Massachusetts Mayflower Academy FAQs

Massachusetts Mayflower Academy is a full-time online private high school that is operated by VHS Learning. VHS Learning is a nonprofit organization that provides online courses to high students and schools in the United States and internationally. Students enrolled in the academy take online courses from VHS Learning to meet their graduation requirements.

Massachusetts Mayflower Academy is for students who are unable to (or prefer not to) attend a face-to-face high school. Students enroll in the program to meet their graduation requirements and receive a high school diploma. Upon graduation from the academy, students receive a diploma based on Massachusetts high school graduation standards.

Students apply and are accepted to Massachusetts Mayflower Academy. Once accepted they work with our guidance counselor and administration to select and enroll in courses that meet their high school graduation requirements. Students choose from the more than 300 courses available through VHS Learning. Courses are asynchronous, which means students do not have to login to their course on a specific day or at a specific time, but students must meet weekly deadlines set by their course instructors. Class sizes are limited to 21 students and all classes are conducted entirely online. Students work closely with their teachers and classmates in an online class environment through group projects, class discussions, and more.

Tuition for the academy is $8,000 per year or $4,000 per semester.

We offer flexible payment plans, and financial aid may be available depending on need. To arrange a payment plan, make a payment, or request financial aid, please call us at 978.897.1900 or email info@vhslearning.org.

Massachusetts Mayflower Academy is accredited by Middle States Association-Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) and also has been approved for NCAA initial eligibility (school code 850943). VHS Learning uses NCAA approval code 221356. Visit the NCAA Eligibility Center for more information.

Parents and/or their students should first complete the application form that can be found on our website. Once the application form is complete, students and their families will be interviewed by our academic team before deciding on whether to accept the students or not. Students who wish to be considered for full-time enrollment in the academy must be in grades 9-12, under the age of 21, and seeking a high school diploma.

No. Students must be under the age of 21 and be full-time students to enroll in Massachusetts Mayflower Academy.

Courses taken through the academy are on a semester-basis. Courses begin in September for the fall semester and January for the spring semester and run for 15 weeks. Full-year courses beginning in September are also available and run for 35 weeks.

Standard courses have weekly deadlines and due dates – they are not self-paced. Students can login at any time to complete the course work as long as deadlines and due dates are met. Students are expected to login to their course on a regular basis each week, to pace work and participate in class discussions.

Flexible courses are more self-paced, but a teacher is guiding students along the way. Students can finish the courses in as few as 20 weeks, but they also have until June 15 to complete assignments. Once a student has completed a module of content then the next module will be released.

Students are eligible for their high school diploma when they have completed all graduation requirements as noted in the Massachusetts Mayflower Policy Handbook. A total of 22 credits are required to meet graduation requirements. Transfer students who desire to receive a diploma from the academy must complete at least one academic year of courses (6 credits) through the academy. If students wish to have credits earned at other institutions accepted for credit towards a diploma, they must provide official transcripts from other institutions.

Graduation requirements from the academy are as follows:

English: 4 credits
Mathematics: 4 credits
Science: 3 credits (3 years of lab courses required)
Social Studies: 3 credits (must include World History, U.S. History, and U.S. Government)
Foreign Language 2 credits of same language
Health: 0.5 credits
Personal Finance: 0.5 credits
Physical Education: 1 credit
Arts/Humanities: 1 credit
Electives: 3 credits (may be taken in any content area)

Students take all their courses entirely online through the academy. All courses they take are administered by VHS Learning, a nonprofit organization which operates the school.

Amy Michalowski is our dean. Please call our main office at 978.897.1900 or email info@vhslearning.org if you have questions or need assistance.

Due to the different categorizes of course levels in secondary schools, our courses are organized into three achievement levels: Standard, Honors, and Advanced Placement. Definitions of each course level are included below.

Credit Recovery - Credit recovery courses are self-paced, so students can recover credit in as little as 4 weeks, though students will have up to 8 weeks to finish each course. Many of the courses contain adaptive pre-tests, so students can test out of content they have mastered and focus on areas where they need to reinforce their learning. Credit recovery courses are offered in 0.5 credit segments, so that students have flexibility to complete just the first-part of a full-year course. Each 0.5 credit recovery course will require about 40 hours of work.
Standard level, college preparatory, courses are appropriate for students intending to pursue two- or four-year college placement. Courses require well-developed reading, writing, mathematical, critical thinking, and study abilities, as well as self-discipline and organization to complete assignments within expected deadlines. Students are expected to work on average between 6 to 8 hours per week in a Standard level course.
Honors level courses are presented at a more accelerated pace than Standard level courses and require students to develop a deeper conceptual understanding of course concepts. Honors courses require advanced reading, writing, mathematical, critical thinking, and study abilities, as well as self-discipline and organization to complete assignments within expected deadlines. Students are expected to work on average between 8 and 10 hours per week in an Honors level course.
Advanced Placement (AP®) level courses are equivalent to college level courses and require students understand concepts that are more complex and faster paced than most traditional high school coursework. AP® courses include open-ended discussions, detailed writing assignments, and complex problem solving, and they require students have strong collaboration skills and excellent reading and writing abilities. Students will be expected to research and analyze materials to formulate and justify their claims and opinions. AP® students are encouraged to complete the College Board exam testing knowledge of the AP® subject, which may (depending on the college) translate into college credits if the student scores high enough on the exam. Students are expected to work on average between 10 and 12 hours per week in an AP® level course.