Online Learning at CCA is Great Option for Harrisburg Families
If you’re not satisfied with your child’s K-12 school, you should consider a customized cyber education offered by Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA), an online public charter school in Harrisburg.
CCA is a tuition-free, public charter school offering Pennsylvania students a flexible learning environment with our comprehensive online academic programs.
We're a Tuition-Free Public School Serving Dauphin County
Your brick-and-mortar Harrisburg school has stayed the same for decades, with students learning the same thing at the same time, leaving little room for individuality. Plus, with cramped classrooms and budget pressures, your local school might not offer many extras.
At CCA, we know every student has different needs and different strengths. CCA customizes our education to meet those needs – all from the comfort of your own home and on your own schedule.
CCA was founded in 2003 as a K-12 online public charter school overseen by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. CCA, a nonprofit school, is independently run but funded with public money from the school districts in which our students live.
This presents families with a public education choice in Dauphin County. CCA provides a tuition-free, customized online education that will prepare students for life after graduation, whether it be college, vocational school, the military or the workforce.
Upon their enrollment, we provide students with everything they need to get started – free use of laptop and printer, plus all course materials. CCA even offers an instructional support subsidy to help families with the cost of internet service. For qualified community classes, CCA can reimburse up to $200 per child per school year.
The Benefits of a Cyber Charter K-12 School
As a public cyber charter school in Dauphin County, CCA is open to Pennsylvania residents in grades K through 12 at no cost to families.
CCA delivers a customized education in which students learn at their pace from their own home at a time that’s convenient for their family. Students learn through real-time virtual classroom lessons, recorded lessons, workbook projects, field trips and hands-on experiences.
Families are key to student success at CCA. Parents, guardians or other designated adults serve as learning coaches, working with CCA teachers to develop a customized education plan, track progress and monitor workload.
CCA’s K-5 elementary school curriculum is mostly in print and supplemented by virtual content. It includes math, science, English/language arts, social studies and multiple world languages.
Middle school students in grades 6-8 work with subject-specific teachers and take more virtual classes. The core curriculum is supplemented with honors courses, electives and world languages.
High school students in grades 9-12 focus on their future with core courses plus a variety of business, career and technology electives, career exploration opportunities, internships and AP, honors and college courses.
CCA offers tutoring and accelerated courses, help from guidance counselors and success coaches, and in-person assistance at our Family Service Center in Harrisburg.
A sample schedule for a Harrisburg student might be:
Elementary School
Morning: Math coursework
Midmorning: Playtime
Afternoon: French live classroom session
Midafternoon: Music Club
Early evening: History project
Evening: Reading
Middle School
Morning: Math coursework
Midmorning: Visit Whitaker Center
Afternoon: Photography coursework
Midafternoon: Virtual language arts lesson
Early evening: Basketball practice
After dinner: Science experiment
High School
Morning: Piano lesson
Midmorning: AP Statistics
Afternoon: Virtual computer coding lesson
Midafternoon: Volunteer at animal shelter
Early evening: Work on portfolio
After dinner: Science recorded lesson
Academic Programs in Arts, Science and Other Courses
Because CCA provides a customized educational experience at our Harrisburg school, we cater to each child’s needs in a way that promotes growth and success for all CCA students.
Through our core curriculum, electives, clubs, field trips and hands-on activities, CCA provides 21st century skills, strong career exploration experiences and the tools to succeed in work and life.
Students explore college and careers in elementary school, continue with hands-on workshops in middle school and, by senior year, follow a college or career track – or both if they’re undecided.
In addition to many world languages, CCA electives range from digital art and design, computer science and cosmetology to web design, entrepreneurship and accounting. We even offer an Introduction to Fly Fishing course.
A unique learning experience is available through AgWorks at CCA at our Harrisburg school. This 6,100-square-foot, state-of-the-art lab provides students with hands-on learning experiences in a controlled environment agriculture center.
Students take honors courses in elementary school and by high school have a full range of Advanced Placement (AP) courses, college courses and internship opportunities available.
Additionally, CCA offers more than 700 educational and social field trips across the state every year and an evolving list of more than two dozen clubs for interests from robotics and chess to debate, theater arts and a variety of other activities.
It’s all designed to allow students to explore possibilities and be college- and career-ready when they graduate. And, because we’re an online public charter school, our flexible schedule allows students to pursue multiple interests, including local sports programs and community organizations offering student-focused programs in Harrisburg.
How to Enroll Your Harrisburg Student at CCA
The enrollment application takes about 15 minutes, and you can save and close it at any time. Once you submit it, a member of the CCA enrollment team will work with you to provide us required documents.
After they have been successfully submitted, we will schedule you for a Great Start Orientation Session, which gives new CCA families a comprehensive overview of parent, student and staff responsibilities for cyber school.