Denton ISD will revive its virtual learning program for the 2026-2027 school year following new state legislation, according to a presentation at the Feb. 10 board of trustees meeting.
The online learning program, Denton Digital, will serve students from Kindergarten up to 12th grade.
Denton ISD said the virtual learning options aim to retain or bring back students that feel an online learning platform better suits them. The district previously launched an online program, but it was halted in 2023.
“We know that not all students learn the same way and we know not all students want the same modality of instruction,” said Dr. Lacey Rainey, Denton ISD’s assistant superintendent of school leadership and academic programs. “We had a very successful virtual school [previously], so we know we can do it and do it well. We don’t want our students going to other virtual programs that may not be ass successful as we can be.”
Per Senate Bill 569, school districts will be able to count hybrid and full-time virtual students toward their average daily attendance numbers, which determines funding received from the state.
“We know that by reinstating a digital program, we will be able to meet our students needs,” said Rainey. “By keeping our students, we are being fiscally responsible and by allowing flexibility, we’re helping our community and our students who may need to work during the school day to support their families.”
Denton ISD launched LaGrone Academy in 2021, giving juniors and seniors who desire the opportunity to finish CTE certifications without having to travel to one of DISD’s comprehensive high schools for other courses.
Board member Tanya Wright said this is another way the district can offer families and students more education choices within Denton ISD.
“This is another huge opportunity for another choice for a different learning modality that is going to have huge impacts across our campus,” she said. “I can’t wait to see how this grows.”
How it works
According to the district, students in Kindergarten up to fifth grade participating in Denton Digital will be enrolled in full-time virtual elementary programming, which will be done through Stephens Elementary.
Instruction will be provided by Stephen Elementary teachers organized by grade and content area.
Denton Digital for students in sixth grade up to 12th grade will also be a full-time virtual program that will allow for optional limited on-campus course participation.
“This program is intended for students who wish to enroll in a full-time virtual learning model,” said the district in a presentation. “It’s also for students who want the virtual model, but also want to remain connected to their home campus for 1-2 select electives or academic courses.”
Younger virtual students will see a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning while older virtual students will have mostly asynchronous learning with synchronous office hours.
Denton Digital also offers options for students that need or want to do additional learning outside of regular school hours.
The Original Credit program is a single-course virtual offering for high school students that want to accelerate their learning or create flexibility in their face-to-face schedule by taking up to two individual online courses per year.
The Credit Recovery option is a single-course virtual offering for high school students that need to recover up to three credits per year for previously attempted courses in order to remain on track for graduation.
Instruction for both options will be asynchronous with scheduled synchronous office hours.
“Students typically complete work independently outside the regular instruction day,” said the district. “Although, campuses may approve scheduled school-day time, when available.”
Students will have the option to enroll in or exit the program at designated grading periods and daily attendance will be required as usual.
Denton ISD follows other area districts that are rolling out plans for virtual learning options. Lewisville ISD started accepting virtual student enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year in early January.
Argyle ISD, faced with some traffic and land-acquisition issues, announced it would participate in a virtual program for many reasons, including more choices for families and the possibility of freeing up space on the roads and in the classroom.
