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Albany Virtual Academy rolls out rebrand and outreach as district aims to retain students
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Summary
District staff presented a rebrand of Albany Virtual Academy (formerly Albany Online), described hybrid and fully online models, current enrollment of about 275 students, and outreach plans to recover students who transferred or went to homeschooling.
Principal Shanna Pierce (speaker 20) presented the district’s newly rebranded Albany Virtual Academy (AVA), describing how staff combined two online platforms, expanded hybrid options and launched in-person onboarding to increase retention and serve students with medical or family constraints.
Pierce said the program grew from about 27 students when originally created to roughly 275 this year after diversifying platforms and offering both a full-time online option and a hybrid model for students who attend some classes at their boundary school. She told the board the district now uses K12 (Edmentum) and EdOptions as complementary platforms and that hybrid students can access in-person supports, tutoring, Chromebook checkout and monthly field trips.
Pierce described outreach plans: a July promotional campaign targeting families who transferred out or moved to homeschooling, in-person onboarding for families the program initially denies, and fresh signage and branding to distinguish AVA from other district programs. She said the program remains fiscally positive under current enrollment and pricing, with staff estimating approximately $3,500 per pupil in platform costs but overall net positive when staffing is included.
Board members asked about scalability, services for expelled students and dual enrollment; Pierce said the program can scale with staffing and currently serves expelled or medically homebound students as one of two district alternatives. The board praised the staff and noted the program’s potential to recover enrollment lost to other online providers.
What happens next: AVA staff will continue outreach, report back on retention results and pricing, and coordinate with school counselors to identify students who could benefit from hybrid or fully online options.
