How It Works
How Does Online Elementary School Work at GCPA?
Children learn best through hands-on exploration, and at GCPA, we encourage curiosity to engage K–5 students and spark a joy for learning. Online learning for elementary students works much like conventional school with the added convenience of a virtual platform.
Online Learning for Elementary Students
Students can learn from anywhere there’s an internet connection. At the same time, students enjoy a strong curriculum and consistent academic guidance to support their unique learning styles.
Students and parents have uninterrupted access to lessons and resources that help bolster advanced learning initiatives for all grade levels. On a typical day, students will attend online lessons, participate in seminar-based discussion, and complete hands-on assignments offline.
Webinar: How Online Learning Works at GCPA
Tune in to hear from our panel—including our Head of School—about what GCPA offers students and families across the U.S.
Mastering Lessons
In the elementary grades, students are required to show mastery of each lesson by achieving 80 percent or better on all lesson assessments. If your child is having difficulty mastering a lesson, let their homeroom teacher know as soon as possible. Teachers offer many support sessions to help students learn new concepts.
Working With Teachers
Teachers provide individual and small group assistance via online synchronous sessions called “Class Connects.” Students are expected to attend all required Class Connects and meet with their teacher to receive course assistance, tutoring, and instruction. Class Connects vary by grade level and are scheduled by your teacher.
Attendance
Attendance is logged Monday through Friday; however, academic progress can be achieved during the weekends as well. The daily amount of expected instructional time for K–5 is 5 hours.
- Grades K–2: Estimate approximately 4–5 hours of productive schoolwork five days per week
- Grades 3–5: Estimate approximately 5–7 hours of effective schoolwork five days per week
Testing & Assessments
Families enrolling at GCPA must be willing to participate in all required areas of the program, including K12 assessments, NWEA benchmark assessments, as well as other benchmark or course assessments when applicable.
Students are not required to take state assessments.
What’s my role as a parent?
As a parent, you (or another responsible adult you choose) serve as your child’s Learning Coach. You’ll work with your child’s teacher to help record student attendance, monitor mastery of online lessons and assessments, and review student work.
Parent/Learning Coach involvement is vital to your child’s success, especially at the elementary level. The typical Learning Coach time commitment in grades K–5 is 4–6 hours a day. The initial 4–8 weeks can be intensive, as your family settles into a routine.
For grades K–2, Learning Coach involvement is critical, and students spend approximately 10-15 percent of their time online.
For grades 3–5, students begin to have increased independence, but Learning Coach involvement is still essential. Students spend approximately 15-25 percent of their time online.
Who can attend online elementary school at GCPA?
The Grand Canyon Private Academy (GCPA) elementary school program serves students in grades K–5 who reside anywhere in the nation and in select countries. Contact enrollment for a list of eligible countries.
What are the costs?
Grand Canyon Private Academy has worked hard to offer private school prices that respect the commitment and investment families make when they enroll their children in private school.
Your costs will vary depending on whether you choose to enroll your student for one semester or the full year. We also have part-time course options. There may be additional costs associated with special education services, which could vary based on the level of services needed to properly support a student’s IEP/ISP/MET/504 plan.
Grand Canyon Private Academy participates in Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account. Arizona’s ESA fully covers GCPA’s tuition costs, meaning Arizona students can attend for free.
We also participate in Florida’s Personalized Education Program, which provides families with access to an education savings account to fund the education needs of Florida students who do not attend public or private school full-time. At GCPA, these funds can be used for online courses and tutoring.
Connect with a enrollment consultant for guidance.