George Mason University is launching a full slate of online courses for Virginia high school students who cannot attend regular school. "It's way cool," said Priscilla Norton, a GMU education professor and director of the new online academy for high schoolers.

The Fairfax university had been developing the program for the past three years, offering online classes for high school students in Loudoun, Stafford and Frederick counties. Now, Norton said, they are ready to open the classes to anyone in the state.

The program is open to homeschool students, those who are too ill to attend class for long periods of time and anyone else who cannot be physically present in school, Norton said. It matches students with a certified Virginia teacher, who will teach high school courses over the Internet. The available classes include algebra 1 and 2, geometry, trigonometry, math analysis, world history 1 and 2, U.S. history, U.S. government, English, earth science and physics. Additional electives are forthcoming, Norton said.

"It's a classroom of one," she said. "It provides students with an incredible amount of flexibility." The costs per student vary, as some school districts subsidize online learning. For a homeschool student, it would cost $750 to enroll in one full course. The program prorates costs for students who take only part of a course.

Contact Norton at 703-993-2015 or by e-mail at pnorton@gmu.edu.