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Cambridge · High School Online

An Accredited Online School Built for Cambridge’s Accelerators

When Cambridge Rindge and Latin School has no AP left to take, when a lab bench calls every Tuesday afternoon, or when a 2,000-student building is simply the wrong environment, High School of America offers a rigorous, fully accredited alternative. Students work at their own pace, keep their afternoons, and stay on track for the selective-university applications that Cambridge families are navigating.

Quick Answers

Is HSOA accredited and accepted by colleges for Cambridge students?

High School of America is nationally accredited. Colleges and universities, including highly selective research universities, accept HSOA diplomas. Cambridge students applying to MIT, Harvard, or other top-tier institutions submit an accredited transcript just as they would from any recognized private school.

Do Cambridge students have to take MCAS if they enroll with HSOA?

No. MCAS is a Massachusetts public school graduation requirement. Private school students, including those enrolled with High School of America, are not required to take or pass MCAS. Families in Cambridge who have strong views about standardized testing will find that private school enrollment resolves the MCAS question entirely.

Can a Cambridge student start HSOA in the middle of the school year?

Yes. HSOA accepts enrollment year-round. A student can leave Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in November, February, or April and begin coursework within days. There is no semester cutoff and no waiting period.

Massachusetts Compulsory Education Law and Your Cambridge Family

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 76, Section 1 requires children ages 6-16 to receive instruction. Families satisfy this requirement by enrolling in an approved private school. When your student enrolls with High School of America, you are placing them in a private school, not pursuing the home-education approval process established by the 1987 Charles decision. That separate process applies only to families who are educating at home independently, not to families using an accredited private school. HSOA handles your student’s academic records, transcripts, and diploma. You do not register with the state or file an annual plan with Cambridge Public Schools as a private school enrollee. We recommend confirming any district-level notification preference directly with Cambridge Public Schools or Massachusetts DESE, as procedures can vary. The official resource for Massachusetts education law is the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Why Cambridge Families Choose an Online School

Cambridge is one of the most education-dense square miles in the country. Harvard and MIT sit within the city limits. Kendall Square, a short walk from Central Square, houses more biotech and life sciences companies per block than anywhere else on earth: Biogen, Moderna, Novartis, Google, and Amazon all maintain major Cambridge offices. The families who live here tend to have high expectations and very specific ideas about what learning should look like. Many of them are researchers themselves.

The students who come to HSOA from Cambridge fall into two recognizable groups. The first group has already exhausted Cambridge Rindge and Latin School’s considerable AP offerings and needs a school that can move faster, not slower. These students often have research internships, university coursework, or competitive programs running in parallel, and they need a schedule that accommodates a 1 p.m. lab shift or a Monday seminar at Harvard Extension School. The second group finds the social environment of a 2,000-student comprehensive school misaligned with the way they learn best. CRLS is a good school with serious students, but not every high-achieving teenager thrives in that setting. HSOA gives those students a quieter, self-directed path to the same selective-university outcomes their peers are pursuing.

HSOA vs. Cambridge Rindge and Latin School

Cambridge Rindge and Latin School is a comprehensive public high school with strong AP and extracurricular offerings. For some Cambridge students, HSOA provides what CRLS structurally cannot: open pacing, afternoon availability, and a schedule built around the student rather than around a 2,000-person institution.

	High School of America	Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS)
Pacing	Self-paced; advance through material as fast as mastery allows	Cohort-paced; all students move at the same speed within a semester
Schedule flexibility	Coursework fits around research internships, university seminars, or clinical programs	Fixed bell schedule; afternoon hours are committed to school through 2-3 p.m.
Class size and environment	1-on-1 access to certified teachers; no large-lecture dynamic	Approximately 2,000 students; competitive, high-energy environment
AP and advanced coursework	Accredited curriculum with no ceiling on concurrent advanced courses	Strong AP program; limited by seat availability and prerequisite sequences
Mid-year enrollment	Open enrollment year-round; students start within days	Enrollment follows the district academic calendar

Who Enrolls from Cambridge

Cambridge families come to HSOA with specific, concrete situations rather than vague dissatisfaction. These are the students we see most often.

🔬

Research Interns at Kendall Square Labs

Students who have secured a part-time research position at a Kendall Square biotech or university lab cannot be in a school building every afternoon. HSOA’s flexible schedule means coursework happens in the morning, and the lab bench is available by 1 p.m.

📈

Students Who Have Outpaced CRLS

Some Cambridge students finish CRLS’s AP catalog before their junior year. HSOA allows them to continue advancing through accredited coursework at whatever speed mastery permits, without waiting for a cohort to catch up.

🎓

Harvard Extension and MIT OpenCourseWare Users

Older HSOA students in Cambridge often pair their high school coursework with Harvard Extension School non-credit seminars or MIT OpenCourseWare independent study. HSOA’s schedule makes that combination practical without overloading a student’s week.

🧘

Students Seeking a Calmer Environment

CRLS’s competitive, high-energy culture suits many students but not all. Some Cambridge teenagers learn better with a quieter, self-directed structure. HSOA provides academic rigor without the social complexity of a 2,000-person school.

🌐

Families Returning from Abroad

Cambridge’s academic and international community means families frequently relocate for research fellowships, sabbaticals, or global positions. Students returning mid-year from overseas enroll with HSOA to maintain continuity and transcript coherence.

✈️

12th Graders in Application Season

Selective-university applicants in Cambridge need flexibility for campus visits, alumni interviews, and audition travel. HSOA’s self-paced senior year means a student can travel to New Haven or Ann Arbor for an interview without falling behind on coursework.

Programs for Every Grade Level

HSOA serves Cambridge students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Each level is designed around what students and families in this city actually need at that stage.

📚

Elementary School (K-5)

Cambridge parents who work in research, medicine, or technology tend to prioritize systematic thinking and analytical reasoning from early on. Our K-12 program builds those habits through a structured, mastery-based curriculum that moves at the pace the child is ready for. Families with unpredictable lab or hospital schedules find the flexible daily format easier to sustain than a rigid school-bus calendar.

🔭

Middle School (6-8)

Cambridge middle schoolers who are already reading and reasoning above grade level often spend public school in a holding pattern. Our middle school program is designed for students who need more pace rather than more wait-time. Coursework advances when a student demonstrates mastery, not when a school year ends. Students in this cohort often use the extra bandwidth to explore coding, science competition prep, or MIT-adjacent enrichment programs.

🗺️

9th Grade

Entering high school at a 2,000-student institution can be disorienting for students who prefer depth over breadth and quiet over noise. Our 9th grade program lets students build a serious academic record in a structure that rewards focus. Cambridge 9th graders have used this year to complete coursework well ahead of peers while staying eligible for extracurricular and enrichment programs that CRLS cannot offer them.

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10th Grade

Many Cambridge students begin research or clinical internship work in 10th grade. HSOA’s 10th grade structure is built for exactly this situation: core coursework can happen during morning hours so that afternoons remain available for a Kendall Square lab, a hospital shadowing program, or a university seminar series. Transcripts from this year carry real weight on college applications, and our certified teachers know how to help students document that work accurately.

🏛️

11th Grade

HSOA’s 11th grade is a natural fit for Cambridge students who want to add Harvard Extension School coursework or UMass Boston dual-enrollment credits alongside their high school requirements. We help students balance both without overcommitting their schedule. This is also the year when Cambridge families focused on selective admissions start thinking carefully about transcript narrative, and our counselors can guide that process.

🎯

12th Grade

The college application season is a part-time job. Cambridge seniors applying to highly selective universities need scheduling room for essays, interviews, campus visits, and application deadlines. HSOA’s 12th grade online gives students that room while keeping their academic record active and rigorous. Students graduate with an accredited high school diploma that selective colleges recognize. The self-paced structure also supports three-year graduation paths for students who are ready to move on.

MGL c.76, §1

Private School Enrollment

Massachusetts requires instruction for children ages 6-16.
Enrollment in an accredited private school satisfies the compulsory attendance requirement.
HSOA is a private school. Families are not doing home education under the Charles decision process.
Private school students in Massachusetts are not required to take or pass MCAS.
Families should confirm any local notification preference with Cambridge Public Schools or MA DESE.

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Steps to Enroll Your Cambridge Student

Most Cambridge families complete enrollment within a week. Here is what the process looks like from inquiry to first day of coursework.

Schedule a call with an HSOA enrollment counselor to discuss your student’s grade level, goals, and timeline.
Gather your student’s most recent report card or transcript from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School or their current school.
Review the HSOA program options and tuition plans with your counselor; ask about payment structures that fit your budget.
Complete the enrollment application, which the counselor will walk you through step by step.
Notify Cambridge Public Schools that your student is withdrawing to attend a private school; your counselor can advise on what that process typically involves.
Receive your student’s HSOA login credentials and course assignments, typically within 1-2 business days of enrollment completion.
Set up your student’s daily schedule, particularly if they are balancing HSOA coursework with an internship, university program, or research commitment.
Connect your student with their assigned certified teacher for an initial check-in and goal-setting conversation.
Confirm any Harvard Extension School, MIT OpenCourseWare, or UMass Boston dual-enrollment plans with your counselor so transcripts reflect the full picture accurately.

Serving Families Across Greater Cambridge

HSOA enrolls students from Cambridge and the surrounding communities throughout the Middlesex County and Greater Boston area.

Somerville

Medford

Arlington

Belmont

Watertown

Newton

Waltham

Malden

Everett

Brookline

Questions Cambridge Families Ask Most

What does accreditation mean for a Cambridge student applying to a competitive college?

HSOA is nationally accredited, which means the school’s curriculum and standards have been independently reviewed and verified. For Cambridge students aiming at MIT, Harvard, selective liberal arts colleges, or any other competitive university, an accredited transcript carries the same recognition as one from any established private school. Admissions offices at these institutions are familiar with accredited online schools and evaluate students on the full application. Accreditation is also what allows HSOA credits to transfer if a student later returns to a traditional school or enrolls in a dual-enrollment program.

How much does HSOA cost, and are there options for Cambridge families at different income levels?

HSOA does not publish tuition publicly because plans vary by grade level, program, and individual circumstances. What we can say is that our counselors are specifically trained to find a structure that works for the family in front of them. Cambridge has a wide range of family situations, from single-income households to dual-academic-income households managing high housing costs, and our counselors have worked with all of them. The best starting point is a direct conversation with an enrollment counselor who can walk through every available option.

Does my Cambridge student have to take the MCAS exam if they enroll with HSOA?

No. MCAS is a graduation requirement for students in Massachusetts public schools. Private school students, including those enrolled with High School of America, are not required to take or pass MCAS. Cambridge families who have concerns about standardized testing, or who specifically want to step outside the MCAS framework, will find that private school enrollment resolves that question cleanly. Your student’s academic progress is measured through HSOA’s own curriculum benchmarks, and the resulting transcript reflects real course completion rather than a single standardized score.

Can my student enroll mid-year if they are leaving Cambridge Rindge and Latin School now?

Yes, and this is one of the most common situations we handle. A Cambridge student can begin HSOA coursework any week of the year. If your student is leaving CRLS in October because a research opportunity has opened up, or in February because the school environment is not working, there is no penalty and no waiting period. We work with your student’s existing transcript to place them appropriately and avoid redundant coursework.

How does the self-paced model work for a Cambridge student who has other major commitments?

Self-paced means your student logs into coursework when their schedule allows, not when a school bell rings. For a Cambridge student who has a Kendall Square internship on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, or who is taking a Harvard Extension seminar on Monday evenings, HSOA coursework happens in the remaining windows. There are no attendance penalties for doing coursework at 7 a.m. or 9 p.m. Certified teachers monitor progress, review submitted work, and respond to subject-matter questions as they come in. The structure rewards students who can manage their own time, which is precisely the skill that research internships and selective colleges expect.

What does withdrawing from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School actually involve?

The practical steps are straightforward. You notify Cambridge Public Schools (Cambridge Rindge and Latin School’s administration) that your student is withdrawing to enroll in a private school. You do not need to submit an education plan to the superintendent or seek annual approval, because those procedures apply to the home-education pathway, not to private school enrollment. HSOA can advise you on what Cambridge Public Schools typically expects to receive and help you gather the relevant documentation. Most Cambridge families find this process takes less time than they anticipated.

Can my Cambridge student earn dual-enrollment credits through Harvard Extension School or UMass Boston?

Yes. HSOA’s flexible schedule is specifically suited to students who want to take a Harvard Extension School course or enroll in a UMass Boston dual-enrollment program alongside their high school coursework. We help students and families plan those combinations so the total workload is sustainable and the resulting transcripts accurately reflect both HSOA and outside coursework. This is an option we see Cambridge 11th and 12th graders use with increasing frequency, particularly students building a case for selective university admissions.

How do certified teachers engage with students, and how available are they?

Every HSOA student is assigned certified teachers who are responsible for that student’s progress. Teachers review coursework, provide feedback, answer subject-matter questions, and are reachable during school hours. The model is not a passive video library; it is a structured course with a real teacher on the other end. For Cambridge students who are accustomed to the rigor of CRLS’s best teachers, the expectation that a teacher will actually know your student’s work by name is something we take seriously.

Get Your Enrollment Plan

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