Virtual Campus vs. AoPS Online:
Which Program is Right for Your Student?
At AoPS, we understand that every student learns a little differently. That’s why we’ve designed our K-12 programs for varied learning preferences, age ranges, difficulty levels, and subjects.
AoPS Academy Virtual Campus and AoPS Online School share some structural similarities, but still differ in key ways. To help you select the program that’s right for your student, we break down the main similarities and differences between the two.
Once you’ve chosen the right program, a placement test or consultation will then ensure your student starts in the right level and class.
Features at a Glance
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|
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|---|---|---|
| Grade Level | Grade 2+ | Grade 5+ |
| Course Pace | Moderate to accelerated | Accelerated, with a few self-paced options |
| Live Instruction? | Yes, via video conference | Yes, through an interactive text-and-image-based classroom |
| Subjects Offered | Math Language Arts Contest Training |
Math CS/Programming Chemistry Physics Contest Training |
| How to Enroll | Online | Online |
| Course Length | 36 weeks per level, with additional options for summer camps | 12–25 weeks, with additional weekend-long seminars. |
| Classroom Size | 1:12 Max class size 16 |
1:20 Multiple teachers per class |
| Textbooks | Beast Academy (Elementary) + Art of Problem Solving (Middle/High School) | Art of Problem Solving |
| School Schedule | Year-round offerings, Summer camps | Year-round offerings, with some self-paced options |
Key Similarities
Same curriculum developers
Designed by PhDs from MIT, Princeton, Stanford, and other top universities, the AoPS curriculum centers on higher-order reasoning skills and deep conceptual understanding.
Experienced, well-credentialed teachers
Our instructors across all programs were once star students themselves. A veritable “Who’s Who?” in the world of advanced education, they teach at AoPS to share their love of learning with the next generation of intellectual leaders.
Outstanding peer groups
AoPS programs are designed for high-potential students with a great love of learning, so students across all programs have wonderful classmates (and future friends!) to engage and learn with.
