MNOHS is an accredited online high school that focuses on building significant learning relationships among students, teachers, staff, and families. MNOHS has developed a unique community school model which uses collaborative technologies to bring geographically dispersed students closer—to the subjects they are studying; to a creative, connected learning community; and to their goals of completing a single course, earning a diploma, or attending college. The MNOHS student leadership program fosters civic and social participation by engaging students in community improvement projects at MNOHS and where they live.

MNOHS teachers are licensed Minnesota educators who create and teach their own unique courses in the virtual school environment. Each one begins with the question of what students will create and how they will share it with others. Students learn through authentic assignments and activities that require active participation and result in meaningful experiences. Teachers provide students with personalized and specific feedback that builds real relationships. Teachers also collaborate with one another and the support staff to design and improve the learning program and to promote each student’s success.

Students attend MNOHS by logging into the school’s virtual classroom and completing course work online, using a computer and the Internet. Under these conditions students learn time management skills and enjoy the autonomy of choice as they set their own daily or weekly schedules. At the same time, MNOHS provides real-time online support in a virtual (online) classroom where students work with a teacher 1:1, in small groups, of as part of a larger class. Students can work from anywhere they have access to a computer and the Internet, such as home, the library, or a community computer lab. Some students have even attended school while traveling!