Online K-12 learning opportunities have proliferated, but much remains to be understood about
the characteristics of participating students. This study presents a demographic profile of fulltime,
K-12 online learners today and compares them with public school students nationwide in
the United States. The data was collected from a parent survey that produced 119,155 valid
responses/records for students enrolled full-time in online K-12 public schools in 43 states. The
study shows that the online student population includes somewhat more females than males, and
more middle school than elementary or high school students. White students are overrepresented
among full-time online learners compared with their share of the nationwide student population,
while Hispanic/Latino and Asian/Pacific Islander students are underrepresented. Gifted and
talented students and English language learners (ELLs) are also underrepresented. These data
provide a baseline for more detailed explorations and can assist practitioners, policy makers, and
researchers in making important decisions about online education that have implications for all
students
