Houston Virtual FAQs

The District is offering parents an option to apply for Houston Virtual for the 2025-2026 school year for students in grades 6 -12.  The application will be available through the student’s primary guardian Infinite Campus parent portal from 8:00 am on January 17, 2025 to 4:00 pm on January 31, 2025.

All current students will automatically be enrolled for in-person instruction; no action is necessary.  If, however, the parent prefers virtual instruction, an application is required so the District is informed of this preference. 

To participate in Houston Virtual distance learning, students must:

• commit to virtual learning for the entire 2025-2026 school year, which ends May 20, 2026;
• have reliable internet access at home;
• be available for instruction during regular school hours;
• log-in and participate in the class to be counted as present for the day;
• meet all academic and attendance requirements;
• take district and state-mandated standardized test in-person; and
• be enrolled or eligible for enrollment in the Houston County School District.

Courseware is the software used by middle and high school virtual students. The virtual courses are aligned to state standards and supported by professionally qualified teachers who interact with students by posting assignments, grading assignments, and messaging to distribute information and answer questions. Courses are offered in math, science, language arts, social studies, career and technical education, world languages, and electives.

Teachers will contact their students through their school email and other communication tools. Middle and high students will access Courseware through the district link. Teachers will respond through email, phone calls, texts, and other communication tools.

Yes, students will remain enrolled in virtual learning for the entire 2025-2026 school year, which ends May 20, 2026 unless removed for academic or attendance reasons.

The availability of teacher support after hours will be based on the teacher’s individual schedule, just as it is for on-campus school. High school students participating in Houston Virtual will be able to receive face-to-face support at the Houston County WIN Academy Virtual Learning Lab, Monday through Thursday, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 pm.

Yes, teachers will use the digital learning platform to review student work and offer feedback.

Virtual students will not be given textbooks. All assignments and support resources will be online.

Students who attend school and those learning virtually will follow the same curriculum and pacing guides. Just as lessons vary by teacher from classroom to classroom and school to school, one can expect variances in virtual learning since students work at different levels. In addition, there will be some variance in pacing by nature of the delivery model, with virtual students learning through digital platforms.

Houston Virtual students will be expected to attend virtual classes daily throughout the semester.

Attendance will be taken by attending scheduled Zoom sessions and completing work through Courseware.

No, decisions are for the entire 2025-2026 school year.

School activities and extracurriculars are for students who attend school on campus. 

Yes. Students will be assigned a virtual schedule based on their course needs.

Students will be given a course schedule of times to meet with their teachers for lessons and support. Students will also work on assignments independently at other times.

Students will receive information about assignments and grading expectations during the first week of school.

Middle school students are offered the following electives and CTAE courses:

• Health
• Physical Education
• Business & Computer Science
• Information Technology

High school students are offered the following electives:

• Health/Personal Fitness
• Spanish 1 and 2
• Music Appreciation
• Art appreciation
• College and Career Prep
• Principles of Health Science
• Principles of Accounting 1-2
• Legal Environment of Business
• Principles of Information Tech
• Personal Finance. 

Yes, high school students will be offered Spanish 1 and 2.

No, high school students will not be offered AP classes through Houston Virtual.

During the new student enrollment process at Central Registration, families will have the option of applying for Houston Virtual. Transfer records will be required for application consideration.

Houston Virtual teachers are professionally qualified educators employed by the Houston County School District.

Virtual teachers will be assigned classes based on the enrollment for the district by grade level and/or course. Teachers may or may not be from a student’s zoned school.

Please visit www.hcbe.net between January 17-31, 2025, to complete an online form using Infinite Campus.

Yes, students accepted into Houston Virtual will receive their support services if they can be provided virtually. If not, students will need to attend in-person school.

Our gifted eligible students will receive their gifted curriculum through their assigned teachers. Lessons will be aligned with state gifted standards.

Gifted students will be taught the gifted curriculum through their assigned teachers. Lessons will be aligned with state gifted standards.

Middle school gifted students will be assigned lessons using the Apex digital learning program with differentiated lessons and enrichment components.

The following honors courses are offered to our high school students:

• 9^th Grade Literature
• 10^th Grade Literature
• American Literature
• British Literature
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Algebra I
• Geometry
• Algebra II
• World History
• U.S. History
• U.S. Government and Politics.

School activities and extracurriculars are for students who physically attend school.  Houston Virtual students will not be allowed to participate in school activities.

District and state-mandated standardized tests will be taken in person.

Parent-teacher conferences may be scheduled virtually using Zoom or may be held by phone.

Visit the school and district websites for the most current information.

Please update your contact information in Infinite Campus (IC), following the directions on the IC webpage.  You must first have an account to access your student’s record in the parent portal.  If you need an account, directions are also provided for the first-time users. 

IC is also used to register for Houston Virtual, so before registering your child for distance learning, please update your email address and phone numbers to include cell, work, and any other numbers.  It is very important to verify your information to ensure that you receive announcements pertaining to Distance Learning.  

Please visit the Houston County School District website at www.hcbe.net .  One may also call the Houston Virtual helpline at 478-988-6145.