Online School for Teen Entrepreneurs | Build Your Business While Earning Your Diploma
Ready to learn more?Fill in the short form below and an admissions counselor will reach out within 24 hours. Open enrollment — your child can start any week. Get Started → The best time to start a business is when you have no mortgage, no dependents, and no reputation to lose. For teenage entrepreneurs, the only thing standing between vision and execution is the 35 hours a week school demands. Forest Trail Academy gives that time back. Who This Serves: Etsy sellers who need 4 hours daily to fulfill orders. YouTube and TikTok creators building audiences and revenue. App developers iterating on their product. Dropshipping and e-commerce operators. Social media managers. Lawn care and service business owners. Real estate investors learning the market. Any teenager who has a business idea that’s bigger than their class schedule. Customer calls and investor meetings don’t schedule around 3rd period Product launches can’t be paused for biology class A viral moment requires 12 hours of content creation — not 4 hours after school Conference travel, trade shows, and networking events conflict with traditional attendance Complete coursework on your schedule — before the market opens, after the team meeting, on weekends Accelerate through subjects quickly to free up time for business Learn real business-relevant subjects at your own depth (Economics, Business electives, Math) Graduate on time with an accredited diploma without sacrificing your business trajectory Business + Education = College Applications That Stand Out: Admissions counselors at competitive colleges respond strongly to teen entrepreneurs. An FTA student who graduated with a 3.5 GPA while building a $50,000/year business has a far more compelling application than a student with a 3.8 GPA and no entrepreneurial experience. Notable Context: Many of the most successful entrepreneurs of the past two decades — Zuckerberg, Gates, Dell — left traditional education to pursue their businesses. The difference is that FTA lets you build the business AND get the diploma, not choose between them. Can I take business-relevant courses at FTA? Yes — Economics, Business Math, Computer Science, and other relevant electives What if I need to take a week off for a product launch? No problem — resume when ready Will my FTA diploma be taken seriously by colleges? Yes — Cognia-accreditation is the same standard used by traditional high schools Can I do FTA part-time while working the business full-time? Yes — many students take a reduced course load and extend graduation timeline Enroll at Forest Trail Academy Today Founded in 2007, Forest Trail Academy has served over 10,000 students with a Cognia-accredited K-12 program. Open enrollment year-round. Call 800-890-6269 or submit an inquiry online. Our admissions team is ready to help your family get started immediately.
Online School for Kids with School Anxiety | Safe Learning from Home
Ready to learn more?Fill in the short form below and an admissions counselor will reach out within 24 hours. Open enrollment — your child can start any week. Get Started → School anxiety is real, debilitating, and increasingly common. An estimated 2-5% of school-age children experience significant school refusal at some point. When your child’s anxiety makes getting through the school building door impossible, Forest Trail Academy provides a path forward that doesn’t require overcoming anxiety first — it removes the triggers entirely. What School Anxiety Looks Like: Morning panic attacks on school days. Stomach aches and nausea that disappear on weekends. Crying when approaching the school building. Inability to function in social classroom settings. Post-traumatic stress responses from bullying. Social anxiety disorder that makes every classroom interaction painful. These are not behavioral issues — they are medical conditions that deserve appropriate accommodation. No hallways with crowds and noise No cafeteria social performance No locker room exposure No in-class presentations (assessments are written, not oral by default) No peer judgment or social comparison Learning happens in the child’s safe space — their home Work at 2pm or 2am — whenever anxiety is lowest Pause coursework on hard days; resume when ready Academic Progress Without Shame: At FTA, there are no failing grades in front of peers, no “everyone can see you don’t understand,” no social cost to taking extra time. Students who need a week to work through a difficult concept take a week. Students who are ready to move faster, move faster. Working with Your Child’s Therapist: FTA is not a clinical provider and does not replace therapy. Many families use FTA as part of a comprehensive treatment plan where therapy continues while education proceeds without additional triggering. FTA academic counselors can coordinate with outside therapists on academic pacing, assessment accommodations, and graduation timelines. Therapeutic Transition: Some families use FTA as a bridge — removing the educational pressure while anxiety is treated, with plans to return to traditional schooling or transition to college when ready. Others find FTA works so well that the transition back is unnecessary. Does FTA have any in-person requirements? No — everything is fully online including proctored exams (webcam-based) Can my child work at their own pace when anxiety is high? Yes — completely self-directed, no daily check-in requirements Will a therapist-recommended break affect my child’s graduation timeline? Not necessarily — FTA academic counselors can adjust timelines Is FTA’s diploma recognized for college admission even for students who struggled with traditional school? Yes — college applications consider the diploma and transcript, not why a student chose online school Enroll at Forest Trail Academy Today Founded in 2007, Forest Trail Academy has served over 10,000 students with a Cognia-accredited K-12 program. Open enrollment year-round. Call 800-890-6269 or submit an inquiry online. Our admissions team is ready to help your family get started immediately.
Online School for Twice-Exceptional (2e) Students | Gifted with Learning Differences
Ready to learn more?Fill in the short form below and an admissions counselor will reach out within 24 hours. Open enrollment — your child can start any week. Get Started → Twice-exceptional students live in a paradox: intellectually extraordinary and academically constrained. Schools designed for average learners can’t serve a child who reads five grade levels ahead but struggles to decode text. Traditional classrooms can’t simultaneously challenge a student’s advanced reasoning while accommodating their sensory processing needs. Forest Trail Academy can. What “2e” Means: Twice-exceptional (2e) students are intellectually gifted AND have one or more learning differences. Common 2e profiles include: Gifted + ADHD, Gifted + Dyslexia, Gifted + Autism Spectrum Disorder, Gifted + Sensory Processing Disorder, Gifted + Anxiety, Gifted + Dyscalculia. The combination creates a student who is often misunderstood, underserved, and identified as “underachieving” when in fact they are overperforming given the constraints of their environment. Accelerate through subjects where the student is intellectually ahead AP courses beginning as early as 9th grade (or earlier for exceptional cases) Depth when the student wants to go deeper — no “we’re moving on now” Early graduation option for students who complete requirements ahead of schedule No timed assessments for coursework (final proctored exams are standard timed, as in college) Work when the brain is at its best — no 7:45am mandatory start Quiet home environment eliminates sensory classroom overload Repetition without shame — re-watch, re-read, re-do as needed No peer comparison — progress is personal, not relative Building the 2e Team: FTA academic counselors work with families to build a realistic and ambitious academic plan. Outside providers — educational therapists, learning specialists, occupational therapists, psychologists — continue their work alongside FTA’s curriculum. FTA focuses on the academics; the support team focuses on the whole child. Does FTA provide IEP or 504 plans? No — FTA is a private accredited school, not a public special education provider Can 2e students take AP courses? Yes — placement is based on readiness, not age or diagnosis How flexible is pacing for 2e students? Completely self-directed — some courses may take 6 months, others 18 months Is there a specific 2e academic coordinator at FTA? Contact admissions at 800-890-6269 to discuss your child’s specific profile Enroll at Forest Trail Academy Today Founded in 2007, Forest Trail Academy has served over 10,000 students with a Cognia-accredited K-12 program. Open enrollment year-round. Call 800-890-6269 or submit an inquiry online. Our admissions team is ready to help your family get started immediately.
Online School for Students with ADHD & Learning Differences
Ready to learn more?Fill in the short form below and an admissions counselor will reach out within 24 hours. Open enrollment — your child can start any week. Get Started → Traditional school was not designed for your child’s brain. Rigid 45-minute periods. Timed tests. Open-plan classrooms with sensory overload. Strict schedules that ignore when your child’s medication is most effective. If your child has ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, sensory processing disorder, or another learning difference, Forest Trail Academy offers an alternative that works with their brain instead of against it. No fixed class times — work when medication is at peak effectiveness No timed assessments — students submit work when ready, not on a bell No open-plan classroom noise — quiet home environment eliminates sensory overload Re-watch lesson content as many times as needed — no shame in review Break lessons into shorter sessions — 10 minutes of focus is still 10 minutes of learning No comparison to peers — progress is self-defined, not relative ADHD and Medication Timing: For students taking stimulant medication for ADHD, traditional school often forces study during non-optimal hours (early morning, late afternoon). FTA allows scheduling coursework for peak medication hours — typically mid-morning for most students on common ADHD medications. Dyslexia Accommodations: FTA’s platform allows extended time on all assessments. Students can use approved text-to-speech tools, spell checkers, and other assistive technology. Our asynchronous format removes the humiliation of reading aloud in class. Important Note: FTA is not a special education provider and does not develop IEPs or 504 plans. Students who need formal special education services should continue receiving those services from their school district or private specialists while using FTA for their core academic curriculum. Working with Your Child’s Support Team: FTA’s academic counselors can communicate with outside learning specialists, tutors, and educational therapists to coordinate pacing and course selection. Many families combine FTA’s flexible academic structure with specialized outside support for reading or math intervention. Does FTA provide IEP or 504 accommodations? FTA is flexible by design but does not issue formal IEP/504 plans — external supports continue from outside providers Can my child use a reading accommodation (text-to-speech)? Yes — FTA allows approved assistive technology What if my child has good days and bad days? Work on good days, rest on bad days — no attendance requirements Does FTA require timed tests? No daily timed tests — proctored final exams have time limits but are standard college-appropriate Enroll at Forest Trail Academy Today Founded in 2007, Forest Trail Academy has served over 10,000 students with a Cognia-accredited K-12 program. Open enrollment year-round. Call 800-890-6269 or submit an inquiry online. Our admissions team is ready to help your family get started immediately.
Online K-12 School for Military Families | PCS-Proof Education
Ready to learn more?Fill in the short form below and an admissions counselor will reach out within 24 hours. Open enrollment — your child can start any week. Get Started → Military families face a unique education crisis: PCS (Permanent Change of Station) moves every 2-3 years disrupt schooling, fragment transcripts, and cost students credits. The average military child attends 6-9 schools before graduating. At Forest Trail Academy, none of that matters. FTA’s 100% online, self-paced curriculum travels with your family from Fort Bragg to Ramstein, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord to Camp Humphreys. Enrollment stays active through every PCS. Transcripts are maintained by one accredited institution from K through 12th grade — no more lost credits, no more catching up at a new school. No geographic restriction — works at CONUS and OCONUS installations worldwide Year-round open enrollment — enroll between PCS orders, not just in September One consistent curriculum from K-12, regardless of duty station Cognia accreditation recognized by all state-funded universities and DODEA Self-paced learning accommodates deployment disruptions to family schedules Online proctoring from base housing, BOQ, or any internet connection worldwide Deployments and Family Separations: When the active-duty parent deploys, the remaining parent needs flexibility. FTA’s asynchronous model means students can work at 5am or 10pm — whatever fits the military household’s schedule during that demanding period. SCRA and Military Benefits: FTA is not a Title IV institution and does not participate in GI Bill, MYCAA, or other military education benefits for K-12. However, our tuition ($255-$355/month) is a fraction of DoDEA-area private school costs ($15,000-$25,000/year). Bases We Serve: Fort Liberty (NC), Fort Campbell (KY), Fort Hood (TX), Joint Base Lewis-McChord (WA), Langley AFB (VA), Ramstein AB (Germany), Yokota AB (Japan), Camp Humphreys (South Korea), Naval Station Norfolk (VA), Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton (CA), and all CONUS and OCONUS installations. Enrollment Process for Military Families:1. Contact FTA admissions at 800-890-6269 with your current duty station2. Provide previous school transcripts (FTA handles credit evaluation)3. Enroll — no waiting for a school year start4. Your child begins learning within days5. When PCS orders arrive, nothing changes in their coursework Does FTA accept mid-year enrollments between PCS moves? Yes — open enrollment year-round, start any week Will FTA’s diploma be accepted at schools near our next duty station? Cognia-accredited diplomas are recognized by all public and private universities in all 50 states How does proctoring work during TDY or deployment? Remote proctoring via webcam from any location worldwide Can we enroll at an OCONUS base like Germany or Japan? Yes — FTA has students at OCONUS installations in 30+ countries Enroll at Forest Trail Academy Today Founded in 2007, Forest Trail Academy has served over 10,000 students with a Cognia-accredited K-12 program. Open enrollment year-round. Call 800-890-6269 or submit an inquiry online. Our admissions team is ready to help your family get started immediately.
Online School for Students Who Were Bullied | Start Fresh, Learn Safe
Ready to learn more?Fill in the short form below and an admissions counselor will reach out within 24 hours. Open enrollment — your child can start any week. Get Started → Bullying is not a character-building experience. It is trauma. For students experiencing chronic bullying — physical, verbal, social, or cyberbullying — every school day is a threat that competes for cognitive space with learning. You cannot fully learn in an environment where you do not feel safe. Forest Trail Academy removes the environment. The hallway gauntlet The cafeteria social hierarchy The locker room exposure The classroom social performance The bus ride The group project with the students who exclude you The teacher who minimizes the bullying The administration that protects the bully What Bullied Students Often Experience: Depression, anxiety, academic decline, school refusal, PTSD symptoms, suicidal ideation in severe cases. These are not overreactions — they are documented clinical responses to sustained threat. Removing the threat is often the most therapeutic first step. Academic Recovery: Many bullied students arrive at FTA with grade damage caused by anxiety, inability to focus in a hostile environment, or missed school. FTA’s self-paced structure allows students to start from exactly where they are academically and progress forward. Previous academic disruption does not define their FTA experience. Rebuilding Confidence: Learning in a safe environment, making academic progress, and rediscovering intellectual curiosity — these are healing experiences. Students who were told (explicitly or implicitly) that they were not good enough often discover that they are academically capable when the hostility is removed. Documentation and Legal Considerations: If families are pursuing legal action or complaint processes regarding bullying, FTA enrollment documents that the student was removed from the harmful environment for documented safety reasons. FTA is not a legal resource, but our enrollment documentation may be relevant to your case. Can my child transfer their credits to FTA from their current school? Yes — FTA evaluates all previous transcripts Will my child be isolated socially at FTA? FTA has an online student community, clubs, and events. Additionally, removing school doesn’t remove family, neighborhood, and extracurricular social connections Is FTA’s diploma seen negatively by colleges if the reason for transfer was bullying? No — college applications ask where you graduated from, not why you chose that school How quickly can we start after withdrawing from traditional school? FTA’s open enrollment means students can begin within days Enroll at Forest Trail Academy Today Founded in 2007, Forest Trail Academy has served over 10,000 students with a Cognia-accredited K-12 program. Open enrollment year-round. Call 800-890-6269 or submit an inquiry online. Our admissions team is ready to help your family get started immediately.
Online School for Gifted & Advanced Students | Self-Paced Excellence
Ready to learn more?Fill in the short form below and an admissions counselor will reach out within 24 hours. Open enrollment — your child can start any week. Get Started → Traditional schools are designed for the average student. They move at a pace that serves the middle of the class. For gifted and advanced learners, this means years of boredom, disengagement, and underperformance — not because they can’t do the work, but because they finished it 20 minutes ago and have been waiting ever since. Forest Trail Academy removes the ceiling. Students move at their true pace, accelerate through subjects they have mastered, go deep on subjects they love, and can graduate early if they choose. Complete coursework in months rather than years (finish a full-year course in 6 weeks if ready) AP courses starting from middle school (no age or grade barrier) Early graduation — complete high school in 2-3 years instead of 4 No waiting for the class to catch up Depth when you want it — dive deeper into advanced topics without pace restrictions College-level course preparedness The Twice-Exceptional (2e) Student: Many gifted students are also twice-exceptional — they have extraordinary intellectual gifts alongside learning differences like ADHD, dyslexia, or autism spectrum disorder. Traditional schools serve neither the gifted side nor the learning difference side well. FTA’s flexible pacing serves both: intellectual acceleration where the student soars, extra time where they need it. Early Graduation: Students who complete graduation requirements ahead of schedule can graduate early from FTA. FTA has graduated students as young as 15 or 16 who went on to enroll in college. The accredited Cognia diploma is accepted by all universities regardless of graduation age. AP Courses for Gifted Students: FTA offers a full AP catalog. Students can take multiple AP courses simultaneously, start AP courses in 9th or 10th grade, and use AP exam scores to earn college credit before they even begin their freshman year. Many gifted FTA students arrive at college with 15-30 credits already earned through AP. Can my gifted 13-year-old enroll in high school courses? Yes — FTA places students based on academic level, not age How early can a student graduate? Whenever graduation requirements are met — no minimum age Can students take college courses alongside FTA? Yes — dual enrollment is supported Does early graduation affect college admissions? No — many selective colleges actively seek out early graduates showing academic maturity Enroll at Forest Trail Academy Today Founded in 2007, Forest Trail Academy has served over 10,000 students with a Cognia-accredited K-12 program. Open enrollment year-round. Call 800-890-6269 or submit an inquiry online. Our admissions team is ready to help your family get started immediately.
Online School for Military Families | Expat Families Abroad
Ready to learn more?Fill in the short form below and an admissions counselor will reach out within 24 hours. Open enrollment — your child can start any week. Get Started → If your family lives abroad — whether by career choice, diplomatic assignment, military orders, or personal preference — Forest Trail Academy is the school that travels with you. One enrollment. One consistent curriculum. One accredited US diploma at the end. No matter where in the world your family calls home. The Expat Education Problem: International school fees in major expat hubs often exceed $30,000-$50,000 per year, per child. Frequent relocations mean curriculum disruptions, lost credits, and children who have attended 4+ schools before high school ends. Local national schools require language fluency and follow non-US curricula that don’t transfer cleanly to US college applications. One consistent US curriculum regardless of which country you’re in No geographic restriction — available in 195 countries Cognia-accredited diploma recognized by US and international universities Fraction of international school fees ($255-$355/month vs. $30,000+/year) No PCS or relocation disruption — enrollment continues through moves Open enrollment — start whenever your posting begins, not just in September Countries We Serve: FTA has students currently enrolled in the UAE, UK, Singapore, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Australia, Canada, Netherlands, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Jamaica, Mexico, Brazil, and 30+ more countries. Working Across Time Zones: FTA courses are 100% asynchronous — no live classes. Students in Tokyo can submit assignments at 3pm their time without coordinating with a US time zone. Proctored exams are also available remotely. For Diplomatic and NGO Families: UN agency staff in Geneva, diplomatic families at embassies worldwide, NGO workers in East Africa, development finance professionals — all have used FTA to maintain consistent US-standard education while their careers take them across the globe. Can we enroll from any country? Yes — FTA has students in 50+ countries How do we handle proctored exams from abroad? Remote webcam proctoring available from any internet connection What if we have multiple children? Each student enrolls separately with individual accounts Will the diploma be recognized when we return to the US? Cognia-accredited diplomas are recognized by all US universities and most employers Enroll at Forest Trail Academy Today Founded in 2007, Forest Trail Academy has served over 10,000 students with a Cognia-accredited K-12 program. Open enrollment year-round. Call 800-890-6269 or submit an inquiry online. Our admissions team is ready to help your family get started immediately.
Online High School for Student Athletes | NCAA-Eligible Flexible Diploma
Ready to learn more?Fill in the short form below and an admissions counselor will reach out within 24 hours. Open enrollment — your child can start any week. Get Started → For elite student athletes, traditional high school schedules don’t work. 5am ice hockey practice, cross-country travel for tournaments, multiple training sessions per day — and then showing up to a rigid 7-period school day that ignores all of it. Forest Trail Academy was built for athletes who refuse to choose between their sport and their education. NCAA-eligible program (critical for college recruiting and scholarship eligibility) Zero fixed class times — train at 5am, study at midnight if needed Year-round open enrollment — start training camp schedule any time Self-paced: complete coursework during offseason, maintain GPA during season Full AP course catalog for athletes building strong college applications One accredited transcript that follows you from high school to college recruitment NCAA Eligibility: Forest Trail Academy meets NCAA eligibility requirements. Students must complete 16 core courses with a minimum 2.3 GPA (Division I) or 2.2 GPA (Division II). FTA’s course catalog covers all required core areas: English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and approved electives. Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center using your FTA transcript. Sports We Serve: Baseball, basketball, football, soccer, tennis, golf, swimming, gymnastics, track and field, volleyball, wrestling, lacrosse, hockey, softball, cross country, competitive cheerleading, dance, and more. If your sport demands a non-traditional schedule, FTA is your school. Baseball players: Complete coursework in winter (November-January), maintain enrollment during spring season Competitive swimmers: Study between morning and afternoon practices Equestrian athletes: School from the barn or competition venue Tennis players on the junior circuit: Study from hotels, airports, tournament sites College Recruitment + FTA: College coaches don’t care where you went to high school — they care about your GPA, test scores, athletic stats, and NCAA eligibility. FTA provides all the academic documentation coaches and college admissions need. Many Division I athletes in baseball, soccer, tennis, and swimming have graduated from FTA. Is FTA officially NCAA-eligible? Yes — FTA courses have been reviewed for NCAA eligibility requirements How does a college coach verify my FTA transcript? FTA provides official transcripts directly to colleges and the NCAA Eligibility Center Can I take AP courses at FTA while training full-time? Yes — all AP courses are self-paced What GPA do I need to maintain for NCAA eligibility? 2.3 for Division I, 2.2 for Division II — FTA academic counselors help athletes stay on track Enroll at Forest Trail Academy Today Founded in 2007, Forest Trail Academy has served over 10,000 students with a Cognia-accredited K-12 program. Open enrollment year-round. Call 800-890-6269 or submit an inquiry online. Our admissions team is ready to help your family get started immediately.
Online School for Rural Families | No Commute, Full K-12 Curriculum
Ready to learn more?Fill in the short form below and an admissions counselor will reach out within 24 hours. Open enrollment — your child can start any week. Get Started → Rural families have always faced an unfair trade-off: accept the limitations of their local school district, or move away from the land, community, and way of life they love. Forest Trail Academy changes that equation. Full K-12 curriculum, AP courses, accredited diploma — delivered to any home with an internet connection, no commute required. The Rural School Gap: Rural schools serve 9.3 million students but face persistent challenges: teacher shortages in specialized subjects, limited AP course offerings, bus rides of 60-120 minutes each way, limited extracurricular options, and declining enrollment that strains resources further. A student in rural Wyoming should have the same access to AP Chemistry, AP Spanish, and dual enrollment opportunities as a student in suburban Chicago. Full AP course catalog — not the 1-2 AP courses a rural school might offer, but the complete catalog Certified teachers in every subject including advanced mathematics, sciences, and languages No bus ride — study at home, at the barn, on the farm, wherever makes sense Save $5,000-$8,000/year in transportation costs alone Students can participate in local community activities without school schedule conflicts States with Large Rural FTA Populations: Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, rural Texas (West Texas, Panhandle), rural California (Central Valley, far northern counties), Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, and rural portions of every state. Starlink and Rural Internet: For families in extremely remote areas, SpaceX Starlink has made reliable high-speed internet available virtually anywhere. FTA requires a stable internet connection but not high bandwidth — Starlink speeds more than meet the requirements. 4-H, FFA, and Rural Activities: FTA's flexible schedule is perfect for students active in 4-H, FFA (Future Farmers of America), junior rodeo, agricultural competitions, and other rural youth activities. Schoolwork fits around the activities that matter to your community, not the other way around. What internet speed does FTA require? Minimum 5 Mbps — Starlink, cable, or DSL in most rural areas qualifies Can my child still participate in local sports and activities? Yes — no conflict with local extracurriculars Is FTA's diploma recognized by state universities? Yes — Cognia-accredited, accepted by all US public universities What if we're on a farm and schedules vary with seasons? Perfect for FTA — work intensively during slow agricultural periods, lighter during harvest Enroll at Forest Trail Academy Today Founded in 2007, Forest Trail Academy has served over 10,000 students with a Cognia-accredited K-12 program. Open enrollment year-round. Call 800-890-6269 or submit an inquiry online. Our admissions team is ready to help your family get started immediately.
