Number of Independent Study Students Increases by 300%

With so many students having now had experience with distance learning because of COVID, it appears an increasing number of them actually prefer it, even though the schools are now open physically.

Monrovia Schools Public Information Officer, Gustavo Olguin, reports that the number of students opting for independent study - much of which is virtual - has increased by 300% since 2019.

In 2019, Olguin said, enrollment in Monrovia's Mountain Park School -- which focuses on independent-study -- was just under 50. In 2020 it was around 80, and this year it is about 200.

"Mountain Park [https://is.gd/mShOlj] helps provide the option of independent study for families wanting a more flexible class schedule while attending grades K-12," Olguin writes. "Around 90% of students from MP are accepted directly to post-secondary education or the military."

- Brad Haugaard