The popularity of online education comes from it ability to provide your child with a quality education wherever you live. Students can study from the comfort of their homes by accessing the Internet.
Approved curriculums, learning materials, and great teachers are just a few clicks away. The number of online students is growing daily, making you wonder: Is online learning the future of education?
This article lists the main benefits of online learning and explores the most essential predictions of how it will look in the near future.
What is online learning?
Online learning, also known as online schooling or e-learning, has transformed the education landscape and started a new era of accessible and flexible digital learning opportunities.
K12 online education has evolved remarkably since its inception two decades ago. Its learning methodologies are excellent for students of all ages, from young children to teenagers and even adults.
Top 5 reasons why Online Schooling is getting more popular
Although online education has the same goal as traditional education, which is to educate children, it still has some of its own principles that make it more relevant to the modern world.
For many parents today, it is not an alternative but the primary way of giving their children the knowledge they need.
And here are some of the reasons why it is so.
1. Flexibility
Whether a family plans a long trip or decides to embrace an expat lifestyle, online education makes it possible to do so without interrupting a child’s schooling.
With online learning, students can continue their education while traveling, enjoying full flexibility in accessing learning materials and scheduling classes.
Families can organize the school day around their own routines, leaving plenty of time for travel, exploration, and other activities.
2. Accessibility
Online education solves the commute problem that going to traditional classrooms requires.
All you have to do is open your laptop, computer, tablet, or smartphone and ensure a steady internet connection.
Not only do you save time on commuting but also money.
3. Customized learning experience
Online classrooms tend to have smaller groups than conventional classes, so teachers can dedicate more time per student.
Tutors can adjust the lessons to the student’s individual learning plan.
Many interactive course materials make online education more engaging and a better learning experience than traditional classes.
By learning at their own tempo, online students can give different amounts of time for different lessons, making it totally customizable.
4. Wide selection of elective and premium subjects
Whether you prefer group or individual classes, and how many of them you want to attend is entirely up to you. You can have a full schedule of classes or just a few.
Nothing is predetermined except the core subjects; you choose everything else, including elective and premium courses.
Electives are optional (except in high school where students are required to choose at least 2) and free while premium subjects cost.
Both can be chosen according to students’ personal preferences and can be a great foundation for further development of employable skills.
Traditional schools offer a small selection of elective subjects, and even then, it depends on the number of students who apply and whether you’ll be able to follow them.
Online schools offer a significantly wider range of subjects from which you can choose.
5. Easier way to connect with people
In online classes, you can meet people from all over the world.
You never know; maybe your child’s best friend is on the other side of the Earth, and online school activities can bond these two.
What is the future of online education? Predictions
Here are some of the predictions regarding the development of online education in general, as well as online K-12 education specifically.
Prediction 1: The Growth of Online Learning Will Continue
The trend of many educational institutions being compelled to switch to distance learning is likely to continue.
According to data from a new analysis by Research and Markets, the Online Education Industry is expected to grow with a double-digit CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 13.8% during 2021 -2027.
According to Statista projections, online education revenue is projected to reach over $200 billion in 2025, with continued growth to $279+ billion by 2029 at ~7.21% CAGR.
The number of users worldwide is also expected to reach ~1.1 billion by 2029 with around 15.9% penetration in 2025.
When it comes to online K-12 education specifically, National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) 2024 data shows:
- 5.2% of U.S. students ages 5-17 received instruction at home in 2022–23 which is an increase compared to the 2018-19 school year where the reported percentage was 3.7%. This includes both full-time virtual schooling and homeschooling combined ;
- Of that 5.2%, 3.4% were homeschooled, and 2.5% were enrolled in full-time virtual education (whether public, private, or parent-reported);
- Of those enrolled in virtual education, 1.8% were enrolled full-time in virtual public or private schools, and 0.7% were enrolled as homeschoolers.
- NCES also found that in 2022-23 school year 7% of K-12 students took at least one virtual course, and 3% took all courses virtually, illustrating broader hybrid or blended online participation beyond strictly full-time virtual enrollment.
Another interesting fact is that in Texas, virtual school enrolment increased roughly 1200 % over the past decade, from around 5000 students in 2014 to nearly 62,000 in 2024-25. (Exact quote)
The Business Research Company’s report suggests that Online K-12 education expected to grow to $388.73 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.8%.
All of these number suggest that online learning in general and K-12 environment alike is here to stay and may soon become the new norm.
Prediction 2: Personalized Education Will Become Commonplace
Personalized learning involves customizing educational materials to meet each student’s unique requirements and preferences.
This strategy is gaining traction, and it’s expected to standardize educational practices in the future.
According to a Global Education News report, an Education Week study shows that 85% of educators report that individualized learning increases student’s engagement. According to the same report, 72% of students show an increased academic performance.
This is of no surprise, as individualized education allows students to choose the learning style and speed that best suits their needs as well as create and personalize their own learning environments.
Prediction 3: The Education Revolution Will Come From Artificial Intelligence
One more reason online education is the future of education is the presence of AI.
Artificial intelligence (AI) already transformed education, which is expected to continue in the future.
Research shows that AI can support educators in concentrating on more important work by handling administrative duties like grading.
Another research shows that it can also create personalized learning experiences. Intelligent tutoring systems, which offer students individualized help and instruction, are another application of AI.
This study showed that one instance of implementation of AI into a tutoring system greatly improved students’ average scores and efficiency on conceptual, computational, and on informational questions.
These tools can pinpoint knowledge gaps, offer more materials and data, and even modify the learning curve and speed to meet the needs of certain learners.
Prediction 4: The Education System Will Change with Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR and AR)
Augmented reality (AR) represents showing digital elements on top of the real world. You see the real world as it is but with digital additions to it. The best example is the IKEA app that shows you how your furniture will look like in your room.
Virtual reality (VR) completely replaces the real world with certain devices such as VR headsets. It is usually used in gaming, but it can prove to be a powerful tool in education as well.
Through the use of VR and AR, learners can practice skills and explore topics in a more engaging and useful way by simulating real-world events.
This very affordable learning approach guarantees students are up to date before being placed in the real environment for the first time.
It is especially useful for training in high-risk situations where safety is crucial and equipment is highly valued (like chemistry classes).
Virtual reality has the magical ability to bring various locations from all around the world in front of you without traveling anywhere.
These technologies allow students to get a closer look at details of the Colosseum in Rome or the Parthenon in Athens while sitting on their sofas.
It can also be exciting to view interactive materials through VR and AR. For instance, geometry students can use AR to examine 3D geometric forms from various angles and even from the inside.
And the concept of implementing these tools in education is pretty popular too.
Research shows VR learning can improve information retention by around 75 %.
Another research on VR usage shows that institutions and educators almost always see increase in student engagement due to 3D models helping students learn through visual context rather than textbooks only.
Prediction 5: Microlearning will become everyday practice in education
We never get thrilled about big projects, no matter how old we are.
By breaking up the learning materials into segments, students in cooperative classrooms have displayed far higher retention rates, especially in mathematics, according to this study.
Educaogy report claims that microlearning is quickly becoming a go-to approach in K-12 education because it delivers content that aligns with students’ shorter attention spans and varied learning preferences, with improved retention rates of around up to ~20 % compared to longer lessons.
This is because students are “more likely to remember bite-sized pieces of information than long, dense lessons”.
Prediction 6: Learning Management Systems are new school libraries
Recently, the idea of educational institutions having a learning management system (LMS) has spread throughout the world. Professors can now design, document, and register courses and study materials on an LMS platform, which is useful to them and learners.
Nearly all colleges and universities worldwide now use LMS platforms.
About 99 % of higher-education institutions report having an LMS in place, making LMS tools nearly universal in post-secondary education, according to a Prosperity for America report.
Situation in K-12 is not too different.
During the pandemic, 50% of K-12 schools adopted an LMS tools.
Platforms will be important for storing different learning materials in one place, from where you can watch math exercise videos or read online books.
This will be the base of the future of online education because they are very useful and important in today’s digitally connected and technology-driven environment.
This trend will continue to grow, and the number of institutions with LMS platforms will increase.
Prediction 7: Blended learning will spread much more widely
Online classes are the future of education, but combining them with offline classes can be an excellent learning method.
A well-rounded educational experience combining online and in-person components can give flexibility in addition to practical, in-person, or group activities.
Online learning – The Future of Education
After all the predictions you read in this article, there is no doubt that online learning is the future of education.
There have been debates about whether online classes will be the future of education, yet they are already present and will continue to increase in popularity in elementary, middle, high, and university education.
It could be said that traditional learning was part of education that did training for online learning, which took the best aspects from it and adapted it in its own digital way.
In conclusion, while some people are more focused on the cons of online education, in the global picture, it gives students an overall more engaging experience, which will be even better. The future of education is online.
Author: Nina L.
