Stanford Campus

About

Stanford Online High School is an independent school within Stanford University for intellectually adventurous students in grades 7–12.

Welcome From the Head of School

Tomohiro Hoshi Head of School

Thank you for your interest in Stanford Online High School!

So much has been accomplished since Stanford OHS was founded in 2006. Our school has grown in such tremendous ways, but I am so proud that our mission and our unique character have remained firmly in place.

I invite you to explore our website, discover more about our worldwide learning community, and see what makes the Stanford OHS experience so extraordinary.

–Tomohiro Hoshi, Ph.D.

Mission Statement

The mission of Stanford Online High School is to foster a worldwide community of intellectually adventurous students and teachers.

 
  • Engaging and Challenging: Our courses, created and taught by specialists in their academic fields, encourage students to continuously develop and test their own views as they integrate knowledge across disciplines.
  • A Community of Inquiry: Small class sizes and synchronous class meetings populated by curious and engaged classmates and teachers make learning a meaningful and social experience.
  • Lasting Connections: Students form close bonds with each other and with the school community through classes, clubs, meetups, and other school activities, all supported by caring educators. 
  • Global Reach: Our school brings together students with diverse backgrounds from across the world. 

Accreditations and Memberships

Accreditations

Our Roots

Stanford OHS was founded at Stanford University in 2006 with a gift from the Malone Family Foundation. It began as a three-year high school comprising a worldwide community of highly motivated students and teachers, and expanded to include grades 7-9. Central to our mission was the creation of an innovative online program of study, one that evoked the University’s dynamism and provoked the discourse of the best brick-and-mortar classes. We succeeded, producing in the heart of Silicon Valley one of the nation’s first independent online high schools. Today, Stanford OHS and Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies together serve academically talented, intellectually curious pre-college students. Stanford OHS is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS).

Everything Stanford OHS does is informed by the principles upon which the school was founded:
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Individualized coursework in which students are placed by ability and skills, allowing them to be challenged at every level.
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Verbal and written communications held to university-level standards.
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Coursework that emphasizes critical thinking and depth of knowledge rather than rapid acceleration.
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A high-school environment that keeps students engaged and challenged with equally talented and passionate peers.

History Highlights

2006: Stanford Online High School is founded with a gift from the Malone Family Foundation as a three-year high school originally associated with Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth.

2007: Stanford OHS has its first graduating class.

2007: Summer @ Stanford, a two-week intensive residential program, is introduced to enhance student community through study at Stanford University's campus.
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2008: Stanford OHS is approved as an online provider by the University of California.

2008: Stanford OHS adopts the Pixel as the school character.

2009: With an additional gift from the Malone Family Foundation, Stanford OHS expands to include a middle-school program.

2010: The school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

2012: Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies is inaugurated as a reformulation of the Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) and serves as the home of Stanford OHS in addition to a variety of programs designed to serve academically talented, intellectually curious pre-college students.

2012: Stanford OHS leads the development of the Malone Schools Online Network.

2012: Student Services expands to include social-emotional counseling in addition to academic advising and college guidance.

2013: The school's student-life program grows to encompass more than 40 clubs, 17 family-organized meetups, multiple student-led assemblies, and a bevy of Skype groups.

2014: Student Travel options are added (Argentina, 2014; Panama, 2015; Rome, 2016; Galapagos, 2017; London, 2017).

2014: Adobe Connect is introduced as the school’s Virtual Classroom System.

2014: Equipped with dedicated Writing Instructors, the new Writing & Peer Tutoring Center is launched.

2015: Stanford OHS switches to Canvas for its new Learning Management System.

2015: Summer @ Stanford expands to offer a program dedicated to middle-school students.

2016: Stanford OHS celebrates its 10th year! Dr. Tomohiro Hoshi becomes Head of School.

2017: Students are invited to the first Stanford OHS Winter Formal Dance and Pixel Festival on the Stanford University campus.

2017: Stanford OHS builds out its own recording studio for lecture recordings.

2018: Stanford OHS graduates its largest class yet.

2019: Stanford OHS is granted additional accreditation from the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS).

2020: Stanford OHS launches a free resources webpage and hosts a series of informative webinars to help educate brick-and-mortar schools how to teach effective classes online in the wake of the global pandemic COVID-19.

2021: Stanford OHS celebrates its 15th year! The School's outreach programs expand to include Summer Institute, Stanford Humanities Institute, Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC), and Math Circle.

2022: Stanford OHS is granted membership to the Council of International Schools (CIS).

2022: Stanford OHS founds the Stanford Middle School Scholars Program to help prepare low-income students for a rigorous high school education.

Meet Our People

Our People

Scholarly Instructors

Our instructors, many of whom hold Ph.D.’s in their academic fields, are chosen for their expertise and for their passion teaching highly talented students at an advanced level in our online environment.
Our People

Supportive Staff

Our administrators, academic advisors, college counselors, wellness counselors, and admissions officers support the academic, social, emotional, and personal needs of every Stanford OHS student.
Our People

Global Student Body

We enroll more than 900 students annually, representing 48 U.S. states, 45 countries, and six continents. Our live, online seminars, club meetings, and assemblies bring students from urban cityscapes to rural farms across the world into one shared virtual space to learn with and from one another.
Our People

Active Parent Association

Parents are valued members of our extended global family. Vocal and active, they lead programs that enrich the Stanford OHS experience. Their support is crucial to the success of all of our students.
Our People

Alumni Community

Our alumni network is international and diverse, with former Stanford OHS students variously pursuing graduate study, authoring books, founding nonprofits, becoming doctors, and more. Learn more about our Stanford OHS Pixel Community.
Our People

Governance

Our governance groups are comprised of an array of Stanford OHS staff, parents, alumni, and experts in education who provide guidance and oversight of our unique independent school.
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Diversity at Stanford OHS