Summer School: Should You Do It or Not?

With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, you may be wondering if summer school is the right choice for you. If you’re like me and enjoy learning year-round, you may want to take on a class or two this summer! From rigorous Advanced Placement classes to Dual Enrollment college credit courses to simple electives, Bridgeway Academy offers a variety of both online and traditional/textbook summer school options.

Today, I’ll be sharing a few advantages of taking classes in the summer for you to take into consideration while deciding if it’s the right choice for you and your family!

Top 5 Advantages:

1. Completing Required Courses – Taking summer classes gives you the opportunity to get required courses out of the way! General course requirements vary from district to academic program, but often include Science, Math, English, and Social Studies classes – the foundation of your education – as well as humanities and electives. You can easily take a couple of these courses during the summer and get them out of the way. This gives you additional time during the following academic school year to focus on other things, take more classes you’re interested in, challenge yourself with more rigorous and time-consuming courses, and even take some breaks!
2. Catching up on Credits – If you fell behind during the previous school year and need to make up classes or receive credits that you’re missing, this is the perfect time to do so! Sometimes, unexpected things happen where you don’t end up finishing a course, but don’t worry. Summer school is a great advantage in this way! Taking summer classes can help you catch up on any missed credits or courses and relieve any stress about having to cram them into your school-year schedule or double-up on courses!
3. Continuing Your Academic Routine – When summer is over and you’re trying to get back into your school routine, it can definitely be a challenge. Transitioning from summer break to the academic school year may not be easy, but taking classes during those couple months can help the transition go smoothly. Regardless of whether you plan to take one class or two, you’ll be able to keep a structured summer school schedule and stay on track so you can bounce back into the school year and be your most productive self!
4. Find Classes You Are Interested In – This is one of my favorite pros of summer school! I often find myself looking to take extra courses or electives that I’m interested in because I love furthering my education and learning new things. I also see summer school as a great chance to take rigorous classes (such as AP (Advanced Placement) courses) and challenge yourself with new material! The benefit of taking summer classes with Bridgeway, in particular, is that you’re given a wide variety of classes to choose from, and you’ll most likely find something new or interesting that you’ll enjoy learning about! This is also a great option if you’re in High School, as it gives you the opportunity to take courses that may aid in your decision of a college major or future career!
5. Earn College Credits – This is an advantage geared more towards High School students. When enrolled in summer school, you’re given the option to take college courses, just like you are during the school year! Dual Enrollment (DE) classes are great if you’re looking to take high school courses that interest you, while receiving college credit for them. DE courses range from electives to core subjects, and offer you the chance of earning college credits early so you can jump into college with course knowledge and experience while saving on college tuition! The benefit of taking DE classes in the summer, specifically, is the extra time you’re able to complete them in without worrying about adding them to your full, school-year schedule – and you can also take them the summer after 12th grade, before you start your college journey!

Now, it’s time to decide, is summer school right for you? If you’re not sure, or would like more information about Bridgeway’s summer and traditional school programs, please reach out and one of our homeschool experts would be happy to speak with you more in-depth. You can call us at 1-800-863-1474.