Stanford Online High School

Stanford Online High School, usually shortened to Stanford OHS, is an independent online school for grades 7 to 12 that operates within Stanford University. Classes meet live over video in small seminars. Students log in from across the United States and dozens of other countries. Some Palo Alto area teenagers attend full time. Others take one or two courses alongside a public or private school. The school counts 1,092 students from 55 countries in its latest figures.

This page explains how the school works, its history, enrollment options, admission steps for fall 2027 and the tuition it lists for 2026 to 2027. It complements our private schools guide, which covers schools with physical campuses. We do not rank schools or report test results.

How Stanford OHS began

The school grew out of Stanford's Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY), which had offered online courses for years. Wikipedia says the program's director proposed a full online school in 2005. The Malone Family Foundation of Colorado funded the idea with a major gift in early 2006. The school opened on September 7, 2006 as a three-year high school for grades 10 to 12, with about 30 students in its first year.

The school's own timeline marks these milestones:

• 2007. Summer@Stanford, a two-week residential program on campus, begins.
• 2008. The University of California approves the school as an online course provider.
• 2009. A second Malone gift adds a middle school, extending the school to grade 7.
• 2012. EPGY is reorganized as Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies, which becomes the school's home.
• 2016. The school marks its 10th year.
• 2022. The school joins the Council of International Schools.
• 2025. A Stanford Middle School Scholars Program begins, preparing students from low-income backgrounds for demanding high school work.
• 2026. The school celebrates its 20th year.

It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the California Association of Independent Schools. Wikipedia describes it as the first online school accredited by CAIS. The school mascot is Pixel, a smiling digital character students chose in an online assembly.

How classes work

Stanford OHS was designed for online learning from the start. Most courses meet live twice a week, typically Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday. The school says classes usually have about 12 students and are built around discussion, with everyone on camera. Assignments, deadlines and recorded material live in an online course hub.

A few features set it apart from a traditional school:

• No classes on Fridays. Fridays are kept for more than 50 student clubs, all-school assemblies, guest speakers and independent work.
• Placement by ability. Students take placement assessments in each subject, so a class can mix grade levels.
• A philosophy core. A four-year interdisciplinary sequence covers the methods of science, the history and philosophy of science, political theory and critical reasoning. The high school core courses are required for a Stanford OHS diploma.
• Advanced courses. Wikipedia notes that the school stopped offering AP-branded courses in 2024 to 2025 and teaches many university-level courses instead.
• A global schedule. The school builds a new master schedule each year around students' time zones. It says it meets more than 90% of scheduling requests.

Each student has an academic advisor. Students also need a computer rather than a phone or tablet, plus a broadband connection steady enough for video.

Full time, part time or one course

The school offers three enrollment levels. In its latest breakdown 46% of students were full time, 12% part time and 42% took a single course.

Full-time students get college counseling and invitations to in-person events and regional meetups. Part-time and single-course students receive an official transcript and can join student life activities, but college counseling is reserved for full-time students. The school presents part-time and single-course enrollment as a way to supplement an in-person school or homeschooling. Check with your own school, such as Gunn or Paly, about how outside credits will appear on a transcript.

In person at Stanford and beyond

The school is online, but it does gather in person. The administrative office is at 415 Broadway in Redwood City, part of the Stanford Redwood City campus. Optional events the school lists include:

• Pixel Festival on the Stanford campus, usually in January or February, about $200 a ticket.
• Homecoming on the East Coast, usually in November, about $250.
• Pixel Gathering and Graduation Weekend in June, about $300 to $800.
• Summer@Stanford in August, a residential program costing about $6,000 to $7,000 for high school and $3,000 to $4,000 for middle school.

Travel is extra. Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies also runs summer programs open to students outside the school, described in our pre-collegiate programs guide.

How admission works

The school calls admission competitive and says it cannot admit every qualified student. Students enter only at the start of the school year in the fall. For fall 2027 entry the apply page lists:

1. An optional online interview track. Apply with all materials by November 11, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Recommendations and test scores for this track are not due until January 7.
2. The standard deadline of January 7, 2027, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
3. Decisions in March 2027.
4. An enrollment contract due 10 days after decisions are released.

The application fee is $100, with waivers by request. Wikipedia lists the main parts of the application as academic records, two essays, five short questions, two recommendations, an analytical writing sample and a parent questionnaire. Applicants who have not attended an English-language school for the past two years, including homeschoolers, must submit standardized test scores. Homeschooled applicants answer extra questions about their coursework in place of a transcript. Applicants can state a preferred enrollment level, but the school considers everyone for all three levels.

Financial aid

Stanford OHS offers need-based aid only. It does not give merit scholarships. The school says it awarded about $2.5 million in tuition aid for 2025 to 2026, plus about $100,000 toward books and in-person events. For most recipients aid covers 75% to 100% of tuition. Recipients can also get help with books and materials, Summer@Stanford tuition and event tickets, though not with travel, internet service or a computer. International families are eligible. New families file the aid application near the admission deadline. Fee waivers are available for both applications.

Visiting the area

Families who come for the Pixel Festival, graduation weekend or Summer@Stanford drop-off often combine the trip with a look around campus. You can compare hotels near Stanford or read our guide to staying near Stanford. Our Stanford visitor hub covers parking, tours and what is open.

Frequently asked questions