Parents who are dissatisfied with the virtual programs offered by local school districts are finding the solution for their children in cyber charters, writes Maddie Hanna for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

When he started investigating cyber schools, JT Anderson, a Downingtown father, landed on the website for the West Chester-based Pennsylvania Leadership Charter. On it, the school describes itself as the “#1 Best Online School in PA & Top 30 Nationwide,” which got his attention.

“This is not a practice session for them, like all the other schools,” said Anderson.

He decided to enroll his daughter Jessica, 14, and so far, she is happy.

The Pennsylvania Leadership Charter has seen a surge in enrollment this year. The school currently has 5,120 students, compared to last year’s 3,100. This has forced the charter to hire more teachers. However, the school is still not hiring teachers at the same rate it is gaining new students.

“We don’t want to be overstaffed,” said Jim Hanak, CEO of the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School. “What we don’t know is: Are we going to lose those 2,000 (students) as fast as we gained them?”

Read more about cyber charter schools in The Philadelphia Inquirer here.

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