Student migration into the Florida Virtual School soared after COVID-19 closed down campuses in March 2020.
From July 1 through Sept. 30, the statewide online education system (FLVS) reported more than 231,100 new course enrollments — a 57% increase — in its open-registration, part-time FLVS Flex program, according to school spokeswoman Tania Clow.
Clow also said FLVS Full Time, the 180-day online K-12 school, recorded 5,644 more students compared to last year after registration closed July 31, a 98% increase.
“FLVS admissions and registrations teams experienced a much higher than usual student application volume at the start of the school year,” Clow said, “and is continuing to see daily high enrollment numbers.”
For information about FLVS, which was founded in 1997 and expanded its curriculum and access across every Florida school district by 2007, visit flvs.net.
Since FLVS is funded per students who complete its courses, Clow said, the school won’t have data on how many Citrus County students were taught in 2020-21 until the end of its academic year.
Citrus County Florida Virtual School Student Enrollment
| School Year | FLVS Full Time | FLVS Flex | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019/20 | 76 | 1,334 | 1,410 |
| 2018/19 | 72 | 1,220 | 1,292 |
| 2017/18 | 73 | 1,154 | 1,227 |
| 2016/17 | 91 | 1,157 | 1,248 |
During the 2019-20 FLVS school year, roughly 9% more local students enrolled in FLVS Flex compared to prior years.
Asked if FLVS would consider the increased registration a result of the novel coronavirus shuttering brick-and-mortar campuses this past spring, Clow said the school doesn’t “have a data point to reference” in order to verify that.
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