K12 - Digital Academy of Florida Reviews 

I have held off on writing this review because, honestly, I felt like it was ultimately a waste of time. But I have reached my breaking point, and I genuinely hope my experience helps another parent make an informed decision about whether DAOF/K12 is the right choice for their child.

We have been part of the K12 family since Grade 1, back in 2021. After being with the program for this many years, I feel like I have given it more than enough time and opportunity. We have dealt with homeroom teacher changes right when students are finally getting settled into some sense of normalcy, along with technical issues that are absolutely insane. Every single day since the start of this school year, I have received either a phone call or multiple emails advising me of some type of technical glitch. Keep in mind, these updates are usually coming AFTER we have already discovered the problem ourselves and decided to wait for an update. At this point, I can practically set my clock by it.

Now we are in 6th grade—middle school—and you would think that after being in the program for this long, things would be different. They aren't. Instead, there is now a new process for recording attendance that is, quite frankly, stupid and backward. A student can be present for the entire class, actively participating, responding in the chat, completing the required checkpoints, and doing everything they are supposed to do. Yet, if their camera fails for whatever reason, they can still be marked absent. According to the requirements, students must be on camera and actively participate in the checkpoints in order to be marked present. So if a student is actively participating, engaging in the chat, completing the checkpoints, and the ONLY issue is that their camera fails because of a technical problem, how does it make sense to mark that student absent? There is zero accountability for the lapses in the system.

I have now installed a camera facing my child's computer so that I have evidence that she is actually sitting there, attending class, and participating when the system says otherwise. Think about that. I should not have to install a camera in my own home to document that my child is attending school, but that is where this has taken me. I no longer feel that I can rely on the school's system to accurately document whether my child was actually present.

And unfortunately, attendance is not the only issue. I saw someone refer to this as the "broke version of public school," and I honestly cannot disagree. The problem is the pace and the lack of meaningful instruction. It feels like the focus is on moving through the curriculum rather than making sure students actually understand what they are being taught. Imagine starting a syllabus and discovering that you have already completed a quarter of it. How is that humanly possible when the material is supposed to be taught, understood, practiced, and learned? You cannot introduce something completely new to a child, rush through it in a week, give them an assessment, and then move on to something else and honestly call that learning. If I am going to have to teach my child after she has already spent an entire school day in front of a computer, then I may as well figure out how to get her into a homeschool program. This school is becoming a waste of time.

Then there is the issue of textbooks and screen time. My child is now in 6th grade, and there are no traditional textbooks being provided. Everything is digital. I understand that technology is part of education, but as a parent who is actively trying to minimize my child's screen time, being told that printing the digital textbook is "not recommended" is absolutely ridiculous. REALLY? You are putting my child in front of a screen for hours every day and then telling me that printing the material so she can actually read it without another screen is not recommended?

I am also a history fanatic, so when I saw that history was the subject my child was currently working on, I was actually excited. I thought this was something we could really get into together. We are now at the beginning of Week 3. Keep in mind, Week 1 consisted of essentially nothing being taught on this material. Week 2 brought a F.A.S.T. assessment, and now the students have already completed material covering the Sumerians' role in civilization. Are you kidding me? How is a child supposed to genuinely understand the development and significance of an ancient civilization when the material is being rushed through at that pace? This isn't learning. This is checking boxes.

I’m done tolerating DAOF/K12’s technical, attendance, and teaching failures. After years of frustration, I’m reporting them to the Florida DOE. Parents: research carefully; your child’s education is at stake.

This school is barely even an online school; it's the broke public school of online schools. How do you even achieve that? No flexibility, barely any AP courses, insane amount of assignments, counselors are useless, you have to go to youtube or khan academy to actually learn relevant things, and the content is mostly AI generated. I got an email from my ENGLISH teacher that was AI generated. Are you serious? BTW, that english teacher was horrible. She was nothing but an ultra millennial hypocrite that catered to the unfunny and annoying popular kids. I have genuine hatred for that teacher because not only was she extremely irritating, but she was also passive and treated teaching like a hobby. We mostly learned nothing in her classes, and mind you, it was an honors class.

You don't learn anything at this school. My brother (who is in middle school at DAOF) has failed all of his state in-person tests, and he hasn't been held back once when he should be. No one at this school gets held back at all for some reason, even though the majority of students (especially the younger ones in middle school) fail their state tests. They're very clearly not ready to move up a grade, but they move up anyway.

Many of the students submit AI generated answers and essays, but they get good grades for it and somehow get to graduate or move to the next grade. The teachers don't care if it's AI. The teachers themselves use and support AI. In one of my other honors class, a lot of the content being shown was AI generated. This school is just broke and cheap.

The parents may be leaving good reviews, but as a student, this school is awful and makes me suicidal. If you love your kids, don't bring them here. I'm serious.

My son did his whole High School years with K12. All in all I was very grateful for them. The professor's were always in touch and always reached out with any concerns. Many activities were provided in order to keep the kids from being antisocial. Never had an issue receiving or sending back books or necessary things for the school year. I was very happy with the experience.

I highly value my child’s education, and I would not recommend this school to anyone. The Assistant/Principal and teachers lack support, professionalism, and communication skills. This school system does not set your child up for success, providing instead a poor educational environment.

I am so disappointed with my recent experience with K12. I had 3 kids enrolled 2023. Enrollment was fast with no issues. This time around my son has not been approved in over a month. I removed him from traditional school because of numerous reasons. Number 1 reason is we are a displaced family which usually means immediate enrollment. I had all documents requested. Now they are having us wait until the new school semester in January. I had to call several times to get this answer. My enrollment portal did not update with any information until I called.

Very poor communication, principal Mr Whitaker never responded once, phone or email. Very disappointing!!

When traditional school isn’t the best option to meet your child’s unique needs, many go to online school thinking that it may offer an individualized learning experience for their child to thrive. Unfortunately, DAOF does not offer any of that. Classes are over filled with 90+ kids in their whole groups and 40-50 in their small groups. When I requested basic accommodations for my child, they were denied even though state laws require them to be accepted. It was very disappointing to receive an email response that the child’s individual needs wouldn’t even be considered. No one would even meet with me to discuss it. It’s a one standard fits all program without any room for unique IEP options available. Their response basically was that if you don’t like it, you should go elsewhere. With the overfilled classes, they don’t care about losing one enrollment and certainly don’t consider each individual child. Even though they claim they will “consider” these concerns for “future” students, they have still refused to address them. Additionally, these are not just my expectations but the experience is below the educational standard and doesn’t comply with state regulations that require them to comply.

No self paced and support is non existent, 50 kids to a classroom, college style software to navigate last year kids could easily navigate now kids can’t do it themselves (they don’t have that sense of accomplishment now) systems are extremely buggy this year

I am done with this school. I feel sad because my son has been in this school for 6 year's. Last year was very overwhelming and now this next coming year they are tracking attendance and saying they will suspend your license or send the social worker if they miss 15 day's In one semester. What's the point of homeschooling if your children have to be overwhelmed especially my son that had ADHD, Anxiety and Autism. Bye k12 hello Spark.

To be honest I felt like this year was a little lacking wasn't no communication with the homeroom teachers really there was a lot of stuff that was being done by the children that the teachers didn't know about through third party apps not just that anytime you tried to reach out to speak to the teachers You barely got a response it's totally different from the year before when my kids first started with you guys I loved it The homeroom teacher was very informative helpful with the testings helpful with switching classes helpful when the kids were having trouble with their work A lot of these teachers now they don't even give the kids contacts because behind what they're doing so it's assignment but not clarity on the assignment I got multiple emails of children that weren't doing their work because it was easier for the teacher to go go over here and do this and not put context with it You can't teach someone if you're not teaching them Y'all did better last year than you did this year

The flexibility, resources, and teachers made our experience wonderful. My students received endless learning opportunities to continue learning on the go.

The communication, the interest of my children, and the flexibility.

My daughter has enjoyed attending DAOF. The teachers are very helpful! As her learning coach, I appreciate the updates and ease of communication.

It's always been a very wonderful experience with K12.

Great teachers, great school

Very satisfying program/educational experience. From the quality of literature books to the endless learning opportunities this is by far the best in educational learning. Thank you k12/ DAOF

The flexibility available in the schedule. The teachers were always available and willing to help out. I love the constant communication you have with the teachers.

As a mom of two girls, I sought an educational environment that offered both safety and flexibility one that would allow me to spend quality time with my daughters while ensuring they received a proper education within a supportive community. I'm thrilled to share that K12 has provided just that.

Since enrolling in August 2021, my girls have been flourishing. The personalized learning approach has enabled them to thrive academically and socially. They are not only excelling in their studies but are also developing a love for learning that I hadn't anticipated.

K12's platform has been instrumental in balancing our family's needs with educational goals. The flexibility it offers has allowed us to create a schedule that works for our unique situation, ensuring my daughters receive the attention and education they deserve.

In my opinion, K12 has been a game-changer for our family. My girls are happy, thriving, and striving toward their full potential. I couldn't be more grateful for the positive impact it has had on our lives.

DAOF has been a total game changer for my special needs child. In our local school district(Putnam) there is absolutely no safe, suitable classroom for her individual needs, so I am grateful there are virtual options like K12. The teachers, admin staff, counselors and therapists are all top-notch and my child is thriving!

Excellent program, teachers, and organization.