How It Works

Elementary School

Tuition-Free

Because California Virtual Academies (CAVA) is an independent public charter school program, it’s tuition-free. Enrolled families receive the K12 curriculum, and eligible families receive a loaner computer, printer, and internet stipend.

Who can attend?

The CAVA elementary program serves students in grades TK–5 who reside in select counties.

What counties does CAVA serve?

CAVA serves students who reside in the following counties:

AlamedaAmadorButte
CalaverasColusaContra Costa
FresnoImperialInyo
KernKingsLake
Los AngelesMaderaMarin
MendocinoMercedMono
MontereyNapaOrange
PlacerRiversideSacramento
San BenitoSan BernardinoSan Diego
San FranciscoSan JoaquinSan Luis Obispo
San MateoSanta BarbaraSanta Clara
Santa CruzSolanoSonoma
StanislausSutterTulare
VenturaYoloYuba

What’s my role as a parent?

Parents serve as their child’s Learning Coach. As a Learning Coach, you will

  • Communicate progress with your child’s teacher
  • Monitor mastery of lessons and assessments
  • Review your child’s work
  • Record attendance
Average time commitment per day for Learning Coaches

What will my child study?

Coursework is a mix of online and hands-on work, which caters to a wide variety of learning styles. Unit and course assessments are built in to each subject, and easy-to-use online planning and progress tools keep you and your student on track.

TK–5th graders take courses in the core subjects listed below. Beginning in grade 3, they also take a self-guided elective course in music or a world language.

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ENGLISH / LANGUAGE ARTS

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MATH

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SCIENCE

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HISTORY

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ART

Mastering Lessons

In the elementary grades, students are required to show mastery of each lesson by achieving 80 percent or better on all lesson assessments. If your child is having difficulty mastering a lesson, let their homeroom teacher know as soon as possible. Teachers offer many support sessions to help students gain mastery.

Working with Your Teacher

Students work with their teachers and other classmates during “Class Connect” sessions. In “Class Connect” sessions, students

  • Receive live instruction from teachers
  • Interact with classmates
  • Ask questions and receive real-time support

Students can interact with their teachers and classmates by

  • Typing in the chat
  • Speaking over their microphone
  • Typing and drawing with online whiteboard features
  • Joining small group breakouts to work on projects or receive targeted instruction
Boy in a virtual class

Time Commitment

TK–5 students are expected to spend between 4–7 hours on schoolwork per school day, including both online and offline work.

Grades TK–2

  • 4–5 hours daily
  • 30-40% online

Grades 3–5

  • 5–7 hours daily
  • 50-60% online

A Day in the Life of Online Students

Want to learn more about the daily life of an online elementary student? Meet Micah and Sarai!

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