Tuition for full-time students at online U.S. schools ranges between $6,000 and $40,000. GTS aims to provide affordable, quality education. Therefore, our tuition for full-time students is $16,000 for upper (9-12) and $12,000 for lower (6-8) school. Part-time students may take individual courses or coaching-only services. For tuition rates for part-time students and coaching, please visit our tuition page.
We are course-based, not semester or year-based. Therefore, students can enroll at any time. When students complete a course, they move to the next course. We do not have the conventional concepts of quarter or semester as in traditional schools. Working with their success coach, each student sets their course completion goals and works towards them.
Online education has many benefits. However, there may be more conducive learning modes for some students. Children are similar to seeds; each needs the proper climate conditions (sun, water, soil type, weather, etc.) to germinate, grow, and thrive. Therefore, parents must ensure their children have the skill set to succeed in an online learning environment. On our website, we created a simple assessment for parents to identify whether an online school like Global Town School is the right fit for their child. It is called a Goodness of Fit Test. Please take this online assessment to see if your child will thrive in an online learning setting.
Typically, the following students are more likely to succeed in online learning environments:
-independent learner
-self-disciplined
-intrinsically motivated
-goal-oriented
-organized
-open to input and feedback
-high academic aptitude
-high internal accountability
It does not mean a student lacks one of the characteristics above and cannot succeed in an online learning environment. They may need to try a bit harder to thrive.
Yes, GTS is a selective school. We do not have an entrance exam. However, we look at applicants’ past academic performance and conduct a student/parent interview to ensure that each applicant we accept has the competencies and skillset to thrive in an online environment.
Typically, the following students are more likely to succeed in online learning environments:
-independent learner
-self-disciplined
-intrinsically motivated
-goal-oriented
-organized
-open to input and feedback
-high academic aptitude
-high internal accountability
We offer merit—and need-based scholarship opportunities for high-performing students. Prospective parents can find out how much of a scholarship their child may be awarded without even applying to GTS. If interested, please fill out the scholarship application here.
The more information you enter in the scholarship form, the more accurate response you get. Therefore, please enter as much information as you can accurately. Once we receive your submission, we will respond within a few days with a range of scholarships you may receive if you apply to GTS. We honor the scholarship amount you are provided once you move forward with your application.
Also, in states where voucher or education saving accounts are available, such as Arizona, Utah, Arkansas, Iowa, Ohio, and Florida, parents may use their voucher towards tuition at GTS. Please visit our scholarship page for more information.
Yes, we offer a 30% automatic tuition discount for military and educator families, which may be combined with scholarships. Additionally, we have a 10% automatic full-payment discount.
For example, a student with an educator or military family member gets an automatic discount of $4,800 at the high school level, bringing the full-time tuition down to $11,800. If the same student receives an additional scholarship of $3,000, the total tuition comes down to $8,800. If this parent chooses to pay full tuition, they get an extra 10% discount to attend GTS for only $7,920.
Tuition discounts may be combined with scholarships. In states where vouchers or state scholarships are available, such as Arizona, Utah, Arkansas, Iowa, Ohio, and Florida, parents may use their voucher towards tuition at GTS. Please visit our scholarship page for more information.
Most of our classes are asynchronous so that students can take and progress at their own pace. Around 80% of the assignments, projects, and homework are auto-graded. The remaining 20% is graded by our teachers, who provide student feedback.
We, however, create courses for individual students based on their interests, passions, and goals. Some of these courses may be live classes.
The more information you enter in the scholarship form, the more accurate response you get. Therefore, please enter as much information as you can accurately. Once we receive your submission, we will respond within a few days with a range of scholarships you may receive if you apply to GTS. We honor the scholarship amount you are provided once you move forward with your application.
Also, in states where voucher or education saving accounts are available, such as Arizona, Utah, Arkansas, Iowa, Ohio, and Florida, parents may use their voucher towards tuition at GTS. Please visit our scholarship page for more information.
GTS online courses have the following characteristics:
• No timed assignments or assessments
• Concepts are presented in multiple ways and multiple times:
• Multimedia (videos, images, interactives) are used to emphasize key points
• Self-checks embedded throughout instruction with targeted feedback
• Formative assessment that gradually increases from low-stakes to higher-stakes
• Multiple methods of assessment, including performance-based tasks
• Differentiated enrichment activities
• Opportunity for additional attempts at assessments
We, however, create courses for individual students based on their interests, passions, and goals. Some of these courses may be live classes.
The more information you enter in the scholarship form, the more accurate response you get. Therefore, please enter as much information as you can accurately. Once we receive your submission, we will respond within a few days with a range of scholarships you may receive if you apply to GTS. We honor the scholarship amount you are provided once you move forward with your application.
Also, in states where voucher or education saving accounts are available, such as Arizona, Utah, Arkansas, Iowa, Ohio, and Florida, parents may use their voucher towards tuition at GTS. Please visit our scholarship page for more information.
GTS offers more than 150 courses in the upper school (9-12) and around 120 in the lower school (6-8). These include core courses, electives, honor courses, and AP courses. Please visit our curriculum page to review our course catalogs for available classes.
Does GTS offer any dual-credit college courses while in high school?
GTS also offers dual credit courses through our collaboration with Arizona State University (ASU). ASU is one of the largest universities in America, serving 60,000 students. Founded in 1885, ASU has been repeatedly ranked the most innovative university in the U.S. and a top world university based on its programs, groundbreaking initiatives, partnerships, and research.
GTS students have access to over sixty ASU courses ranging from Business Intelligence to healthcare, engineering, and poetry. Upon successful completion, GTS students earn high school and college credits from these courses, and they can transfer these credits to other universities in the U.S. Dual credit courses are primarily asynchronous and self-paced. However, some courses have specific start and completion dates students must follow.
Yes, GTS students have to earn at least 22 credits to graduate. However, because GTS provides its students with an entirely personalized learning experience, the 22 credits are personalized for each student. That means we decide together what classes you must take based on your interests, passions, and goals. No two students receive the same education at GTS. Based on your goals, most 22 credits may be math and science-related or liberal arts courses.
Does GTS offer any dual-credit college courses while in high school?
GTS also offers dual credit courses through our collaboration with Arizona State University (ASU). ASU is one of the largest universities in America, serving 60,000 students. Founded in 1885, ASU has been repeatedly ranked the most innovative university in the U.S. and a top world university based on its programs, groundbreaking initiatives, partnerships, and research.
GTS students have access to over sixty ASU courses ranging from Business Intelligence to healthcare, engineering, and poetry. Upon successful completion, GTS students earn high school and college credits from these courses, and they can transfer these credits to other universities in the U.S. Dual credit courses are primarily asynchronous and self-paced. However, some courses have specific start and completion dates students must follow.
When you take an AP course from GTS, you take the AP exam in your home district. If you are an international student, you take the AP exam in your home country. We help students make the necessary arrangements with their home districts or country.
Does GTS offer any dual-credit college courses while in high school?
GTS also offers dual credit courses through our collaboration with Arizona State University (ASU). ASU is one of the largest universities in America, serving 60,000 students. Founded in 1885, ASU has been repeatedly ranked the most innovative university in the U.S. and a top world university based on its programs, groundbreaking initiatives, partnerships, and research.
GTS students have access to over sixty ASU courses ranging from Business Intelligence to healthcare, engineering, and poetry. Upon successful completion, GTS students earn high school and college credits from these courses, and they can transfer these credits to other universities in the U.S. Dual credit courses are primarily asynchronous and self-paced. However, some courses have specific start and completion dates students must follow.
We have both full-credit and half-credit courses. Full-credit courses are traditional year-long courses, while half-credit courses are semester courses in the conventional sense.
However, GTS is a course-based model. Students can finish a course at their own pace and move on to the next course without waiting for a semester or a school year, as in traditional school systems.
Does GTS offer any dual-credit college courses while in high school?
GTS also offers dual credit courses through our collaboration with Arizona State University (ASU). ASU is one of the largest universities in America, serving 60,000 students. Founded in 1885, ASU has been repeatedly ranked the most innovative university in the U.S. and a top world university based on its programs, groundbreaking initiatives, partnerships, and research.
GTS students have access to over sixty ASU courses ranging from Business Intelligence to healthcare, engineering, and poetry. Upon successful completion, GTS students earn high school and college credits from these courses, and they can transfer these credits to other universities in the U.S. Dual credit courses are primarily asynchronous and self-paced. However, some courses have specific start and completion dates students must follow.
If you fail a class, you have the choice of retaking it. If you want to take another class that meets your goals and needs, you can do that instead of retaking your failed class.
We have experienced teachers who are selected for their superior content knowledge. Our teachers grade student work, provide feedback, monitor student progress, and constantly communicate with students on our learning management system. Academic support is initiated in the following three ways:
-when teachers realize that a student needs support, they reach out and offer support in conjunction with the student’s success coach
-students may reach out to their teachers and request on-demand support
Yes, GTS courses are asynchronous and self-paced; therefore, students can complete the tasks independently and accelerate their course completion. Additionally, GTS students can take online college courses in high school through our collaboration with Arizona State University. Those are dual enrollment courses, for which students earn high school and college credits. They can also transfer the college credits to whichever college they attend after high school.
Basic technical skills, such as using a computer, Microsoft Office, email, web browsing, and a VR headset. GTS’s learning platform is very user-friendly and easy to navigate. Moreover, we provide additional training if and when students need it.
Internet connection, Laptop or PC. VR Glasses are included in tuition for full-time students. Part-time students (courses or coaching only and dual diploma students) do not need VR glasses.
No. GTS has four types of admission:
-Full-time students receive everything
-Part-time (Courses-only); no coaching or VR
-Part-time (Coaching only); no courses or VR
-Dual diploma program; limited coaching and no VR
Although it may depend on the types of classes, the typical workload of an online course may take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours a day. The nice thing is that students can schedule this study time around their unique needs, goals, and interests.
If and when students need to take state standardized assessments, they arrange it with their local districts. That includes AP exams, too.
All course assessments are taken online.
At GTS online courses, students will take a mix of quizzes, multiple-choice questions, essays, assignments, and group discussions. Depending on the course, students may also work in groups, utilizing VR for some assignments.
Students can see their current grades in our learning management system. They can also see the final grades of completed courses in our student information system (SIS). Students can access their transcripts in our student information system (SIS).
No textbook is needed. Digital copies of any material students need to study are provided by GTS.
GTS is designed for the following students:
-Those who want to personalize their academic pathway based on their interests, passions, and goals.
-Those who need a flexible yet high-quality education to pursue their interests outside the school. These interests may be sports, music, performing, entrepreneurship, travel, etc.
-Accelerated, independent learners who want to avoid completing seat time in a classroom. GTS’s academic program is course-based. Students study at their own pace and finish a course without waiting for a semester or school year to start the next class as in a traditional school.
-Gifted and talented students who want personalized support. GTS has experts in preparing students for national and international academic competitions and Olympiads.
-Those who want professional coaching to develop themselves academically and personally to achieve more than they can imagine.
-Independent learners, self-conscious, organized, and goal-oriented individuals who can thrive in an online learning environment
-International students aiming to receive their university education in the United States of America. From the comfort of their home, international students may attend GTS and earn an American high school diploma.
Global Town School Global Town is fully accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Accrediting Commission for Schools
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
533 Airport Blvd., Suite 200, Burlingame, CA 94010
Our Western Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation is international. GTS diplomas are accepted by US and Canadian universities. However, each country other than the US and Canada has its requirements, evaluations, and expectations. Therefore, before enrolling in GTS, it is always prudent to check and confirm with universities in the respective countries you are interested in.
Yes, GTS has teachers. Although GTS is entirely online, there is significant teacher-student interaction and relationship. Teachers grade student work and provide feedback. There is also on-demand teacher support available to students. When students need help, they can email their teachers within our learning management system. Teacher support may be in written communication, video messages, or video conferences, whichever is most suitable for the support needed.
Full-time students check in with their teachers regularly (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly). They discuss course progress, ask questions, or review materials in these regular check-ins.
Additionally, our teachers work closely with students participating in academic competitions such as science Olympiads and math competitions. Teachers coordinate with our coaches to comprehensively support students’ academic and personal growth. Some of our teachers also coach individual students.
Since we are a fully accredited school, you can transfer credits earned at GTS to any other public, private, or charter school. However, we recommend checking with your local school before signing up for a GTS class. Local schools may have specific policies regarding accepting credits from other schools.
All U.S. universities accept the GTS diploma because GTS is a fully accredited online school. However, the diploma is not specific to any state. It indicates that the student has completed the graduation requirements to earn it from a fully accredited virtual high school.
We organize in-person summer events and workshops for our students. These events give our students opportunities to meet in person.
We do not take attendance in a traditional sense. Every student makes their schedule and calendar that meet their needs. However, our success coaches address the absence of progress or work for a period of time, albeit small.
We update parents monthly with their children’s goals, progress, and guidance. Parents, however, may request meetings with the administration at any time or communicate with them at a different frequency. Due to constant communication with parents and students, we do not have “parent-teacher conferences” in a traditional sense.
Our personalized approach starts with an individualized learning plan tailored to each student’s unique strengths, interests, passions, goals, and lifestyles. At GTS, students can choose from hundreds of classes, study at their own pace, access college courses, go deeper in areas of interest, conduct independent studies, and enjoy multidisciplinary coursework created just for them. Working with their success coaches, GTS students can determine their academic pathways based on their post-secondary goals.
Digital portfolios are a great way to share as much information as possible with the colleges you apply to. It is a website about YOU. What students can include in the actual application is somewhat limited. However, students can develop a digital portfolio that details their competencies and qualities and include a link to it in their application. For example, in the application, one can say, “I like drawing; it is my passion,” and that would be it. However, you can post your best drawings in a portfolio and let the college admission officials see how great your drawing is. One can list the books they read throughout high school with short reflections on their digital portfolio and share that rather than simply saying, “I love reading.”
Students build their portfolios over time with the support of their coaching. The success coach they work with guides them through what is worth including in their digital portfolios. The goal is to include your competencies as you acquire them over time. When students are ready to apply, they will have an impressive portfolio/website that presents who they are and their competencies in the best way possible.
Upon course completion, students notify us and request a certification/transcript. We then email the student an official certification of completion with a final grade. If students request it to be sent to a particular school or institution directly, we do so accordingly.
Students can interact with those who take the same course. Typically, each course has discussions, reflections, or projects. Students interact with each other in our learning management system around such assignments and learning tasks.
Another interaction opportunity our success coaches arrange is for students with similar interests to connect. They then collaborate on coursework, extracurriculars, projects, or independent studies.
Finally, our VR Campus (MetaGlobal) is used for social interaction opportunities. Students from different cities and countries come together for social events on our VR campus. Such activities include dance parties, karaoke, games, presentations, storytelling, open mic, poetry slams, contests, and more. Our staff constantly supervises these events and activities.
Yes, you can! We offer success coaching services separately. When you attend GTS full-time, the coursework, success coaching, and Virtual Reality (VR) are all included in the tuition.
You can, however, enroll in coaching-only, too. Please visit our tuition page for tuition rates for individual courses and coaching-only admissions.
Coaches meet with high school students weekly. If needed, they may need more than once in some weeks. Coaching meetings are held every other week at the middle school level (6-8).
GTS coaches are professionals with a successful track record working with middle and high school students. Their backgrounds range from teaching to engineering, professional sports, science, and military service. What they have in common is the attention and focus they give to each student they coach. You can see our coaches and read their bios on our here.
Success coaches work closely with students to support their academic and personal growth. Working backward from each student’s ultimate goal beyond high school, a success coach focuses on what the student needs to do today, this week, and this month to accomplish their ultimate goals down the road. If students need clear goals, a success coach helps identify them through a process.
The success coach meets with the students regularly over Zoom. In those meetings, the success coach guides students in setting goals, tracking and modifying them when needed, developing academic and personal strategies for accomplishing their goals, motivating them, and celebrating their progress together.
The success coach and the students work on various aspects of academic and personal growth, such as study skills, organizational skills, perseverance, a growth mindset, volunteer and service ideas, internship opportunities, effective use of technology, colleges, and more. Success coaches identify and arrange any academic support students need through GTS teachers and support staff. They also help students build their digital portfolios over time.
We also identify summer opportunities for our students and guide them around spending their summer and break times effectively toward their ultimate goals. Below are two examples to put the success coach-student relations into perspective:
Two of our students who receive coaching services from us are athletes. They play soccer and ultimately want to play collegiate. They are high school students working on building an impressive portfolio until they apply to colleges. We have identified a summer service opportunity for them around their passion: soccer. Through our support, they are traveling to Cambodia in July 2024 to run a soccer camp for economically disadvantaged children in Cambodia. This service activity will make them stand out among thousands of college applicants.
The second example is an international student at Global Town School who wants to study political science in the US. Utilizing our network and connections, we secured a month-long internship for him in a relatively large city government in August 2024. This service was part of the success coaching he received from GTS.
GTS success coaches are educators with a successful track record in working with middle and high school students. They are teachers, administrators, counselors, engineers, and scientists who attended competitive colleges. Some of our coaches have military, sports, music, and business backgrounds. You can check out our coaches’ bios here.
Our coaches implement the same unique approach that we call appreciative coaching. It combines successful strategies and principles from psychology, education, and business. It focuses on strengths, is motivational, and develops self-agency. It also has components from the successful management strategy called 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling. Appreciate coaching approach helps students develop a growth mindset.
Yes, we do! Our success coaching program is available for international students, too. Success coaching may be obtained separately without being a full-time student. Success coaching in younger grades (6-10) focuses on academic and personal growth. It becomes college admission coaching in upper grades (11-12). It helps students with the selection of colleges to apply to, the main and supplementary essays, communication with colleges during the admission process, scholarship opportunities, college visits, application, FAFSA, and decision-making.
GTS full-time students use VR to enhance their learning and social interaction. The VR headsets that full-time students receive (included in the tuition) come with many educational resources. Additionally, we constantly produce new content in core disciplines (math, science, history, and English language arts) to help students increase their conceptual understanding.
Moreover, students sometimes conduct coaching sessions with their success coaches in VR. Rather than meeting on Zoom, they get together in a virtual 3D environment that is more immersive, captivating, and fun. We create many social interaction opportunities for our students in VR. These include, but are not limited to, dance parties, karaoke, games, presentations, storytelling, open mic, poetry slams, contests, and more.
VR activities may constitute around 10 % of students’ overall learning experience. VR is not used daily, though. Students use VR from time to time based on the types of activities and content that are applicable.
VR content is currently available only to full-time students. However, subject-based VR content will soon be available for schools or individual students.
Yes, we do enroll international students. International students planning to attend university in the U.S. may enroll in GTS full-time and earn an American high school diploma from the comfort of their home without leaving their home country and spending a fortune for in-person secondary school education in the U.S.
Our coaching program focuses on developing international students so that universities will compete with each other to accept and offer them scholarships.
However, international students must have strong English proficiency, academic capacity, and dedication to complete the rigorous GTS coursework.
International students may also enroll in our dual diploma program to earn an American high school diploma while attending school in their home countries. English proficiency is required to participate in the dual diploma program. Please get in touch with us to learn more about our dual diploma program via admissions@global.town
Yes, we do! As part of our success coaching, we help students identify and apply for various scholarship opportunities.
An international student with English proficiency may transfer to GTS anytime during high school. Transfer students undergo a process in which we evaluate their current transcripts and credits and identify additional requirements to fulfill to earn a diploma from Global Town School. In that process, though, international students must be full-time at GTS for at least one year, taking at least six credits.
The dual diploma program is a phenomenal opportunity for international students who aim to attend university in the United States and Canada. It allows students to take a few classes each year while attending school in their respective countries. By the time they finish high school in their home countries, they earn enough credits from GTS and transfer credits from local schools to receive a diploma from GTS. They then apply to American and Canadian universities using their diplomas from GTS. An American high school diploma from GTS provides many advantages when applying to universities.
The tuition for the dual diploma program is $10,000. That is the total cost. Suppose an international student enrolls in the dual diploma program in grade nine and finishes it in four years. In that case, they pay $2,500 a year for four years, totaling $10,000. The annual tuition is divided by the years students are enrolled in the program. If another student joins it in grade eleven and finishes it in two years, they pay $5,000 annually.
Grade 9 is one of many entry points into the program. Students may enroll in the dual diploma program in any grade. However, in those cases, students must expedite the process and complete the minimum requirement of taking six courses in less than four years.
The dual diploma program includes mandatory coursework (6 courses), two classes a year for no additional cost, and success coaching. Success coaching focuses on academic and personal growth in younger grades and the college admission process in the upper grades.
Students receive more intensive coaching services throughout high school in their last year. Coaching consists of regular sessions (50 minutes each), progress reports to parents, communication with universities on behalf of students when needed, and specific tasks students need to complete. Coaching in 12th grade includes support in the following areas:
identifying colleges to apply
common application
reference letters
essay writing
scholarship applications
communication with colleges
how to select the college to attend
workshops preparing students for college life
Coaching sessions are live videoconferencing over Zoom or a similar platform and recorded for training and safety reasons. Access to these recordings is restricted to individuals within Global Town School.
GTS is not involved in the visa process upon university acceptance and does not provide additional services during students’ university education in the U.S. Upon acceptance to any university in the U.S., students begin working with the international student office of the university they will attend for any visa-related issues.
GTS is committed to the success of its dual diploma program. Therefore, the program is selective, and students have to undergo a selection process to ensure they meet our expectations regarding English proficiency, motivation, goals, and the necessary skills to thrive in an online learning environment. This selection process is valuable for families, too, as it guarantees success in the program and, hence, a better investment of their resources.
English Proficiency: GTS expects students enrolled in the dual diploma programs to be proficient in English (reading, writing, and speaking) enough to handle our coursework successfully. We also expect the students to be independent learners, motivated, goal-oriented individuals who want to attend universities in the U.S. Applicants may take one of the following standardized tests to show their English proficiency.
-International English Language Testing System (IELTS) General Training Exam (minimum 5)
-Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (minimum 55)
-Duolingo English Tests (minimum 90)
Academic Aptitude: GTS expects students who enroll in the dual diploma program to be high-performing, independent learners. Therefore, their past academic performance is critical to their selection into the program. Students must submit their most recent report cards and educational records to GTS.
Student/Parent Interview: GTS expects students to commit to the dual diploma program and possess the necessary behavioral characteristics, such as motivation, perseverance, self-discipline, openness to being coached, etc., to thrive in a cognitively demanding online learning environment. Therefore, GTS will conduct a student/parent interview to get to know applicants and their behavioral characteristics as part of the selection process. However, parents may choose only to participate if they speak English, as the interview is in English. Parents may be provided access to the interview recording if requested.
We offer merit—and need-based scholarship opportunities for high-performing international students. Prospective parents can find out how much of a scholarship their child may likely be awarded without even applying to GTS. If interested, please fill out the scholarship application here.
International families qualify for the following discounts automatically:
a. Full payment discount (10%)-Applied annually
b. Sibling discount (30% of the second child and 50% of the third child enrolled)
You can enroll in our dual diploma program by following the steps below.
-Start your application process by clicking the “Apply” button on our main page. When completing the form, please select the “Dual Diploma Program (International Students)” option.
– Upon submission of the initial inquiry on our website, you will receive an email asking you to set up your parent admission portal (Blackbaud). Please follow the instructions in that email. Once your Blackbaud account is set up, you will go through the admission process, communicate with us, submit necessary enrollment documents, and make tuition payments securely in our admission portal. If you need the direct link to the admission portal after the initial setup, it is https://gts.myschoolapp.com/
– After you find out your likely scholarship amount and want to proceed with your application, please fill out the application form in your admission portal (Blackbaud). All the information you entered during your initial admission inquiry auto-populates in the admission form, so you do not double-enter any info. A $50 application fee is credited towards your tuition when you join the Dual Diploma program. You can pay the application fee securely through the portal.
– Submit your child’s grades, achievement certificates, or other applicable records in your admission portal.
– Upon reviewing your child’s records, we will set up a student/parent interview via Zoom.
– After the interview, the school will make an enrollment decision. You will receive communication about your acceptance, final scholarship award, and applicable discount information.
-You will have a deadline to respond to our decision on whether to accept enrollment in Global Town School.
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100 E Campus View Blvd Suite
250 Columbus, OH 43235
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