<\/p>\n
A student works on a computer for online school. One of Texas’ largest online public schools abruptly closed earlier this month after years of failing ratings.<\/p>\n
Hearst Media File photo<\/p>\n
In an end-of-year meeting in May, staff at one of the largest public virtual schools in Texas<\/a> applauded their growth in a presentation titled: \u201cThe Year We Changed Our Story.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Leaders predicted the school, Lone Star Online Academy with 12,000 students, would improve dramatically in the state\u2019s rating system and go from an F to a C.\u00a0<\/p>\n Less than a month later, the school closed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The school\u2019s partner district, a small school system in West Texas, decided not to renew their contract with Stride K12, a publicly traded company that operates virtual schools across the U.S. The virtual school had been dragging down the rural district\u2019s accountability rating after years of F-ratings and was threatening the district\u2019s own accreditation.<\/p>\n RELATED: Virtual school enrollment has skyrocketed in Texas, up 1,200% in 10 years. Is it a new normal?<\/a><\/p>\n Still, the closure shocked staff. Educators wiped away tears and blew their noses as leaders announced the closure in an all-staff Zoom call on June 12, according to a recording obtained by the Houston Chronicle.<\/p>\n \u201cI assure you that this is not easy for any of us, and we are all here to support each other, and we will do everything we can to support you in whatever capacity you need,\u201d Chaille Hymes, Lone Star Online Academy\u2019s executive director, said. \u201cFrom the bottom of my heart, thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Virtual school is one of the fastest growing forms of alternative education<\/a> in Texas. In the past decade, student enrollment at public virtual schools<\/a> has increased 1,200%, in large part fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n But many students at the state\u2019s public virtual schools are struggling academically.<\/p>\n Last year, another Stride K12 school in New Mexico ended its five-year contract and then sued the company, according to NBC News<\/a>. The New Mexico district\u2019s former <\/a>superintendent slammed Stride K12, saying that their students were \u201ctaken advantage of\u201d and \u201charmed\u201d by the virtual school. The lawsuit was ultimately dropped, according to a March press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n NEWS: Cy-Fair ISD to open three virtual school options amid growing popularity of online programs<\/a><\/p>\n The Texas closure blindsided staff and families, and some new employees are now left without a job before next school year. One self-described veteran Lone Star Online Academy parent, NaTasha Brown, said school leaders were hopeful that test scores and increased attendance would lift the school\u2019s grade to a\u00a0C.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cFamilies had no reason to believe anything other than what they were told,\u201d Brown, who lives in Rosenberg,\u00a0said. \u201cWe ended the school year May 21st with the promise that we\u2019d be welcomed back in August.\u201d<\/p>\n Writing on the wall<\/p>\n Stride K12 leaders described the closure of Lone Star Online Academy as \u201csudden\u201d and “unexpected” on the call with staff, in emails to parents and on social media, where community members frantically commented on the school\u2019s most recent post, which was unrelated to the closure announcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n But for those who knew where to look, cracks had begun to show.<\/p>\n Lone Star Online Academy has earned an F from the state every year since it opened in 2021-22. Its partner district, Roscoe-Collegiate\u00a0ISD, also has earned an F since 2022, even though all of its in-person campuses, enrolling about 700 students, have A- and B-ratings.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n ALSO READ: HISD lost 8K students this year. Without a fast-growing online school, it would’ve lost thousands more<\/a><\/p>\n The virtual school wasn\u2019t just dragging down the district\u2019s accountability rating, which could trigger a takeover from the state after five years. It put Roscoe-Collegiate ISD’s entire accreditation at risk.<\/p>\n A public posting<\/a> from March showed that the district’s accreditation was being monitored for the past two years. In the 2024-25 school year, the accreditation came with a warning attached. This school year, it received a probationary accreditation, one step away from losing it altogether.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite those warnings, Stride K12 leaders told investors on a public earnings call<\/a> in late April that they were expecting a steady stream of contract renewals.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re very thankful that our existing clients remain, I think, really positive on our programs,\u201d James Ryu, chief executive officer for Stride K12, said on the call. \u201cClearly, we have partners that aren’t happy about things that have happened over this past year. But in general, they’re working collaboratively with us, and I think they’re pretty understanding.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear when the West Texas district\u2019s board decided to end its partnership with Stride K12, but representatives from the company said they were notified only days before announcing the closure to the community. Board meeting minutes and agendas<\/a> from this year do not mention any vote by the district’s board to not renew the contract. In early February, the agenda included an item to approve the virtual school calendar for the 2026-27 school year.\u00a0<\/p>\n The superintendent, Rose Burks, and trustees from Roscoe-Collegiate ISD did not respond to requests for comment on the decision or when it was made.\u00a0<\/p>\n NEWS: HISD virtual school working to appeal ‘D’ rating from Texas Education Agency<\/a><\/p>\n Stride K12 blamed Roscoe-Collegiate ISD for the closure on their website.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe district made the decision not to renew the contract. We cannot share additional details,\u201d the website reads<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n When reached for comment, Brooke Gabbert, communications director for Stride K12, said she was not able to explain the district’s decision but that the company was focused on finding a school for all affected families and jobs for employed teachers.<\/p>\n “We are focused on ensuring every LSOA student has a path forward for the upcoming school year and are working to make that transition as seamless as possible for families,” Gabbert said. “Despite the closure of LSOA, our presence in Texas remains strong.”<\/p>\n Two days before the June 12 announcement to staff and families, Stride K12\u2019s stock began to drop slightly by one or two points. By Monday, June 15, stock price plummeted nearly 15 points, according to Yahoo Finance<\/a>. The stock had not recovered by Thursday.<\/p>\n Lone Star Online Academy represented around 5% of Stride K12\u2019s virtual school enrollment and around the same share of its revenue.\u00a0Public financial documents <\/a>from Roscoe-Collegiate ISD show that the district paid Stride K12 around $130 million last year, which made up the bulk of the school district\u2019s total revenue of $160 million, according to an audit from last summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Roscoe-Collegiate district had plans to improve performance, including at the virtual school, according to the accreditation notice, such as adopting the state\u2019s Bluebonnet Learning materials<\/a>, analyzing student progress and building a stronger culture of accountability. Student achievement test data<\/a> from this year at the virtual school show marginal growth in some subjects, but students were still by and large failing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Of the 13 grade and subject tests with results available online, a majority of students only passed in two areas, seventh and eighth grade reading. The math results were dismal: The highest passing rate was 35% among sixth graders.\u00a0<\/p>\n Those scores drive accountability ratings, but leaders at Roscoe-Collegiate ISD did not wait for ratings to be released in August before shutting down\u00a0the virtual school.<\/p>\n STAAR 2026: Texas elementary, middle school STAAR results are out. See how your Houston-area school performed.<\/a><\/p>\n Still, at the all-staff meeting in May, Lone Star leaders celebrated how many students took the STAAR <\/a>and praised educators for increasing participation and growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hymes, the executive director,\u00a0pulled up a slide with a collage of photos of nine children. One held an accordion, another wore science lab goggles and a third student played the drums. Many of the students smiled wide.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are the faces of the kids that we\u2019re impacting. These are the kids that every single day you\u2019re pouring into. All of your hard work does something to contribute to their success,\u2019\u00a0Hymes said. \u201cThis is the reason why you keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n Hymes did not respond to a request for comment about the closure.<\/p>\n Out of a job<\/p>\n In an email from February obtained by the Chronicle, staff were directly assured that the school would remain open for the 2026-27 school year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI know some of you may be wondering whether LSOA will be open next year. The answer is yes \u2014 LSOA will operate for the 2026\u20132027 school year,\u201d Hymes wrote.<\/p>\n The leader said that the Texas Education Agency Commissioner would review accountability data from 2026 by the end of the upcoming school year to decide on the school\u2019s status for 2027-28.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat conversation is more than a year away,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Up until June, staff operated on that basis, even onboarding new employees for the 2026-27 school year.<\/p>\n Destiny Gutierrez joined Lone Star Online Academy in April to teach fourth grade starting this August. She was still in the onboarding process when she learned in June that the school was closing, and that her job would go with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n NEW SCHOOL: Conroe ISD moves its virtual school to an independent learning model from structured classes<\/a><\/p>\n Stride K12 told teachers who were already working they would try to find them positions at the company\u2019s other virtual schools and networks, but the same could not be said for all recently-hired teachers.<\/p>\n Gutierrez, who\u2019s based in East Texas, had previously worked at her local school district, but was looking forward to the new challenge of teaching students virtually.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy main frustration is the delay in being notified because in the teaching world, jobs are normally filled by June,\u201d Gutierrez said. \u201cIt also made me feel slightly stressed (and) uncertain because I thought I had secured a job since April.\u201d<\/p>\n When she posted on social media about the news, she quickly heard from other newly hired Lone Star Online Academy employees that they also were let go.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI feel so bad that many people will be jobless because of this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n New schools for August<\/p>\n Parents were equally stunned by the news, like Dana Rowley in the Houston area.<\/p>\n Rowley\u2019s daughter is going into third grade and has been at Lone Star Online Academy since the beginning of her school career.\u00a0<\/p>\n The mom said she chose virtual education for her daughter because she has autism and is nonverbal, and Rowley was scared that if she sent her to school in Houston\u00a0ISD, and something bad happened on campus, her daughter wouldn\u2019t be able to communicate about it. She was also worried about the safety of other children, she said, since her daughter would sometimes hit her head or throw things.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI was very sad when I found out they were closing. She had really great teachers who actually took the time and the care with her and her special education IEP needs,\u201d Rowley said.\u00a0<\/p>\n VOUCHERS: A loophole in Texas’ $1B voucher program allows Florida virtual school to sign up<\/a><\/p>\n She was one of the parents who was transferred to another Stride-operated virtual school, Texas Virtual Academy based out of Hallsville ISD, which is the largest virtual school in Texas<\/a>. Rowley heard good things about that program, but she said she is worried about how next year will go for her daughter.<\/p>\n \u201cI am very nervous for her, but I\u2019m just hoping that it\u2019s going to be like it was at the other school,\u201d she said. \u201cIf it\u2019s not, then I\u2019m going to have to make other arrangements.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But Stride K12 may not be able to place all students in one of their free virtual schools in Texas: the\u00a0Hallsville ISD program, Digital Academy of Texas based out of\u00a0Texarkana ISD and Texas Online Preparatory School in Huntsville ISD.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some students were offered a tuition-free spot at one of the company\u2019s online private virtual schools, Grand Canyon Preparatory Academy. For parents of students in kindergarten through second grade, that was the only option. No other Texas Stride K12-operated virtual schools serve students younger than third grade.\u00a0<\/p>\n RELATED:\u00a0School district size can change a student’s special education voucher by thousands of dollars<\/a><\/p>\n The company is waiving the $7,500 tuition at the online private school for this year, according to notices received by Lone Star Online Academy parents. But many are concerned about how they will pay next year, since a state law says students can only enroll in public virtual school if they attended public school the previous year.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to an explainer sent out to parents Thursday, Stride K12 said they will ensure that if the Grand Canyon Preparatory Academy is the only option for the family after next year \u2014 and the school doesn\u2019t get approved for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 then they will continue to provide a tuition-free enrollment to former Lone Star Online Academy parents in the 2027-28 school year.<\/p>\n However, the situation is more fraught for families with students in special education. If they move to a private school, they waive their federal rights to a free and appropriate education for their child. If parents choose to go to the private school, there is a special education track that costs as much as $30,000,\u00a0according to the website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brown, from Rosenberg, has run a parent support group for the online school on Facebook for the last four years. She had already decided not to enroll her daughter at Lone Star Online Academy next year, but she was surprised by the timing of the news and the way information was shared\u00a0with families.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just outraged by the way families are being handled,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect the status of a legal dispute between a New Mexico school district and Stride K12.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A student works on a computer for online school. 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