What Virtual High School does

Virtual High School (VHS) is a fully online private school offering Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) credit courses to secondary students (Grades 9-12) globally. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Bayfield, Ontario, the school has been inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Education since inception (BSID#665681) and has accumulated 100,000+ course enrolments across 130+ countries. It operates a wholly-owned subsidiary, Virtual Elementary School (VES), extending the platform into Grades 1-8.

The school's core product is a catalog of 70+ self-paced courses delivered through the D2L Brightspace learning management system, integrated with third-party proctoring for final exams, accessibility tools (ReadSpeaker text-to-speech, pacing tool, alt text, closed captions), and free one-on-one online tutoring with subject-matter experts. All courses are available in both standard and Fast Track formats — the Fast Track tier adds guaranteed 24-hour teacher email response and 2-day assessment grading at no additional base price. An in-house media team produces proprietary course content including animations, videos, and interactive media. Course completion can occur within an 18-month self-paced window with no scheduled logins or fixed assignment deadlines.

VHS operates a direct-to-consumer, self-serve enrollment model via its website, with per-course one-time tuition of up to $589 CAD for Canadian students and up to $814 CAD for international students. Six customer segments are explicitly served: Ontario students seeking supplementary credits, out-of-province Canadians, international students, homeschool families, mature students (18+), and Grade 8 Reach Ahead students. Distribution relies on organic search, content marketing, and formal transcript-reporting relationships with the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) and Ontario College Application Service (OCAS). The company employs 100+ certified Ontario Teachers plus dedicated guidance, administrative, and in-house media staff. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and no external funding rounds are reported.

Name

Virtual High School

Legal name

Virtual High School

Website

https://virtualhighschool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Virtual High School is an online private school offering Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) credit courses to students in 130+ countries via the D2L Brightspace platform, serving Ontario, out-of-province, international, homeschool, mature, and Grade 8 Reach Ahead students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Time Virtual K–12 Schools (Statewide/Cyber Charters & District Programs) (EDAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Virtual School Course Providers (Single-Course/Part-Time Enrollment) (EDAJADAE), Virtual/Online Charter Schools (EDAJACAD), Virtual Test Prep & Online Supplemental Instruction (K–12) (EDAJADAI)

Keywords

• Online secondary education
• OSSD credit courses
• Online tutoring services
• Self-paced learning
• High school diploma

Headquarters

HQ city

Bayfield

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Course Tuition (Domestic Canadian Students): Per-course tuition fee covering full cost of completing a standard VHS course. Standard courses include 5-day grading turnaround for assignments and tests. Additional administrative services (course transfers, extensions, document requests) incur separate fees.
2. Course Tuition (International Students): International students pay a slightly higher tuition rate than Canadian students, reflecting additional international student fees (up to $814 CAD for international tuition).
3. Fast Track Courses: Premium version of any course with guaranteed 24-hour teacher email response times, 2-day assessment grading, and prioritized administrative support. Standard tuition rate applies with Fast Track toggle selected.
4. Administrative and Service Fees: Additional fees for Equivalent Credit Assessments, OUAC account creation, post-secondary document requests, courier fees, course transfers, and course extensions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Virtual High School is a fully online, Ontario Ministry of Education-inspected private school (BSID #665681) that delivers self-paced Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) credit courses to students in Grades 9–12 via the D2L Brightspace learning management system. Its core offerings comprise 70+ standard and Fast Track courses, supported by free online tutoring, integrated proctored final exams, accessibility tools, student records management, and post-secondary application services. Students from 130+ countries enroll directly through the website year-round, with an 18-month completion window and no scheduled deadlines.

Product overview

Virtual High School is a fully online private school offering Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) credits through a self-paced, flexible learning platform. The core offering consists of 70+ standard online courses delivered via D2L Brightspace, supplemented by Fast Track accelerated courses with guaranteed turnaround times. Supporting services include free online tutoring, built-in accessibility tools (ReadSpeaker, pacing tools, alt text, closed captions), accommodations and IEP implementation, online proctored exams, student records management, and post-secondary application support through OUAC and OCAS. Financial aid is available through bursaries (John Smallwood Bursary, International Student Bursary) and scholarships (Julie O'Rourke Memorial Scholarship, Ed Sommerville Memorial Scholarship). Specialized programs include a Reach Ahead program for Grade 8 students and prerequisite/equivalent credit assessment services for students transferring from other educational systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Standard Online Courses (OSSD Credits)
• Fast Track Courses
• Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) Program Full diploma program that awards the Ontario Secondary School Diploma upon completion of required compulsory and optional credits, literacy requirements, and community involvement hours. Inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Education and accepted by universities and colleges worldwide.
• Reach Ahead Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ course enrolments completed to date
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• D2L (Desire2Learn) — Brightspace LMScoreTechnology or IntegrationD2L's Brightspace Learning Management System is the core technology platform powering VHS's online learning environment. All course content, assignments, tests, and grading are housed within the Brightspace platform. VHS accounts include a Student Handbook course with navigation training for the LMS. Third-party tools (proctoring, chat) are integrated into the LMS.
• Third-Party Proctoring Partner (Online Exam Supervision)coreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party proctoring service fully integrated into the Brightspace learning environment for secure, recorded supervision of closed-book final exams. Exam sessions are recorded and reviewed to ensure academic integrity. Service is free for VHS students.
• Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVHS maintains formal account relationship with OUAC for sending official enrolment notifications, midterm reports, and final report cards for VHS students applying to Ontario universities.
• Ontario College Application Service (OCAS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVHS maintains formal account relationship with OCAS for sending official enrolment notifications, midterm reports, and final report cards for VHS students applying to Ontario colleges.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Blyth Academy Online: Canadian private online high school offering Ontario secondary credits with self-paced and live options. Closest direct OSSD-issuing competitor to VHS with overlapping target segments (Ontario supplemental, international, homeschool).
• Toronto eSchool: Ontario Ministry-inspected private online school granting OSSD credits to domestic and international students. Competes head-to-head with VHS on per-course OSSD enrollment and university prep pathways.
• Ontario Virtual School: Ontario-based private online secondary school issuing OSSD credits. Direct competitor on supplemental and full-time online enrollment, including international student programs.
• Proactive Education: Ontario online private school offering OSSD credit courses with self-paced delivery and teacher support. Comparable self-serve, course-by-course enrollment model aimed at Ontario and international students.
• Canadian Independent College (Online Pathways): Ontario-licensed private secondary institution with online course delivery options for OSSD credits. Competes in the same supplemental and full-time online segment with similar international student positioning.

Regional players

• Independent Learning Centre (ILC): Publicly funded Ontario secondary school offering online credit courses at no cost to Ontario residents. Same curriculum and credentialing authority but no tuition; defines the price floor VHS competes above.

Broad incumbents

• Stride / K12 Inc. Largest US-based online K-12 provider offering full-time and supplemental online schooling at scale. Provides benchmark for technology, content breadth, and institutional partnerships that VHS would need to match to expand beyond Ontario.
• Florida Virtual School (FLVS): Long-established US state-funded virtual school offering K-12 online courses to a global student base. Comparable in scale and breadth, with similar self-paced delivery model and proctored exams.

Emerging players

• Outschool: Online marketplace for live and self-paced K-12 supplemental classes. Adjacent model to VHS's supplemental course offering; potential substitute at lower price points for credit-bearing supplementary learning.
• Varsity Tutors: Online tutoring and test prep platform offering 1:1 instruction and group classes. Comparable to VHS's free tutoring layer; could disrupt demand for credit courses if families unbundle instruction from credentialing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/therealvhs
• Facebookfacebook.com/VirtualHS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/virtual-high-school

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Virtual High School