Illinois Digital Learning Landscape
Illinois Virtual Schools & Academy, a DLC State Affiliate, was instrumental in conducting the research for this profile.
| State virtual school? | NO |
| Multi-district fully online schools? | NO |
| Online learning requirement for graduation? | NO |
| State approval process for online providers? | YES |
| State approval process for online courses? | NO |
Illinois has several district-level online and blended schools, and there is an online program of the Lake County Regional Office of Education that enrolls students across the state and functions much like a state virtual school. There are no multi-district fully online schools in the state.
Beginning on January 1, 2020, The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) stopped directly funding their state virtual school (Illinois Virtual School), moving to a course choice model where LEAs may select courses from approved providers through the ISBE’s Illinois Virtual Course Catalog. The course providers were selected as part of a competitive bidding process. Providers are contracted for two years. Course costs vary by provider, but once approved for inclusion in the catalog, may not be changed. LEAs who enroll students in one of the course choice providers are eligible to receive partial or full reimbursement for the cost of tuition subject to available appropriations by the General Assembly and program qualifiications.
In October 2022, Illinois Virtual Schools & Academy (IVSA) was approved to operate the ISBE Illinois Virtual Course Catalog, and is administered by the Lake County Regional Office of Education. It opened on June 1, 2022 following the closure of the Illinois Virtual School in June 2022. IVSA continued the supplemental program established by IVS and expanded to serve full-time students. IVSA continues to partner with local schools; students remain enrolled in their local school. IVSA also contracts with multiple districts to provide whole class solutions for schools dealing with teacher shortages. IVSA is funded by a combination of grants and private funding, along with resources from the Lake County Regional Office of Education.
IVSA served approximately 1,500 students during the summer of 2022 and over 1,000 students for fall 2022. The defunct Illinois Virtual School supported 3,527 course enrollments during the fall 2021 and spring 2022 terms before it closed its doors.
District online learning activity includes:
Chicago Public Schools’ Virtual Academy offers full-time online learning for grades PK-12.
The Academy at Cambridge Lakes Charter School, a hybrid school that served K–12 students in District 300.
Indian Prairie School District 204 offers elective online courses for district students at no cost during the regular school year.
Naperville Community Unit School District 203 offers online and blended high school courses taught by district teachers.
Cambridge Academy at Cambridge Lakes Charter School is a hybrid school that has served K–12 students in District 300. A number of districts have begun developing and expanding their course offerings to include fully online options such as Indian Prairie School District 204 and Naperville Community Unit School District 203.
State Policies
No major legislation impacting online and/or blended learning was passed January through October 2022.
HB2448 (Public Act 96-0684, 2009) allowed school districts to establish “remote educational programs” and count these enrollments toward the general state aid formula. The law required the program be delivered in a classroom or other traditional school setting, and on days the district is in attendance during the regular school year. In 2011, HB3223 (Public Act 97-0339, 2011) amended the law by allowing districts to receive state funding for students in a remote education program delivered “in the home or other location outside of a school building” and on any day of the year. A district must create board policy and a remote education plan and submit them to the state board of education. Participating students remain enrolled in the local school attendance center and are required to participate in local and state assessments.