For the first time in seven years, Lake County Virtual School has achieved an “A” rating from the Florida Department of Education, making a major turnaround for the district’s online learning program.

The school had previously held a “C” grade for the past two years and last earned an “A” in 2018. It received a “B” in 2019 and, according to principal Paul Miller, was on track for another “A” in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the evaluation process.

Principal Miller, who is a Mount Dora graduate himself and has worked for Lake County Schools for more than 20 years, said the pandemic years brought both challenges and rapid growth for the program. LCVS went from around 300 full-time students before COVID to serving approximately 7,000 full-time students at the peak of the pandemic. In response, the school expanded its course offerings, grew its Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Department and added a successful ACCESS Points program.

“Lake County Virtual School was greatly impacted by COVID as we grew quite dramatically,” Principal Miller says. “We have now found a new normal as an A school once again.”

LCVS offers multiple enrollment options, including full-time K-12 enrollment, part-time course instruction for students attending traditional Lake County schools and classes for home education students.

Miller credited the accomplishment to the dedication of the school’s staff.

“We are very proud of our rock star faculty and staff and the efforts they put into our school to ensure it offers the absolute best virtual education experience to ALL Lake County students,” he says.

For more information, visit lcvs.lake.k12.fl.us or follow Lake County Virtual School on Facebook.