Giant Campus of Washington is a public, tuition-free online school offering technology courses for elective credit to high school students in Washington State.
Alternative Learning Experiences
Giant Campus of Washington offers courses for high school elective credit through Alternative Learning Experiences (ALE).
Alternative Learning Experiences are public school experiences that take place outside the traditional classroom setting. They are planned, developed and supervised by public school teachers.
ALE allows Washington State high school students to attend more than one academic program (and school district) at the same time. Credits from the secondary program can be transferred to the primary resident school. A Giant Campus student maintains a relationship with his or her resident school while taking Giant Campus courses.
Eligibility
All Washington State high school students (public, private and home-based) in grades 9-12 are eligible to take tuition-free ALE courses from Giant Campus of Washington.
ALE elective courses are taken as part of a full schedule (6 courses per semester), not as an additional 7th course. Students can take a Giant Campus course on top of a full schedule by enrolling through Giant Campus Academy.
Students outside of Washington State can enroll in Giant Campus Academy, a fee-based online school open to high school students everywhere.
Cost
There is no cost to students or families for Giant Campus ALE elective courses taken as part of a full schedule (6 courses per semester).* These courses are part of the Washington State public school system.
Giant Campus Academy courses are fee-based.
Course Format
Giant Campus courses are taken online from a school or home computer. Activities can be completed at any time of day, with the exception of weekly live, interactive Web-based classroom sessions.
Each student gets an individualized Written Student Learning Plan (WSLP) that is developed and supervised by a Washington State certified teacher.
Giant Campus courses use project-based learning, so homework includes hands-on projects and quizzes. At the end of the course, students have a portfolio of projects to show off to friends, family, colleges and employers.
For more details, see our Frequently Asked Questions.
*Most courses use free software downloads, but some courses may require purchase of a software product. Software can be purchased at an educational discount from The Academic Superstore. See the support page for specific software requirements.