Once upon a time it was fairly easy to choose an online high school. There were so few choices that you requested information, looked it over, and made a decision. Elapsed time? Twelve minutes.

However, there are now over two hundred online high schools. How do you make a choice based on that number? It really is not all that difficult if you follow these five tips:

1. Look at the cost. While cost alone should not be the sole determiner, it helps to be able to compare (particularly when some are free).
2. Ask for referrals. If you are in a homeschooling group and/or participating in a homeschooling or distance learning website, ask others what they have decided (and why they went in that direction).
3. What do the experts say? Yes, there are a few online high school experts. Do a Google search under "online high schools" and "free online high schools" and you will find a few.
4. How much of the program is online? Some programs, even though they are advertised as being online, really are only offered partially in that format.
5. Is the program synchronous or asynchronous? For some, this is the single-most important question. Synchronous means that all of the students in the class meet together at the same time (like traditional schooling). Asynchronous means that you may log on whenever you desire to do your work. There are pluses and minuses to both; choose based on how you do well.

While there are many other factors involved in making such decisions, this is a good place to begin.