About 2,500 students have enrolled in Oregon Connections Academy, Oregon’s biggest online charter school, for this fall, Principal Todd Miller reported this morning.

That is roughly the same number of students who enrolled during the past few years and 200 fewer than would have been allowed under a state-imposed enrollment limit that the Legislature removed this year.

Under the new law, which generated huge amounts of controversy, Oregon Connections Academy could enroll up to 16,000 students or more from all over the state. But so far, interest is nowhere near that high, Miller indicated.

Leaders at Oregon Virtual Academy, Oregon’s second-largest online charter school, were not available this morning to report enrollment levels at that North Bend-based virtual school.

UPDATE: Jim Moyer, head of school for OrVA, called to say the school has enrolled 960 students for this fall, up from the previous limit of 600 students. He noted that the school is not close to enrolling enough students to reach the enrollment cap of 1,430 that the state established for the school this fall. It was that cap that lawmakers did away with.

Miller said several factors have limited new enrollment in Oregon Connections Academy so far, including a lack of knowledge that the school exists, given that it has no physical presence outside of small-town Scio, where the school is based.

Miller said many families and school system officials are unaware that the enrollment cap has been lifted and new students won’t be turned away or placed on a waiting list. He said the school also is off limits for some families because an adult “learning coach” such as a parent or grandparent must be available to stay home with the student each day.

Although Oregon Connections Academy’s school year begins Tuesday — a week earlier than most Oregon public schools — Miller said he expects more students will enroll during September as families turn their attention from summer vacations to school.

Oregon’s teachers union was infuriated that lawmakers voted, as part of a larger package of education bills, to lift the enrollment limits on statewide online charter schools. The group gave Fs to Democratic lawmakers who generally support union rights and school funding because of their vote to allow more students to enroll in online charter schools.

For the rest of the article, go to Oregon Connections Academy enrollment flat, despite controversial law lifting limits

Oregon Connections Academy will host a free informational meeting next week in Hillsboro for families interested in learning about its online program and individualized approach to education.

A special Parent-to-Parent meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, at the Starbucks, 1221 NE 48th Ave., Hillsboro.

Oregon Connections Academy, the state’s largest virtual public school, provides exceptional home-based public education to students in grades K-12 who reside anywhere in the state.

For the rest of the article, go to Oregon Connections Academy slates info meeting in Hillsboro