FAQs About Online School at PALCS

The PA Leadership Charter School, PALCS, is a state-approved public cyber charter school for Pennsylvania students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Since 2004, PALCS has provided individualized online instruction with teacher curriculum created to its families. We currently serve over 3,100 students statewide.

PALCS students receive access to standards-aligned courses, taught by certified and highly qualified teachers. Teachers post engaging lessons, teach live virtual lessons, and help daily as students progress through the work. Support staff are available for guidance, technical help, and other student services.

We provide all the tools you need for cyber education. You’ll receive, on loan, a laptop computer and access to educational websites. Depending on what courses you take, you’ll also receive digital textbooks from many publishers, physical books, workbooks, and kits as needed.

PALCS families connect across the state by taking part in online lessons, attending field trips, and joining clubs and activities. You will also have access to several special programs for PALCS students. These programs encourage gifted and special education students, nurture performing and fine arts talents, and inspire young leaders. When you join our community, you become a part of our PALCS family!

PALCS provides a full cyber school experience for any student living in Pennsylvania in grades K-12. This is regardless of race, religion, sex, ethnic background, or any factor used for discrimination. Students under the age of 21 may attend to finish high school. Also, current school districts may not have expelled the student. We accept kindergarteners based on the start age of their local district.  Otherwise, as a public school, PA Leadership openly accepts all K-12 students in Pennsylvania.

As a public school, PALCS provides a free and proper education to any student in Pennsylvania who wishes to attend.

PALCS has about 3,100 students, so there may be about 3,100 reasons why families choose PALCS — each case is different! That said, we do meet families who have common goals and needs for their students.

Individualized Academics, Pacing and Scheduling

Cyber school allows students to work at a speed that fits their own learning needs. Students have a window of 1-2 weeks to complete work. This allows them to work ahead or spend extra time on assignments. This setup helps:

• Gifted students move faster than in other school settings
• Special ed students work in the safety and support of their homes
• Students take specialized courses rarely offered by local districts
• Children of families that travel often
• Athletes with complex schedules
• Those focusing on the arts who need extra time to grow their talents

PALCS is not just for students with unique schedules or needs. It is a great place for any student who has a supportive parent or guardian and would enjoy learning via the Internet.

Combining the best interactive curriculum with skilled teachers who are online every day helps students engage with the material. It also allows them to connect with their teachers more than in the traditional brick-and-mortar setting. Lastly, this setting allows some students to progress faster than in other schools.

Health, Safety and the Home Environment

Cyber school lessens negative social impact by reducing the risk of bullying, drugs, alcohol, gangs, fights, and the fear associated with an unsafe climate. Therefore, our school is ideal for students who have trouble attending school for health and social reasons.

PALCS is also a smart choice for young parents. We offer a teen parent support group.

Cyber school gives all the advantages of homeschooling without the added stress and workload placed upon homeschooling parents. Qualified, experienced teachers bring school into the safety and comfort of the student’s home. Parents or guardians can check student progress and give basic aid.

More so, ending time-wasters such as busing, changing of classes, lunch periods, and discipline issues allows students to complete their schoolwork much quicker than in a brick-and-mortar school. This gives families extra time to connect with their community. Students can build friendships within faith-based communities, community sports teams, neighbors, and other home-based learning groups.

Several factors make PALCS a unique cyber school experience, including:

• Flexible scheduling, as teachers post lessons in advance and are available 24/7
• PA-certified teachers, many with life experience in their subjects, giving direct instruction
• Families interacting daily with teachers as they host live classrooms, give individual feedback, and send daily messages to students
• Electronically recorded grades in a regularly updated gradebook accessible to students and parents at all times
• Curriculum from a variety of publishers, carefully chosen to work best in the home setting. We partner with the finest online curriculum companies, and many of our textbooks have online pieces.
• Teachers who design their own courses, drawing upon the best resources available, each lesson enhanced with the teacher’s personal style
• A tiered, complete course of study for grades K-12. Many courses are more rigorous than normal courses and all with extracurricular activities
• An emphasis on computer, typing, and writing skills from an early age. Good communication skills are important for effective leadership.
• PALCS is an independently run cyber charter program. Some other PA cyber charter schools are managed by national corporations or by local school district intermediate units.

Differences to look for among cyber schools tend to regard daily structure, curriculum, and teacher involvement.

We are proud of the work we do and our student accomplishments. You may wish to hear directly from PALCS families on our Facebook page, or read our #1 cyber school reviews on niche.com. We encourage families to peruse our website or contact us for details or discuss your specific situation and why PALCS may be the right fit for your family.

Legally, PALCS is a public cyber charter school and is uniquely different from homeschool. While PALCS students are learning at home and aided by a parent, the term “homeschool” in Pennsylvania almost always refers to students learning under the PA Home Education Law, which is a separate law from the Cyber Charter School law. In Pennsylvania, a parent or supervisor who chooses homeschooling selects their own curriculum and is 100% responsible for the instruction of the homeschool student. PALCS is a public school and as such, follows the same standards and requirements as traditional brick-and-mortar public schools. PALCS selects the curriculum, and instruction is delivered by PA-certified teachers. Parents serve as a support role and may be as involved in the teaching process as they desire. If a parent cannot be involved, their role still must be to keep the student motivated and connected to the teachers for the student to be successful.

Please view our Parent/Student Handbook.

PALCS is open 180 days and runs a schedule like other public schools with holidays, winter break and spring break. Traditionally, our first day is in September the day after Labor Day, and the school year ends in June.

Click to view our at-a-glance School Calendar. Our full school calendar can be found in PALCSchool.

PALCS does not offer summer courses to the public.

Please complete our Transcript Request Form to request your transcript from PALCS.

Title I is a federal program that provides financial aid to schools to improve educational opportunities for students.

A great deal of our Title I funding has been allocated to address the needs of all of our students. However, additional funds are allocated to students groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in achieving mastery on state assessments. This funding includes programs, personnel, and services that students have direct access to as well as professional development training for teachers on how to address the needs of these specific subgroups.

• All of our students – PALCS runs a Title I school-wide program so all students have access to programs, staff, and services purchased with Title I funds.
• Students experiencing homelessness – Title I funds are designated each year to support these students with transportation costs and access to resources they may not have access to otherwise.
• Low-income students – Traditionally, this group of students lacked access to resources that were often costly or inaccessible. With these funds, that’s no longer the case.
• English Learners – With the use of Title I funding, PALCS has developed strong English language development instruction for English learners. PALCS provides adaptations/ modifications in the delivery of content instruction and assessments by all teachers based on students’ language proficiency levels and the English Language Development Standards.
• Students with Disabilities – These funds ensure that programs and services that benefit students with disabilities are in place

The Title I grant budget items change somewhat year to year depending on our allocation, but our Academic Leadership team has worked hard to ensure that our Title I program aligns to all of our state-mandated school plans, including but not limited to, our Comprehensive and our School Improvement Plans.

Title I initiatives that remain from year to year: family engagement events and resources, professional development for staff, K-12 ed-tech programming, instructional supplies, and academic support staff such as instructional coaches and math interventionists.

PALCS provides a robust Special Education Program for students who qualify for an Individualized Education Program (IEP). PALCS staff are certified and qualified to provide the best support for our students with an IEP. Our Special Education Department has resource teachers who work directly with students, parents, and classroom teachers. 

Visit the Special Education section of our website for more information.

• On the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, PSAT, PALCS students scores on average  1112, higher than the state average of 954.
• On the 2024 Scholastic Aptitude Test, SAT, PALCS students scored on average 1193, higher than the state average of 1099.
• In 2024, 91% of PALCS students  received a 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement, AP, Exams.

PALCS strives to accommodate reasonable requests from parents based on religious beliefs. For example, parents who object to music instruction on religious grounds may opt their child out of music courses. However, core courses—such as Kindergarten reading, math, science, language arts, and history—cannot be replaced or omitted. In such cases, it is the parents’ responsibility to supplement the curriculum with their own religious teachings.

As a public school, PALCS is not permitted to provide sectarian religious instruction. However, courses like Comparative Religions and Introduction to World Religions may be offered. Parents may also request opportunities for religious instruction for their children that are facilitated by the school but not funded by it. Additionally, parents are free to provide religious instruction at home or form independent groups to support their beliefs. The role of the PALCS teacher is to neither encourage nor discourage any expression of religious beliefs protected by the U.S. Constitution.

In Pennsylvania, students cannot be enrolled in two full-time schools simultaneously, whether public, private, home, or charter schools. Students enrolled in PALCS are considered full-time PALCS students and must meet all PA state standards through our courses.

However, there are certain exceptions:

• Local School District Courses
  Some local school districts may allow a student to take a course within the district. This requires active participation and coordination between the local district, school, and teacher, and it often involves a fee. Parents are responsible for arranging this partnership.
• Vocational Technical Programs
  11th and 12th graders who meet specific enrollment and academic requirements may be eligible to participate in a vo-tech program. Information about these opportunities is available upon request.

At PALCS, we pride ourselves on our academically challenging, knowledge-based curriculum built around PA state education standards and requirements. For more information about courses we offer and curriculum details, please visit your student’s respective grade level page under our Academics section.

Yes, our academic program is designed to be flexible, allowing each student to work at a pace that suits their academic needs. While students have the flexibility to work at their own pace, it is important to note that there are assignment deadlines, marking periods, and  progress checks in place. These measures help students and parents monitor progress toward academic goals and ensures that students stay on track.

Teachers work closely with each student to ensure they are progressing appropriately within the assigned curriculum. Personalized assistance is available in the form of interventions or enrichment activities, tailored to meet the needs of each student.  

At PALCS, we prioritize strong connections between students and their teachers. Students can interact with their teachers through various online platforms, including live virtual lessons, one-on-one video conferences, email, and discussion boards. These tools provide ample opportunities for students to ask questions, receive feedback, and engage in meaningful discussions.

In addition to virtual interactions, PALCS offers field trips and in-person activities where students can meet their teachers face-to-face. These events foster personal connections and enrich the learning experience by bringing the online community together in real-world settings.

Our approach ensures that students have multiple ways to connect with their teachers, receive support, and build relationships that enhance their educational journey.

PALCS provides a Windows laptop computer with all software and internal storage needed to hold all school programs and files. The laptop has a built-in webcam and microphone. Families also receive a headset with microphone and a three-in-one printer/copier/scanner. PALCS provides one ink cartridge per student per school year upon request. PALCS does not provide paper for printer/copier/scanners. Desktop computers may be provided to families with special circumstances upon request.

The school warranties equipment for normal wear and tear. Therefore, parents are responsible for damage to the computer. 

PALCS computers are not available for purchase. Students who withdraw or graduate from PALCS must return all equipment to the school, including computer system and textbooks. PALCS will provide a prepaid return label, enabling the parent to return this equipment with no cost to the parent.

There are some courses that have students use added software for tasks such as word processing, audio recording, and advanced math notation. In most instances, that software is open-source software that you can use on home computers as well as the school computer.

Families are welcome to use their own computers to access our website and do school work, but we do not support personal computers for any technical difficulties.

“PALCSchool” is the PALCS school system. PALCSchool is a collection of learning management platforms, including Canvas, as well as other educational websites.

• Multiple lesson types that take full advantage of the Internet, with embedded images, sound, and video, as well as links to external educational websites
• Multimedia classrooms with real-time features, including voice and text chat, interactive whiteboard, and synchronized web browsing
• Flexible testing that challenges even the most gifted student
• Automatically graded tests that produce instant results and explanations of correct answers; also, the ability for teachers to grade and respond to open questions
• Instantly updated grades to a student online progress report, available to both parents and students
• Access to the most complete, up-to-date curriculum through digital versions of many of our textbooks
• The ability to communicate with each teacher and student in several modes, including lectures, guided discussion, free discussion, multimedia classrooms, and PALCSmail, which is an internal resource and protected from spam

Sometimes. We require students to log on every school day, Monday through Friday, with exceptions for holidays. Generally, we do not need students to log on at any specific hour of the day, nor do we need them to be online for any minimum length of time if they log on at some point during the school day. The system records attendance for the day once a student logs on. Then, he or she should check announcements, PALCSmail, and lessons for all classes. Once the student completes lessons, the student can choose to end school for the day or choose to work ahead. This is particularly convenient for students who have part-time jobs or take part in scheduled events or activities such as sports or music classes.

Additionally, some courses such as journalism or a foreign language and elementary grades require online virtual lessons at set times. Students needing extra help must also engage in lessons at set times. Upon enrollment, families work with teachers to select their virtual lesson schedule. This is generally 3-4 one-hour lessons per week. An example schedule could be Monday noon – 1, Tuesday from 10 – 11, and Thursday from 2 – 4. These are required online lessons, but the rest of the week’s schedule is completely flexible.

While not a substitute for scheduled school days, students may do schoolwork on weekends or holidays if they fall behind or will be going on a trip. Just like in brick-and-mortar schools, parents must submit excuses for missed student days.

We run our school on a password-protected website. It’s accessible from any computer with Internet access, anywhere in the world. You need no special software. In other words, students simply log on with their own username and password to begin working.

PALCS does not believe it is healthy for students to spend multiple hours staring at a screen – whether it be a computer game, television, or computer learning. For some grades and classes, materials are sent to a family’s home. This includes art kits, workbooks, and manipulatives that are used to enrich the online experience.

PALCS graduates receive a Tier I Pennsylvania public school diploma, making them fully qualified to pursue any post-secondary education or career opportunities. This diploma holds the same value as those from traditional public schools, ensuring students are well-prepared for college, vocational programs, or entering the workforce.

As a result, 79% of our 2023 graduates chose to pursue post-secondary education, 19% entered the workforce immediately after high school, 1% joined the military, and 1% selected other paths.

Click to download our School Profile (PDF) to see a partial list of colleges and universities which have accepted our students.

Yes, according to BEC 24 P.S. 17-1719-A (14,), students can take part in after-school programs offered by their home school district if PALCS does not offer them. Students must follow the policies and meet the exact eligibility requirements set up by the PA Interscholastic Athletic Association. Students must continue to meet grade requirements to be part of their home school district sports teams. PALCS will notify the home district when grades fall below a “C.” When possible, PALCS will help students and parents to get the opportunity to take part in the after-school activities for which they are eligible.

Additionally, PALCS participates in NCAA eligibility. If interested, please speak with your PALCS guidance counselor after you enroll.

Students at PALCS participate in interactive learning every day, including engaging online with the courses, teachers, and their classmates. We also host open chats, grouped by grade-level, monthly in multimedia classrooms. This allows students to talk freely to their peers. PALCS also holds exciting and educational monthly field trips and events for students. These include:

• Museums: Natural History, Art,  Science, History Center, Children’s Museum
• Zoos
• Renaissance Faire, Fall Fests, and other outdoor events
• Kennywood and HersheyPark Science Days
• Circus, Stars on Ice, and other shows
• Fiddlesticks Symphony, Shakespeare plays, and other cultural events
• Miniature Golf
• Movies
• Picnics
• Workshops
• Meet & greets with teachers
• Prom

Learn more about our field trips here.

Students complete all schoolwork from home, so you rarely need to visit the office. However, there are occasional instances that need your presence in a locale other than your home:

As required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, we participate in state-mandated PSSA and Keystone testing each year for selected grades. PALCS will set up multiple sites throughout the state for the convenience of families so they should not have to travel further than one hour to reach the testing site.

In addition, while it is not mandatory, you have the option to attend your orientation in person at our offices in either West Chester or Pittsburgh if you’d prefer. If you choose not to come in, we can easily accommodate your orientation virtually.

Possibly. PALCS cannot officially request student records such as transcripts and medical records from your former school until after you enroll your student. As we request these records for the enrollment process, you should contact the local district and request these documents before PALCS enrollment.

Within 15 days of PALCS enrollment, PALCS will send an official form to the student’s local district. This lets them know the student enrolled. It also tells them to send the student’s records to PALCS. Local districts sometimes need families to sign other withdrawal papers, so it is best to check with the local district before you enroll your student in PALCS to see if they will need follow-up.

During the school year, do not withdraw your student from your local district until your orientation with PALCS.

All students will receive added online school training in the onboarding module for two days after orientation. After students complete this, we will activate academic courses. Students who enroll during the summer will wait for our first day of school.

If you complete your orientation virtually, your computer and books will be shipped to your home. If you choose to attend orientation in person at one of our buildings, you’ll go home with a computer and equipment, while your books will still be shipped to your home

Once we receive your registration packet and other required documents, we will schedule you for the next available orientation slot. Orientations are held daily, and slots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. During peak times like August and September, there may be a longer wait for an open slot.

Typically, you can expect to wait about a week before your orientation. The sooner we receive your registration packet and documents, the sooner we can schedule your orientation. For the enrollment calendar and complete details, please visit our Enrollment page.

Please visit our Enrollment page for complete information.