Gem Prep: Online School

2750 East Gala Street

School District

Gem Prep: Online LLC
Grade

PK, K-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:24
Type

charter

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by other on December 21, 2024

I had a great experience with Gem Prep Online. I began attending Gem Prep Online in eighth grade and really enjoyed the experience. Attending Gem Prep Online allowed me to pursue competitive athletics which I really loved. I really appreciated the welcoming and supportive environment that Gem Prep provided as well as how accommodating the school was in helping me to keep my schedule flexible depending on my athletic commitments. While I mainly took classes through Idaho Digital Learn Academy (IDLA), I took a few classes with Gem Prep and enjoyed how supportive they felt compared to the IDLA classes—though I enjoyed the tougher IDLA classes as well. Gem Prep allowed me to take dual-credit courses to transfer the maximum of 30 credits towards my associate’s degree. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to do that to save both time and money, and while the experience was challenging at times, I appreciated the option to take more advanced college-level courses in high school as I learned a lot and had a great experience. Another aspect of Gem Prep that I appreciated were the individuals I worked with. While there were many amazing individuals who supported me at Gem Prep Online, I want to primarily give a shout-out to my former advisor/principal, Tera Reeves, who greatly supported me throughout my experience in selecting classes, proctoring my exams, and generally supporting me as a student. I really appreciated how she went above and beyond to help me succeed in high school and prepare me for my future. While there were some sacrifices in attending online school like having fewer social and extracurricular opportunities as well as needing to be very academically independent with IDLA classes, I felt that there were many more pros to attending Gem Prep Online which were mainly: flexibility, support from Gem Prep advisors and instructors, and a much better learning environment for a dedicated, quiet, and introverted high school student. Overall, Gem Prep is a great school, and I most certainly recommend Gem Prep—and Gem Prep Online more specifically to high-school students who learn better independently. Thank you for a great high school experience, Gem Prep!
Submitted by parent on August 16, 2022

This school's not good with helping students with learning disabilities, the teachers expect you to do the same amount of school work as everyone else without even simplifying or trying to help
Submitted by student on March 30, 2022

I have been a student at gem prep online for most of my academic career. Through those years, I have grown extremely grateful for what this school has done for me. I have had several amazing teachers throughout the years, and every single one of my teachers have been understanding and supportive. I have never felt like I couldn’t reach out to them when I have a question about my schooling. Overall, I believe that gem prep online has prepared me for my future in both an academic and personal success.
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2022

Gem Prep Online (GPO) is a wonderful schooling option here in Idaho. I have one child in Gem Prep Online's elementary program and one child in their secondary program. Both my children are receiving a thorough high-quality education from home, with live online classes four times a week and other assigned schoolwork which can be completed in weekly independent modules. We love using Gem Prep Online! My younger child spends part of his day working on foundational skills through GPO (with me assisting him) and the other part of his day doing other interest-led projects with me at home or participating in outside community activities. My older child is taking advanced classes and successfully learning to manage all his coursework independently. GPO has high expectations and it is wonderful to see him rising to meet the occasion. Once schoolwork is done, he has plenty of time to pursue his passion-- writing science fiction and adventure stories! Both my children have benefitted immensely from the caring and knowledgeable teachers at Gem Prep Online. I feel like each teacher knows my child and is ready and willing to help ensure that all their educational needs are met. GPO uses many online programs to meet your child where they are at, in both reading and math. They also supply curriculum-related paper workbooks for off-screen work. We have the best of both worlds-- rigorous schoolwork and flexibility to create a good balanced schedule for our family life. I highly recommend Gem Prep Online to all Idaho families who are interested in schooling from home with the help of public school teachers.
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2022

Our family has been schooling with Gem Prep Online for the past 8 years as our children have worked through grades 7-12. Over the years, I have been impressed with the level of interest the teachers have taken in the success and well-being of the students. In my experience, concerns that I may have had were responded to quickly and resolved appropriately. Having our first two children graduate high school with a concurrent Associate's Degree has not only prepared them for the rigors of a university schedule and significantly reduced the expense of a college degree, it has also boosted their confidence in their own abilities to accomplish difficult things. In fact, by their senior year of high school, each student was taking full-time semester loads of in-person college classes in their preferred fields of study at our local university, with the college credits also counting toward their high school requirements. Do keep in mind that this is an academically-focused school. They do not focus on sports or the arts. It is up to the parent to provide those sorts of needs outside of school. It is a lot of work for both the parent (especially in the beginning years when you are helping your student learn to navigate the requirements of an online school) and the student, and this type of schooling is not for everyone, but both of my children who have accomplished it so far have said that it was 100% worth the effort.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2022

Pros: Gem Prep: Online is fantastic for letting children work at a pace that is right for them. This is a college prep school and the work required reflects that goal. If you are looking for a school where you just sit your child in front of a computer for the day and hope for the best - this is not the school for you; the curriculum takes work both on the student's part and the learning coach's part. The teachers are helpful and care about the students doing well. Communication is wonderful, especially since this is an online school and there is limited direct interaction between the teacher and the student. This school is a great choice if you want a real online school with strong curriculum or if you want to homeschool your child but need some direction and want them to earn an accredited high school diploma. I do not regret for one moment choosing this school for my children and am excited to see where it takes them next!Cons: Most of the student body is in only one part of the state, leaving some students feeling disconnected from available activities due to travel times causing conflicts with completing required work. The school appears to be working to remedy this, however, by arranging online fieldtrips that students from all parts of the state can attend. Additionally, there is currently no foreign language curriculum at the elementary level and I feel that is a piece of curriculum that needs to be added. A child having more than one language is going to become necessary in our ever-changing world and I would like to see Gem Prep: Online recognize this and get ahead of the curve.
Submitted by parent on March 06, 2022

Gem Prep online has been a great opportunity for my children and our family. It has provided flexibility and has been a good experience for my kids this year. Gem Prep Online has really challenged my kids in the best way possible and has allowed them to grow academically. They attend weekly online classes where they get to learn from their amazing teachers in addition to socializing with their classmates. Gem Prep Online is an awesome school and I highly recommend it to any parent that is considering online learning.
Submitted by parent on March 03, 2022

My 3 boys have attended Gem Prep Online for the past 3 years. I am impressed with how rigorous the school is and also how good the teachers are about answering questions. The teachers have always been very kind and really take an interest each of my kids. One of the main reasons we started attending Gem Prep is because we wanted our kids to graduate High School with an Assocaites, and this year we will have our first son do just that! We are so glad that he has had the opportunity to get some of his college classes out of the way now while he is in High School.
Submitted by parent on March 02, 2022

I absolutely love GPO I have been able to learn so much more than what I'd learn in the average public school. I also feel really engaged in class discussions whether on a live session or in the modules. All of my teachers are awesome! They teach us very thoroughly in live sessions I especially love how we are always asked why what we're learning is even important in the first place. GPO is definitely by far the best school ever!
Submitted by parent on March 01, 2022

My (very smart) kid's time at Gem Prep was his best academic experience among the four schools that he has attended. My kid's in-person middle school partnered with Gem Prep Online during covid to provide an online option so he did one year in middle school there. *The teachers were engaging and challenging. He was happy with all his teachers, especially the math teacher. He learned a lot, was challenged at the right level, and was always engaged. Since he was good at math, the math teacher moved him up a year so that he was not bored.* The school had clear communication and policies. It was never a surprise when anything was due. It seems that in all other schools deadlines sneak up or there is confusion about what the kids are supposed to be doing or how they are doing - virtually none of that at GPO. * The tech tools were used extremely well. This was not the virtual school nightmare from the covid lockdown. Far from it. For example, math used lots of instructional videos, so kids could rewatch it or pause if there were questions. In class, teachers would ask everybody to give an answer online, so every kid had to be engaged instead of a teacher picking on one kid at a time. I would say that GPO is a good fit for a child who is self-motivated (my kid did not need to be bugged to do homework and pay attention), works hard, and could use flexibility in their life. My child spent less time in school with GPO than in-person school but learned much more.
Submitted by principal on March 26, 2021

I've worked for Gem Prep: Online (GPO) [formerly Idaho Distance Education Academy] since 2014.GPO’s program provides families with the ability for their students to grow from kindergarten through high school and complete a 2-year college degree upon graduation. We provide students with rigorous preparation and planning to assist them in meeting the expectation of college success. And, we work together with parents to accelerate the path to college and prepare kids for great futures. Our teachers really put their heart into their profession and work hard to help their students grow and develop the skills they'll need.As an Idaho charter school, our school is free. And, as a virtual school, we're available statewide. We're so proud of our recent graduating class and I'm excited to share a few of their successes: —38% of our recent graduates earned their AA degree at the time of their high school graduation (tuition free).—Students earned an average of 34 college credits while in high school.—Students saved an average of $11,900 on college tuition while in high school.—SAT scores consistently outperform Idaho averages. (2019 score of 1056. Idaho average was 976.)If you want a rigorous, well supported virtual school, you should check out Gem Prep: Online. We're Idaho grown for Idaho families.GPO students can access activities and extracurriculars at our brick-and-mortar campuses across the state. They can participate in clubs and sports, field trips, picture days, etc.