About BYU OHS

BYU Online High School offers students a unique and personalized learning experience for students. Whether you’re interested in history, geography, or science, you will be able to have fun and learn in a way that works best for you.

Mrs. Elise Hatton, a secondary science teacher for BYU OHS, has taught both in-person and online. Her favorite part of being an online teacher is seeing how online technology allows BYU OHS to become a true “worldwide campus.”

"We have, this year, students on all six habitable continents,” Hatton said.

It can be a challenge to figure out which classes you want to take in high school. You have some freedom to pick and choose when it comes to your electives, but not so much when it comes to the core classes.  

Most high schools have a required curriculum that every student must take in order to graduate, and it generally looks something like this: 4 years of English, 3–4 years of math (3 is required; 4 is optional), 2–3 years of history/social studies, and 2–3 years of science. 

BYU Online High School is a full-time, diploma-granting, private high school that seeks to provide an exceptional education at an affordable cost. BYU OHS offers an outstanding learning experience that is also an outstanding value.

Last year was the inaugural school year for BYU Online High School, and for many students, it was their first time trying anything like it. Some students were transitioning from traditional public schools, so learning to navigate online school was a new experience for them. Other students had been homeschooled, and adapting to BYU OHS’s structured online environment presented an entirely different challenge.

BYU Online High School helps students maximize their high school experience and gain strength in all aspects of their lives. Staff and administrators seek to provide educational experiences that fulfill the Aims of a BYU Education: Spiritually Strengthening, Intellectually Enlarging, Character Building, and Leading to Lifelong Learning and Service.  

While BYU Online High School may be all online—you won’t see students roaming the halls of this virtual institution—it still operates like a traditional high school with administrative personnel who manage all the details that happen behind the scenes. One of these administrators is Principal Brad Lester, who took time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about BYU OHS, how the high school runs, and what his hopes are for the coming year.