Other educators joined him, expanding the curriculum and helping turn the experiment into a fully online secondary school. In 2001, VHS received private school status from the Ontario Ministry of Education. The following year, the school awarded its first official Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) credit, marking an important step in its growth.
Baker’s original idea still guides the school’s approach to learning. Students can pursue an Ontario secondary education without organizing their lives around a fixed classroom timetable. They decide when to study and how quickly to progress, with certified teachers and academic support available throughout their courses.
Today, the Bayfield, Ontario-based school offers more than 70 courses across Grades 9 through 12 and has recorded over 100,000 cumulative course enrollments. Students can take individual courses to meet specific needs or work toward a complete diploma, giving them greater control over how they shape their education.
Giving Students Control of Their Time
A student preparing for university may need to complete one prerequisite before an application deadline. Another might be balancing schoolwork with athletic training, while an adult returning to education may have employment and family responsibilities.
VHS accommodates these different needs through year-round enrollment and self-paced courses. Students can register throughout the year and generally begin within 24 hours. Once enrolled, they receive access to the lessons and assessments through Brightspace, the school’s learning management system. With no scheduled classes or fixed assignment deadlines, students can plan their studies around their other commitments.
Each course has an 18-month completion period, giving students considerable flexibility in organizing their work. Some may choose regular weekday study sessions, while others may concentrate their learning during evenings or weekends.
Virtual High School gives students control over their learning schedules while maintaining the certified teacher support and academic standards needed to earn recognized Ontario secondary school credits.
Students facing tighter deadlines can also choose VHS’s Fast Track option. The service guarantees email responses from teachers within 24 hours and assessment grading within two days, along with prioritized administrative support.
The distinction is important. Fast Track does not remove the academic requirements. It makes the support and assessment process more responsive for students who need to complete their work within a shorter timeframe.
Students retain responsibility for their progress, but they have greater control over when that progress happens.
Independent Learning with Human Support
Flexible study does not mean students have to navigate difficult lessons alone.
Every VHS student is assigned a qualified teacher trained in online instruction. Teachers answer course-related questions and provide feedback on submitted assessments, helping students understand their progress and identify areas that need more attention.
The school also provides online tutoring at no additional charge. Students can schedule individual 20-minute virtual meetings with academic coaches who are subject-matter experts within VHS’s in-house academic team. These coaches have access to course materials and previous teacher feedback, allowing them to focus on the specific concepts a student is working through.
A student struggling with an algebra problem, for example, can meet with a tutor online and use a digital whiteboard to work through the concept rather than waiting for the next scheduled classroom session.
Tutoring adds another layer of support without replacing the student’s regular teacher. VHS also maintains dedicated guidance and administrative teams to assist with course selection, academic requirements and student records.
Together, these services give students the freedom to learn independently and access guidance when they need it.
Making Learning Accessible in Practice
VHS extends its flexibility into the design of the courses themselves.
Its built-in Pacing Tool helps students develop a study schedule around a preferred completion date. Once a student enters that date, the system suggests assignment timelines to help organize the remaining work.
These suggested dates are private and adjustable, giving students a way to manage their time without adding school-imposed deadlines.
Accessibility features give learners further control over how they engage with course content.
ReadSpeaker can read lessons aloud, adjust text size and change display colors. Its masking tool allows students to focus on a few lines at a time, while dictionary and translation features provide additional reading support.
Course materials also include alternative text for informative images, high-contrast visual content where needed, and captions or transcripts for audio and video resources. Students with Individual Education Plans or other accommodation needs can also request a review of appropriate support.
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Flexibility at Virtual High School extends beyond choosing when to study. Built-in accessibility tools, individual tutoring and academic guidance help students progress according to their circumstances.
These tools matter because flexibility involves more than choosing a convenient time to study. Students also need ways to engage with the material that accommodate their learning requirements.
VHS builds many of those options directly into the course environment, allowing students to use them as part of their everyday learning.
Different Starting Points, Recognized Goals
Students arrive at VHS with different educational histories.
Some remain enrolled at another school and take an additional course through VHS. Others are homeschooled, live outside Ontario or return to secondary education as mature students. International learners may also enroll to earn Ontario credits.
The school’s admissions and guidance processes account for these different starting points.
Students who completed prerequisite material outside Ontario may apply for a waiver when their previous education covers comparable curriculum content. Supporting academic documents are reviewed before eligibility is determined. For those pursuing a full diploma, VHS provides guidance on Ontario’s graduation requirements, helping students understand which credits and other obligations remain outstanding.
Although students may follow different paths, they work toward the same recognized academic standards. A student who needs Grade 12 Advanced Functions for university and an adult completing outstanding diploma requirements may have little in common in their daily schedules. Both, however, require a clear academic pathway and reliable documentation of the work they complete.
VHS accommodates those needs without requiring every student to follow the same route through secondary education.
Turning Online Coursework into Academic Progress
The freedom to choose when to learn is supported by formal assessment requirements.
VHS courses include assignments and unit tests that students complete through the online learning environment. Unit tests are timed and open-book, while final examinations are closed-book and monitored for academic integrity.
Once students meet the course requirements, they can arrange to write their final examinations online.
Official reporting connects their coursework to the next stage of education.
VHS provides midterm and final report cards and can communicate grades to a student’s main school, college or university. Its Guidance Team works with the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) and Ontario College Application Service (OCAS), helping students meet postsecondary reporting requirements.
When VHS maintains a student’s Ontario Student Record, it can also manage transcripts and issue the Ontario Secondary School Diploma once all graduation requirements have been met. More than two decades of online education have helped VHS build a system that connects flexible learning with recognized academic outcomes, even for students who never visit its physical office in Bayfield.
Yet the central idea remains closely connected to Baker’s first digital biology lessons. Students need access to education that fits their circumstances, but they also need teachers who can guide them and academic results that carry forward.
For a learner completing one final university prerequisite, flexibility may mean meeting an application deadline. For someone returning after years away from school, it may mean having enough time to rebuild study habits and regain confidence.
VHS makes room for both journeys, recognizing that students can follow different schedules while working toward the same academic standards. With the freedom to set their own pace and access instruction and support when needed, students can work toward goals that prepare them for the next stage of their education.
