Alabama virtual schools are offering families another public education option outside the traditional classroom, and a new change to state testing is making that model easier for some students to use.
Spring 2026 marked the first time students at Alabama’s full-time virtual public schools could take the ACAP state assessment from home.
Melanie Barkley, executive director of Alabama Virtual Academy, said the change helped her school exceed the federally required 95% testing participation rate for the first time in several years.
Before this year, students in grades 2-8 had to travel to one of 14 regional testing locations.
“You still could have a parent trying to get their student to the testing site that could be a two-hour drive,” Barkley said during a recent briefing with Alabama reporters.
“But this year, having remote ACAP testing, we were well over the 95% participation rate,” she said. “We were sitting at about 97.3, I believe.”
Alabama currently has three K12-powered, tuition-free virtual public schools serving students statewide: Alabama Virtual Academy through Eufaula City Schools, Alabama Destinations Career Academy through Chickasaw City Schools, and Legends Virtual Academy through Tuscaloosa County Schools.
Unlike homeschooling, students remain enrolled in the public school system. They are taught by Alabama-certified educators, follow state academic standards, complete assignments and attendance requirements, and participate in required state assessments.
Students learn primarily from home through a mix of live virtual instruction, independent coursework and regular communication with teachers.
Dr. Kisha Tolbert, executive director of Alabama Destinations Career Academy, said virtual schools can offer families another option when a traditional classroom does not fit their circumstances.
“They have an option now,” Tolbert said. “They don’t have to worry about, can I afford private, or do I have to homeschool my kid?”
Tolbert said remote testing has been particularly helpful for rural families and parents with several children who previously might have needed to miss multiple days of work to travel to testing sites.
The three schools also reported more than 50 new hires this year, including counselors, special education staff and math and reading interventionists. Legends Virtual Academy, which opened in August 2025 with about 200 students in grades K-11, has since added 12th grade and is preparing for its first graduating class in May.
School leaders acknowledged that academic performance remains an area for improvement, particularly in English language arts and math, while emphasizing that virtual students enter the programs with a wide range of academic needs and circumstances.
“Virtual schools is for anyone, but it may not be for everyone,” Tolbert said.
Sawyer Knowles is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
