BRISTOL, Tenn. (WCYB) — Tennessee Online Public Schools or TOPS has been in action for 13 years in the state of Tennessee and in a few weeks, they're opening enrollment for the next school year.
TOPS is a K-12 virtual public school with roughly 350 students enrolled statewide.
They're in partnership with Greeneville City Schools, which oversees k-5 and Bristol Tennessee City Schools, which runs 6-12th.
Tennessee Online Public Schools uses a public school curriculum and has certified teachers.
We offer a flexible schedule, it's a rigorous curriculum that is created by our teachers, ours is designed specifically for our students, our teachers edit and change based on what our students need, said TOPS K-5 Principal, Lindsey Weeden.
TOPS K-5 Principal, Lindsey Weeden walked me through a typical day for elementary students.
They are more with live classes, so they are more synchronous, they join in the mornings with their teachers, live English class, they might have small groups based off their learning level, exercise art music, said Weeden.
And for 6th through 12th grade.
A lot less live classes, it's more asynchronous, where students can just login and access work that the teachers have already created. Working students or if they are involved in extra curriculars, they have the flexibility to achieve their dreams and desires, said Weeden.
Weeden told News Fives Natalea Hillen about the benefits of online public school.
Getting those skills to be responsible and organizing, they’re already ahead of their peers because in online school you do have to take ownership of your learning, said Weeden.
Kingsport Resident, Teresa Scott has her two children, Branson, 11, and Phoebe, 8, enrolled in TOPS.
I feel like my kids are thriving in the online program. In the beginning, my son had a little bit of trouble with reading, he has grown so much, he's an excellent reader and writer and my daughters reading is wonderful as well, said Teresa Scott.
Branson is in 5th grade and Phoebe is in 2nd grade, they told me how much TOPS has positively impacted them.
At TOPS, I have made a lot of friends over the years. I have learned things that I enjoy and like that I don’t think I would be able to realize with regular school, said 5th Grade TOPS student, Branson Scott.
I feel like I have really come far and I really like it, said 2nd Grade TOPS student, Phoebe Scott.
Weeden said throughout the year, they even do in person social interactions across the state of Tennessee.
Oftentimes families will come to us because they don't want their child to lose that social interaction. Friday we went to the Nashville Zoo, said Weeden.
There's no cost to enroll in the program.
TOPS enrollment will be opening on April 1st.