Frisco ISD is preparing to launch Frisco Flex, a new virtual and hybrid learning program for high school students beginning in fall 2026. Students can choose from three options, which range from being enrolled at their home campus and taking a few virtual courses to a full-time virtual student taking all of their classes online.
Students who take four or more online courses are part of Frisco’s virtual high school campus, from which they will be ranked and graduate.
This means that these students will have a separate high school experience and spend most, if not all, of their high school years online.
For a small subset of students, Frisco Flex could make sense. Some students thrive in online environments, particularly those who are managing health issues, pursuing advanced coursework or balancing school with work or extracurricular activities.
Opinion
But virtual learning shouldn’t be adopted just because students like it or because it is convenient. Education must be judged based on how well it prepares students for life after graduation — whether that be college, technical training or the workforce.
The pandemic was an unplanned experiment in online learning, and the results were, to be kind, disastrous. Many students fell behind academically and socially. Learning loss was widespread and deep, and we are still trying to recover. We should be careful about future forays into online instruction.
While some students may benefit from more flexible learning options, the majority need to be in classrooms, interacting with their peers and teachers and physically present at school to succeed.
Frisco ISD already operates RAIL, an asynchronous program focused on credit recovery and acceleration that blends in-person and virtual support.
District officials said students who thrive in online instruction would be a good fit for Frisco Flex, while those who would benefit from in-person instruction and assistance would be suited to RAIL.
The early years of the Flex program should be treated as a test run, and the district should be careful about expanding too quickly or assuming it can replace in-person instruction for most students.
The district will also have to think about how students will transition between in-person and online school. What happens if virtual learning isn’t the right fit for a student? What is the process for students who begin online and later want to return to a traditional campus?
District officials told us full online capacity will be limited to 1,000 students, but that right now there is no limit on the number of students enrolled in the hybrid program or who take a few classes online.
High school students may be tempted to opt for online classes if they are easier or give the impression that they can slack off and still get by, but the goal of education isn’t convenience; it’s preparation for life after graduation.