Frequently Asked Questions

K-12 hours will be from 8:20 AM - 3:30 PM, additional support will be based on staff availability.

Currently, our teachers are veteran Rochester Public School teachers. They transferred into these open positions via the voluntary transfer process in their contract. Hiring will continue internally and also externally for new hires.

Meet the staff of RPS Online by viewing their biographies.

RPS Online school staff are 100% dedicated to serve online students and do not currently serve in-person classes.

Any student in grades Kindergarten to 12^th grade that lives within the state of Minnesota can enroll in RPS Online School.

To enroll in RPS Online, contact Registration and Records at (507) 328-4200, or access the enrollment forms online at https://skyward.rochesterschools.org.

RPS Online students have the opportunity to be enrolled full-time or part-time 

• A student that is enrolled in RPS Online School and is considered full-time (comprehensive) means the student has more than 50% of their enrollment in the RPS Online School.
• A student that is enrolled in RPS Online School and is considered part-time (supplemental) means the student has less than 50% of their enrollment in the RPS Online School.

This is an option, however, we highly recommend it would take place at a natural break in the school year. A natural break would be at the trimester time for elementary students and the quarter or semester time for secondary students.

Yes, one of the advantages of RPS Online is the ability to be comprehensively or supplementally online. Students, families, and RPS staff work together to create a schedule and find the best way to partner effectively for student success.

For identified elementary students, verbal and nonverbal gifted services will be available.  As is the case for in-person middle schools, honors classes or honors options will be available in science, social studies and English for grades 7 and 8.  Accelerated math will be available for grades 6-8.  The highly gifted program will be available for identified students at in-person schools.

Not all courses will be offered online as some courses would not translate into an immersive online experience. For example, Marching Band or a Welding course at CTECH.

However, if a student was interested in a course that isn't offered online, they still have the opportunity to attend that individual course on campus.

RPS Online will teach to the same standards and rigor as in-person learning.

Yes, our elementary students will be offered specials as this is an important part of their curriculum and learning environment.

At this time students need to be available for in-person testing. We will work with the Minnesota Department of Education to find further clarification on this as we understand this may be difficult for our students spread across the state. All testing dates will be provided to students and families with advanced notice.

Yes, students will be held to the same Graduation requirements as all Rochester Public Schools students. We will work to uphold our graduate profile and provide students with a rigorous and full learning experience.

RPS Online high school students will receive credit for their coursework on a transcript in the same way an in-person student receives credit. Students joining RPS Online School from another high school setting will receive support from an RPS Online counselor or administrator to determine coursework needed for graduation. Transcripts and grading information will be available to parent/guardians and students via Skyward.

RPS Online students will have the opportunity to participate in the graduation ceremony and receive a diploma at the High School in the student’s attendance area.

Class sizes for RPS Online School will follow the District targets set by the School Board. For elementary, the class target at Kindergarten is 20 and increases with the grade level with 5^th grade being 29 students per class. Middle and High School classes are generally not more than 32 students.

The expectation is that students will be online and attending class each day (M-F). The specific time in front of a computer or tablet will vary based on grade level, course, and course activities. The key is for our online experience to provide rigor, be more personalized to our students, and provide flexible learning. Learning will always be the constant, and the schedule and amount of screen time is variable.

Though RPS Online is available to Rochester students, classrooms are open to serve students K-12 throughout the entire state of Minnesota.

RPS Online school will be an online school, but will still work to provide the school atmosphere and provide opportunities for classes and students to gather together. More information will be available for students enrolled this Fall.

 We will be providing the opportunity for students to receive lunch if they choose. Details around how this will be structured are still under development.

Yes these services are offered to our students. This would be done similarly to the in-person experience with an IEP Team process and evaluation but in an online environment. Please reach out through our contact form to connect with us individually so we can best discuss your students needs.

Yes. Please reach out through our contact form to connect with us individually so we can best discuss your students needs.

Yes, mental health supports are offered to students.

Students will be supplied with devices by the school district. More information about device pick-up and technology will be shared with families closer to start of the school year.

No. Those are the times teachers are available for support. Students will have a mix of synchronous and asynchronous learning formats to ensure learning targets are mastered.

Yes. They would participate on the team (for the school) based on their home address and the respective boundary it encompasses.