By Matthew Stolle The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

This fall, for the first time, Rochester parent Lizzi Clobes plans to "send" one, if not two of her three school-age children, to an online school.

The biggest reason: an online school, Clobes says, offers a more conducive environment for the unique learning style of her eldest son, Dawson, who has special needs and was occasionally overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Rochester middle school he attended. He was also occasionally bullied at school, she says.

Clobes reached her decision Thursday after attending an open house hosted by three public online schools whose growth has mirrored the growing popularity of virtual education. Thursday's event was held at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in southwest Rochester and drew about 80 parents and children, organizers say.

The open house, called "Discovery Day," underscores the changing landscape of K-12 education. Parents today have a diverse array of educational options to choose from. Where once parents were limited to public or private schools, that menu of options now includes choice schools, charter schools, online schools, home-schooling or schools outside their home district.

"I think it's absolutely phenomenal," Clobes said about the online options now available to parents.

Online schools capture only a tiny fraction of the students who reside within the Rochester School District. According to figures compiled by Rochester Public Schools, only about 100 Rochester students attended a virtual school in 2010-2011, the latest year for which figures are available. While only a small demographic blip, it stands in contrast to the fact that eight years ago there were no Rochester kids going to online schools.

Online options growing

Events like the one held Thursday attest to the potential for growth among online schools. Jennifer Houghton, marketing manager for K12, the Virginia-based company that supplies curriculum to the three online schools, said that when she first hosted open houses four years ago, "no one came to my visits." Now an average turnout at metro-area events is between 400 and 600 people.

The three online schools represented Thursday were the Minnesota Virtual Academy, Insight School of Minnesota and iQ Academy Minnesota. The virtual academy, a Houston-based school that opened in 2001 with 30 students, enrolled 2,100 students last year, Houghton said.

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Families explore online education