schools

A variety of options exist online for high school students seeking advancement or courses not offered at their school. Students can participate individually, or, in the case of , a regular high school may participate and provide multiple course options for its students.

Virtual High School was created in 1996 through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Its goal was to form a consortium of high schools working together to offer online courses. Today, VHS is a nonprofit organization that offers more than 200 courses, including 30 AP courses, to more than 16,000 students. Schools pay an annual membership fee and at least one teacher from their school signs on to be an online instructor. That teacher participates in professional development online through VHS before teaching a course and teaches a group of no more than 25 students who may sign on from any VHS-affiliated school anywhere in the world.

Students can select from the course catalog, which includes offerings such as veterinary medicine, AP calculus, and screenwriting. The regular high school the student attends covers the cost of class materials and online instruction. Students typically participate in their online course — listening to lectures, conversing in online discussions, and doing group projects — at their regular high school during a class period in the school day.

Students who participate learn to manage their time and take control of the learning process. 鈥淗igh school can be incredibly cliquish,鈥� says former VHS CEO Liz Pape. 鈥淗ere, no one has any preconceived notions of who you are. Here it鈥檚 OK for a football player to take contemporary poetry.鈥� The online classes are also effective in reaching kids who might sleep in the back of a regular classroom or English language learners who have the opportunity to work at their own pace. In the online classroom, every student participates, and the instructor can easily see what the level of participation is.

Students can also take classes at VHS on their own, without being affiliated with a regular high school during the school year or during the summer by paying a fee.

at Stanford University was launched in 2006 as an outgrowth of the Education Program for the Gifted at Stanford. It鈥檚 a diploma-granting program, a complete online middle school and high school that provides an opportunity for gifted students to be challenged in an online environment. 鈥淲e are looking for a certain kind of student,鈥� says Jan Keating, the school鈥檚 leadership instructor. 鈥淲e want students who show academic excellence in testing or school performance.鈥� Students must apply for admission and pay tuition. Some students are enrolled full time while others take some courses at their local high school and some classes through Stanford OHS. Classes have up to 15 students and are convened over an advanced video conferencing system that allows the teacher to share materials via a whiteboard. The teacher and students can interact during class, have discussions, and they can see when someone raises their hand or marks up class materials on their screen. The school even has clubs, a student government, and a parent association, all online.

Maya Lewis enrolled because she wanted a challenge and the opportunity to take a risk. An avid musician and a gifted student, she typically spent the first part of her day at home in Ft. Worth, TX, practicing the piano. Then she might listen to the lecture for one of her core classes, 鈥淒emocracy, Freedom and the Rule of Law,鈥� do the assigned reading, and participate in an online discussion. She was a member of the student government and worked on organizing a buddy program, so new students would have experienced students to lean on for advice. Maya says she definitely missed the social aspects of regular high school, but she and her online classmates organized an on-the-ground get-together in Chicago during spring break, and some students planned to take courses at Stanford University in the summer. On the plus side, she said 鈥淟earning how to learn on my own has been valuable; most regular high schools don鈥檛 help you do that and it鈥檚 preparing me well to make the transition to college.鈥�

Online courses

Online courses work best for self-disciplined, independent learners. Some have an interactive component where others involve just the student and the printed study materials. There are multiple online options available. Here鈥檚 a sampling.

at the University of Missouri allows high school students anywhere in the country to sign up for over 200 online courses, including 10 AP courses. Tuition is $600 per .5 credit course.

Online offers 100+ classes in the categories of English, General Education, Languages, Math, Science, and Physical Education. The cost for a 1 unit 182-day course is $291.

offers more than 100 core, elective and AP classes, and students can earn an accredited high school diploma. The cost of a .5 unit one semester course is $250 for non-Nebraska residents, plus additional fees.

Summer Programs

Another option for your advanced student is to find appropriate, challenging programs she can attend during the summer. Many programs located on college campuses provide high school students with challenging academics and a taste of college life.

offers in-person three-week and one-week honors, AP, and accelerated classes in Evanston, Illinois (near Chicago). Transcript and teacher recommendation are required for admission. Tuition rates vary from $900 for a one-week day camp, to $5,375 for a three-week residential camp.

offers students in grades 6 to 12 the opportunity to read and discuss literature in residential programs with professors at Amherst College, Stanford University, Haverford College, Pepperdine University, and sessions abroad at Oxford University, Trinity College Dublin, University of Edinburgh, and in Athens and Madrid. Writers workshops are also offered. Ample time for recreation is provided, with access to college pools and other facilities.

offers a 4-week residential program with 20 courses to choose from and a 7-week residential, online, or commuting program with 200+ courses. The program is designed for motivated high school students who are eager to challenge themselves in rigorous courses for college credit. Costs in 2025 range from $4,050 to $14,950, plus a $75 application fee; financial aid is available. Ample time is provided for students to meet Harvard admissions staff, attend a talk by a Harvard admissions officer, explore Cambridge, engage in athletic and cultural activities, and visit nearby colleges.

College courses

Motivated students often have the option to take courses at the local community college, or in some cases, at local universities. UCLA offers a , and the (Pennsylvania), , and allow high schoolers in their regions to take lower-division courses, at significantly reduced rates.

Early/middle college programs

Many community colleges have coordinated with high schools and high school districts to form 鈥渆arly鈥� or 鈥渕iddle colleges.鈥� Early College High Schools (ECHS) are small high schools, usually located on college campuses, from which all students graduate in either four or five years with both a high school diploma and an associate of arts degree. Middle College High Schools (MCHS) are secondary schools, usually grades 10-12, located on college campuses. Some, but not all students, in this program are eligible to take college-level work, but they benefit from attending school on a college campus.

These programs are designed for high school students who are not fitting in at their high school, have good basic skills in reading, writing and math, and are ready for the challenge of doing college-level work. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sponsored the Early College High School Initiative in 2002 to provide funding to these programs where students can earn both a high school degree and earn credits toward a college degree at the same time.

Multiple states subsequently created early or middle colleges. In California, launched the program, with dozens of other colleges following. Texas reported 182 early college campuses in the 2019-2020 academic year, and North Carolina lists approximately 70. Early college programs exist now in at least 30 states.

At Canada College, a public community college in Redwood City, California, the Middle College was so successful it planned to double its size from 60 to 120 students in two years. 鈥淪tudents who might not achieve in a regular high school are achieving here,鈥� said Tom Mohr, interim president at Canada College. 鈥淚 have yet to meet a student or parent who wasn鈥檛 pleased. And our college professors appreciate the program; they like having these young people in classes.鈥�

Students take both high school and college-level courses at the college as part of this Middle College program. Many of the courses they take allow them to receive both credit toward a high school diploma and college credit. As a result, many students graduate from Middle College with a high school diploma and a significant number of college credits. The added bonus is that since they are enrolled as high school students, they aren鈥檛 required to pay tuition for the college courses.

Sarah Aires, a graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz, attended Middle College at the College of San Mateo in California. She entered UC Santa Cruz with 28 college credits. 鈥淚t was a great program. It allowed me to get done with high school quickly and it showed the colleges that I applied to that I could do college-level work,鈥� she says. 鈥淥nce I entered UC Santa Cruz, I didn鈥檛 have to take lots of prerequisite undergraduate courses where there were 500 students in a class.鈥�

Gap year programs

For high school graduates who may not be ready to go straight to college, a gap year program is an increasingly popular option. These programs allow students to take a year to gain some travel and/or practical experience and to find a focus before moving on to college. Many students on gap year programs have already been accepted to college but defer their acceptance for a year. A gap year may not be the right choice for every student; the pros and cons should be carefully considered.

, the oldest gap year program in the United States, is partnered with Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and is geared for students ages 17 to 22, with both full year and single semester options available. The goal is career exploration and helping young adults find focus and direction via hands-on learning experiences. Most of the students are taking the gap year between high school and college. The Dynamy program is especially recommended for students with ADD/ADHD learning differences. Students experience outdoor challenges, such as kayaking or hiking. They are placed in non-paid internships during the year, suited to their interests, where they work with a mentor. They can also take college classes and receive up to 12 units of credit. They live in a house with other gap year students and perform community service. 鈥淒ynamy fits for kids who are itching to get out in the world and get some real-world experience,鈥� explained Carolie Sly, the Dynamy western-region admissions representative. 鈥淢ore and more colleges are recommending kids defer a year,鈥� she adds. 鈥淭hey are finding kids are more mature after a year off.鈥�

offers high school graduates an opportunity to explore the world by spending a year or a semester living with a host family abroad, studying a foreign language for 15-20 hours a week and volunteering in the community or teaching English. Gap year programs are offered in Japan (Kyoto), Italy (Florence), Germany (Berlin), France (Paris) and Spain (Seville).