Stanford Online High School

220 Panama Street

Stanford, CA 94305

19 Reviews

School District
Grade

7-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on September 16, 2024

This is our second year at the school. The classes are incredibly deep and of high quality. Students are curious and want to learn. I am impressed every day at what these students are achieving. We are very happy our child is there.
Submitted by parent on April 11, 2021

Our daughter went to Stanford Online High School for 7 years starting with a trial class when she was little to see how she liked it. She then went full-time after that year from middle school to graduation from high school. The teachers are caring, highly qualified, very helpful and encouraging, never abrasive teaching very advanced classes. The school prepares the students well and they find the transition to college classes easy. My daughter is at Columbia now and finds the courses a natural continuation of her education. OHS does not hold back students, any student can take any course as long as they have the pre-requisites regardless of age. There is no bullying and students are not judged when expressing their ideas so they are free to develop exchanging thoughts. We appreciate OHS more and more every day after seeing what a great education it gave our daughter. Thank you OHS!
Submitted by parent on September 06, 2020

We had two children go through OHS. Each had a different experience and one had more difficulties than the other, but both received an outstanding education. That is part of the strength of OHS. It builds a personalized support system for each child, that helps everyone get the most out of their high school experience.
Submitted by parent on July 06, 2020

No other school we looked at had the range of classes we found at OHS. The college-level classes are what you would expect from a university. But the school provides support and community high school students need to make that transition. OHS worked well for us.
Submitted by other on January 14, 2019

Excellent! My daughter truly appreciates the education and advanced curriculum of the school. There are core courses that are required by the school. Most of these courses are heavily philosophy based.
Submitted by parent on December 09, 2018

We have been impressed with a few classes, but overall we have been disappointed. Interactions with teachers and staff have not been collaborative in the idea of we are all working to support students but instead the faculty and administration tend to take a combative approach. The teachers, again with the exception of a few shining stars, do not respond to inquiries in a timely fashion, cannot be bothered to grade work so that students can benefit from the evaluation for future assignments, and do not seem to understand the relationships between homework and course goals. There is a punitive and negative vibe.
Submitted by parent on May 31, 2018

All of the positive reviews about Stanford Online High School are FAKE. I deeply regret sending my daughter to this school. My daughter is a very hardworking and passionate student who has been harmed repeatedly by this school. Being a student at this school is just like living in a communist country. The multivariable calculus teacher at this school always suspects that the students are cheating on their exams and homework. The multivariable teacher accused my daughter that her homework solution was copied from a solutions manual. It was one homework problem that my daughter had difficulty solving, so she had reached out to her tutor. We explained that my daughter has been working with a tutor and that we could show all evidence of the hours and notes from the tutoring sessions. The school refused to accept any of our evidence and they had no evidence to support their accusation.As a school, the teachers should be a role model to their students by showing that there is a mutual trust and honor code to abide. The teachers are so focused on punishing students for cheating, but they fail to realize that if students are cheating on their exams or homework, they would only be harming themselves in the future; they should be focused on creating a trusting environment for students to learn, not an environment where every action and detail is doubted. I guess that it's because we are Asian that my daughter is treated so unfairly. Do not send your children to suffer at such a detrimental and prejudiced school. I have evidence to support everything that I wrote in this review; I simply just don't want any parent or child to suffer like we did.
Submitted by other on March 16, 2017

This is absolutely the best school compared to any high school in America. My son is constantly challenged and is performing at college level. I feel at ease that he will do well in college. His teachers are super supportive and great at teaching. We have been very lucky.
Submitted by other on September 24, 2016

My daughter has attended to courses as a part-time student. Both professors have been extremely communicative. Her classes have been challenging but achievable. We are now thinking about applying full-time for our son as he moves into high school.
Submitted by parent on January 07, 2016

As a parent of a student who has attended Stanford OHS for 3 years, I can say that our experience has been amazing. The quality of the teaching staff makes the education truly unique. My son has been able to take advanced classes in science and math that would not have been available to him at most other highly rated schools. Stanford OHS is truly special in its ability to meet the needs of bright and engaged students. In many classes, the instructional model is “flipped”--meaning that lectures are watched before class and that discussion takes place during the instructional period. My son loves the give and take amongst his peers in this environment. He also enjoys the flexibility of the schedule. Classes are taught on a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday schedule leaving Fridays open for club meetings and other activities. Throughout the week, teachers make themselves easily available to students through office hours and individual appointments. As a result, students form strong and lasting relationships with their instructors. We researched many excellent academic programs before selecting Stanford OHS. In the end we found a program that is both academically rigorous and innovative.
Submitted by parent on January 06, 2016

Enrollment is now capped at the present level, so expect admissions to get even more competitive. About 2/3 of the professors have an ivy league quality Ph.D. (most teaching at the high school level), so students perform as scholars in Socratic seminars. Expect college textbooks, no spoon-feeding, being highly prepared before each class, with participation required in classes of 16 or less. The writing center is devoted to helping students complete their essays; expect them to produce college-level work. Students are encouraged to attend professors' office hours. One parent said her son entering Cal Tech was better prepared than his peers; that was six years ago, and he graduated with a choice of three Ph.D. programs including Cal Tech, choosing Stanford. We visited Cal Tech's admissions office this summer and can personally confirm their enthusiasm for Stanford OHS graduates, who have many other fine college choices as well. We also attended a six-day Stanford OHS meetup in Shanghai with eight other OHS families this last summer. What a fantastic experience, which we capped off with 10 more days touring China arranged by a travel agency chosen by our hosts, flying to three cities and sightseeing with our own drivers and guides in each city! Stanford OHS has been a dream come true for all of us, parents and child, including the educational experience and the friendships we enjoy. For self-motivated students who thrive on challenging themselves and like the stimulation of associating with others with similar talents.
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2015

Stanford Online High School offers an impressively deep math and science curriculum both at the high school and university level. If your child excels at math and science, Stanford OHS can take your child years beyond the usual AP Calculus and AP science fare. Talented instructors combine with motivated students to yield wonderful results.
Submitted by other on October 25, 2015

OHS has provided our high school aged child with a terrific education. Teachers are engaged, knowledgeable, dedicated. The school is supportive and adaptive. The meetups, summer session and grad weekend provide much-needed face to face bonding time for students. Many of our child's best friends are from far-flung states or countries. If your child is self-motivated, organized, curious, articulate, diligent & underserved by their local school or capable far beyond what local school or peer group can support, then this may be the school for you.
Submitted by parent on November 21, 2014

Ohs has been an amazing experience for my 3 children. I have 2 in the High School and my 13 year old is in Middle school program. I am thrilled with the maturity and responsibility this program has fostered in my children. They have developed a keen ability to write concise and purposeful papers with the help of their teachers and the new Writing Center. The confidence and depth of their understanding has added to their analytical and persuasive skill. I have been extremely impressed with the quality of the teachers and the interest they have taken in my children's education. They are passionate about the subjects they teach and it rubs off on my children. The school is very challenging. My kids spend the mornings reading, writing papers, and watching lectures. As we are in Europe, they attend class from 3pm-midnight. Classes meet 2X a week for 1h 15min. Office hours are generally 2x a week or by apt. Stanford OHS is a progressive highly effective high school program for those who want to take an interesting class, a more challenging class, or a full high school program. The school doesn't require donations to the annual fund. Any amount donated is appreciated!
Submitted by parent on May 01, 2014

Parents at the online high school are asked to contribute up to 100% of the tuition as donations towards the annual fund, so that tuition figure will go up just like at any other private school. they don't tell you that upfront.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2014

Our son goes here. We were looking for RIGOROUS academics, didn't need sports or other extra-curriculars (this school doesn't offer that - we do all that on our own elsewhere). But in terms of being a simply TOUGH school to get in to and actually go to, just get through the daily academics - Intend on your kids spending a MINIMUM of 10 hours a week doing outside work for each and every class (that doesn't include time spent in class), otherwise they won't be right for the OHS. The kids here are the next Steve Jobs/Zukerberg/Gates etc. SATs are amazing - our 2400 kid fits right in. Only downside is limited opportunities for social interaction, mostly online. And yes, kids online can be plenty mean, just like any other school, so be warned. If you're looking for seriously hard academics, go here. For a "complete" one-stop package, go somewhere else. OHS IS pricey (especially if you have to pick up ECs outside school) so figure out what exactly your kids need before applying, and if they're ready to devote that much time.
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2014

Easily the most rigorous and thoughtful academic curriculum I have ever seen. the high school coursework surpasses the first two years of most universities. The teachers are impressive and the work load just right--no waste or busy-work assignments. While the amount of work to do each day is considerable, it does not appear to be unnecessarily burdensome as one finds in many schools. Hardwork and smartwork are rewarded. The school's support apparati are excellent and very much reflective of their stated mission. What could be better? Nothing obvious.
Submitted by other on April 05, 2013

The OHS is a rigorous school with professors that are extremely advanced in their fields. The sense of community is amazing!
Submitted by parent on August 17, 2012

Great school for strong students. Very rigorous academics and a vibrant, engaged and supportive group of educators and students. Excellent choice for a fantastic high-school education that prepares students extremely well for college.