Preview · Warm + Handwritten

A Flexible, Accredited Education Built for Fall River Families

Whether your student needs to recover credits, balance a work schedule, or find a quieter learning environment than a large urban high school, High School of America offers a fully accredited online program with certified teachers and a pace that works around real life in the Southcoast.

Begin enrollment

Quick Answers

Will colleges in Massachusetts accept an HSOA diploma?

High School of America holds national accreditation, and the diploma is accepted by Massachusetts colleges, universities, employers, and military branches. Families in Fall River who need confirmation for a specific institution can contact our counselors directly.

Can a Fall River student enroll mid-year?

Yes. HSOA accepts new students at any point in the school year. There is no Fall River Public Schools calendar to align with, and credits already earned at Durfee High or another district school transfer in through our evaluation process.

Do Fall River students have to take the MCAS?

No. MCAS is required for graduation from Massachusetts public schools. Students enrolled in a private school like HSOA are not required to take or pass the MCAS. This is one of the practical differences families notice when they make the switch.

Massachusetts Private School Enrollment and Your Legal Obligations

Massachusetts General Law Chapter 76, Section 1 requires children ages 6 through 16 to receive an education. Families satisfy that requirement in one of two ways: public school attendance or enrollment in an approved private school. High School of America operates as a private school. When your child enrolls with HSOA, your private school enrollment is itself the compliance pathway. You are not filing a home education plan under the Charles decision process, which applies only to parent-directed home education, not private school attendance. HSOA does not represent that it is registered with the Commonwealth in a way that involves individual families. If your local Fall River district asks questions during the transition, we recommend you inform them in writing that your child is enrolling in a private school, and we can provide enrollment documentation to support that conversation. For any questions specific to your situation, you may also consult the Massachusetts DESE website.

Why Fall River Families Choose Online School

Student studying online at home in Fall River, Massachusetts

Fall River carries the bones of a city that once led the nation in cotton textile production. The brick mill buildings along the Quequechan River are still standing, many now home to light manufacturing, distribution centers, and healthcare facilities. Southcoast Health anchors the local economy through St. Anne’s Hospital, and Amazon’s regional distribution operation has added a large shift-work employer to the mix. That employment pattern, shifts starting before sunrise or running past midnight, shapes when parents are home, when teenagers can study, and how rigid a traditional school schedule actually is for families trying to make it work.

Fall River Public Schools serves a large and diverse community, including substantial Portuguese-speaking and Cape Verdean populations, and the district has historically faced graduation-rate challenges that leave some students behind by the time they reach high school. Bristol Community College’s Fall River campus is a realistic next step for many graduates, offering healthcare training, trades programs, and transfer pathways to four-year institutions. HSOA students in Fall River have used our flexible schedule to earn high school credits while taking introductory coursework at Bristol CC, getting a head start on the career credentials that matter most in this local economy. Our program is built for families who need a school that meets them where they are, not one that requires them to rearrange their lives around a bell schedule.

HSOA vs. Fall River Public Schools: A Side-by-Side Look

This comparison is for informational purposes only. Fall River Public Schools serves thousands of students well. HSOA is an alternative for families whose circumstances call for something different.

	High School of America	Fall River Public Schools
Schedule	Fully self-paced; coursework available any hour, any day	Fixed bell schedule at assigned school buildings
Credit Recovery	Structured credit recovery built into enrollment; students retake only what they need	Credit recovery options vary by school and availability
Class Size	One-on-one access to certified teachers; no crowded classroom	Large urban district; class sizes reflect district enrollment levels
MCAS Requirement	Private school students are not required to take or pass MCAS	MCAS passage required for high school diploma
Dual Enrollment	Coordinate Bristol CC coursework alongside your HSOA program	Dual enrollment available through district partnerships; subject to availability

Who We Serve in Fall River

Fall River students come to HSOA from a range of circumstances. Here are the situations we see most often.

🏭

Shift-Work Households

When a parent works overnight at Amazon’s distribution center or pulls overnight shifts at St. Anne’s Hospital, the family’s daily rhythm does not match a 7:30 a.m. school bus. HSOA’s fully asynchronous coursework means students can learn during whatever window actually exists in their household.

📋

Credit Recovery Students

Fall River has one of the higher rates of students who are off-track for graduation. If your teenager lost credits to absences, illness, or a difficult year at Durfee, HSOA builds a plan around the specific credits they still need rather than starting over from scratch.

🌐

Multilingual Families

Our Portuguese-speaking and Cape Verdean families are part of Fall River’s identity. Our counselors work with parents who are more comfortable in a language other than English, and we focus on clear written communication so nothing gets lost in translation.

💼

Working Teenagers

Many Fall River teens contribute to household income. A student working afternoons at a local retail or food-service job can complete coursework in the morning or late at night without choosing between school and family obligations.

📚

Students Seeking a Quieter Environment

Durfee High School enrolls thousands of students. Some teenagers learn better in a one-on-one setting with less social noise and fewer distractions. HSOA gives those students direct access to certified teachers without the crowd.

🎓

Bristol CC Dual Enrollment Planners

Students in 11th or 12th grade who want a head start on Bristol Community College’s healthcare or trades programs can coordinate HSOA coursework alongside introductory Bristol CC classes, building both their high school transcript and their post-secondary footing at the same time.

K-12 Online Programs for Fall River Students

HSOA offers a complete K-12 curriculum, fully online, with certified teachers at every level. Here is what each stage looks like for a Fall River family.

✏️

Elementary (K-5)

Fall River’s multilingual households often include children building literacy in English alongside a home language. Our K-12 program emphasizes foundational reading, writing, and numeracy with a pace parents can track closely. For families new to online schooling, we walk caregivers through the platform so they feel confident supporting their child’s learning from day one.

📐

Middle School (6-8)

A large urban district can be hard to navigate when a middle schooler falls behind in math or misses weeks of school. Our middle school program keeps students on a clear progression so that one rough semester does not compound into a two-year deficit by high school. Certified teachers are reachable directly, not through a guidance office queue.

🔑

9th Grade

Ninth grade is when students entering Durfee High often feel the scale of a large school for the first time. For students who want a calmer, more structured academic start, our 9th grade program delivers a full credit-bearing freshman year with real teacher feedback. Students who had a rough 8th grade can also use 9th grade to build solid habits before high school stakes climb.

⚙️

10th Grade

By 10th grade, some Fall River students are already contributing to family income. Our 10th grade coursework is designed so that a student working a regular shift schedule can still complete a full year of credits. There are no mandatory live sessions that conflict with a 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. work schedule.

🔬

11th Grade

Junior year is when dual enrollment becomes practical. Students in our 11th grade program who are interested in healthcare, trades, or transfer pathways can begin exploring introductory courses at Bristol Community College’s Fall River campus. We help coordinate so that Bristol CC coursework and HSOA credits both appear on the right transcripts.

🏆

12th Grade

Senior year at HSOA means finishing a real 12th grade online curriculum and earning a recognized high school diploma. For Fall River students, that diploma opens the door to Bristol Community College’s associate degree programs in nursing, medical assisting, and skilled trades, or to four-year transfer pathways for students aiming beyond the Southcoast.

MGL c.76, §1

Private School Enrollment

Massachusetts requires education for children ages 6 through 16.
Enrollment in an accredited private school satisfies the compulsory attendance requirement.
The Charles decision home education approval process does not apply to private school families.
Private school students in Massachusetts are not required to take or pass the MCAS.
HSOA provides enrollment documentation families can share with Fall River Public Schools during the transition.

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Getting Started: A Checklist for Fall River Parents

Switching to an online school involves a few concrete steps. Here is what the process typically looks like for families coming out of Fall River Public Schools.

Schedule a call with an HSOA enrollment counselor to review your student’s current grade level, any credits already earned, and your family’s scheduling needs.
Gather your student’s most recent transcript or report card from their current school so we can evaluate transferable credits.
Notify Fall River Public Schools in writing that your child is enrolling in a private school. HSOA can provide a letter of enrollment to support this notification.
Complete the HSOA enrollment application and upload required documents, including proof of identity and any prior academic records.
Work with your counselor to build a course schedule that fits your student’s credit needs and your household’s daily rhythm.
If your student plans to pursue dual enrollment at Bristol Community College, contact Bristol CC’s admissions office to ask about concurrent enrollment eligibility for high school students.
Set up a dedicated study space at home and confirm your internet connection is reliable. Your counselor can suggest offline strategies if connectivity is a concern.
Meet your student’s assigned certified teacher and review how to submit assignments, ask questions, and track progress in the student portal.
Mark your counselor’s contact information. Mid-year check-ins are available, and you do not need to wait for a formal review period to ask for help.

Serving Students Throughout the Fall River Area

HSOA enrolls students from Fall River and the surrounding Southcoast and Rhode Island border communities.

Swansea

Somerset

Seekonk

Taunton

Rehoboth

Dighton

Westport

Dartmouth

Attleboro

Pawtucket, RI

Frequently Asked Questions from Fall River Families

Is HSOA accredited, and will colleges in Massachusetts accept the diploma?

HSOA is nationally accredited. Colleges across Massachusetts, including Bristol Community College and four-year institutions in the state system, accept accredited private school diplomas. If you want to confirm for a specific school your student is targeting, our counselors can help you verify before you commit.

How much does HSOA cost?

We offer tuition plans designed to fit a range of household budgets, because we know affordability is a real concern for families in Fall River. An enrollment counselor will walk through the available options with you and explain what is included. We do not publish a single price because the right plan depends on your student’s grade level and course load.

My student attends Fall River Public Schools. Do they have to keep taking the MCAS?

No. The MCAS is a Massachusetts public school graduation requirement. Once your student is enrolled in HSOA as a private school student, they are no longer subject to the MCAS requirement. This is one of the more meaningful practical differences for families who have found the MCAS process stressful or disruptive.

Can my student enroll partway through the school year?

Yes, and this is one of the more common situations we see. A student who has lost ground at Durfee High or another Fall River school and decides in November or February that they need a change does not have to wait until September. We can evaluate existing credits and start a new course plan right away.

How does self-paced work if my household schedule changes week to week?

Self-paced means there are no required live sessions that lock your student into a specific time slot. Coursework is available around the clock through the student portal. For a household where a parent’s shift schedule rotates, or where a teenager works afternoon hours, this means studying can happen during whatever window is actually available rather than during a fixed window that conflicts with real obligations.

What does withdrawing from Fall River Public Schools actually involve?

Fall River Public Schools will typically want written notice that your child is leaving the district. HSOA provides an enrollment confirmation letter you can use for this purpose. You are withdrawing because your child is enrolling in a private school, so you do not need to file a home education plan or seek district approval. We recommend keeping a copy of the withdrawal communication for your records. If the district asks follow-up questions, we can help you respond.

Can my 11th or 12th grader take classes at Bristol Community College at the same time?

Yes. Bristol Community College has a Fall River campus and offers healthcare, trades, and transfer-track programs. Students in their junior or senior year at HSOA can coordinate enrollment at Bristol CC so that college-level coursework appears on a college transcript while HSOA handles the high school diploma requirements. Contact Bristol CC’s admissions office to ask about their concurrent enrollment process for students under 18.

How does my student actually interact with their teachers?

Every HSOA student is assigned certified teachers who respond to questions, grade submitted work, and are available for direct communication through the student portal. Interaction is written and asynchronous by default, which means your student can send a question at midnight and receive a substantive reply from a real teacher rather than an automated response. For students who want a live conversation, scheduled teacher sessions are also available.

Get Your Enrollment Plan

Fill out the form below and an enrollment counselor will reach out within one business day.

Or call us: (888) 242-4262