One of the most common questions families ask about online school is simple: Will my child still have time for life outside of school?
At California Online Public Schools (CalOPS), the answer is yes. A flexible learning environment can help students stay on track academically while making room for sports, music, hobbies, family, and the goals that matter to them.
The school day still has structure. Students attend LiveClass, complete daily lessons, stay connected with teachers, and meet clear due dates. What changes is how that day can be arranged. Coursework can fit around morning practices, afternoon competitions, evening clubs, or a hobby that needs real time and focus.
School Doesn’t Have to Compete With Everything Else
In a traditional school day, practice, rehearsals, and family commitments often have to squeeze into the hours after the last bell. For some students, that works. For others—especially student-athletes, performers, and kids with full schedules—it can feel like they have to choose.
Online learning gives families another option. Students can complete coursework around training, rest when their sport requires it, and stay connected with teachers.
The goal isn’t a packed calendar. It’s a different routine that leaves room for the activities and interests that help students grow.
Here’s how that balance can look in real life, through four CalOPS students and one family who are pursuing big goals and dreams without putting school on pause.
Elyce Lin-Gracey: Building a Future On and Off the Ice
Elyce Lin-Gracey is a 17-year old figure skater whose determination has been part of her story since she first stepped on the ice at age four. She fell. She got back up. She kept going.
That same drive now shows up at the senior international level. Elyce finished first at the 2024 Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany, and took second place at the Cranberry Cup in Norwood, Massachusetts. Her personal best score of 213.33 reflects years of disciplined practice.
Her teacher, Mrs. Sharp, sees that same commitment in the classroom: “Elyce is as committed to her studies as she is to figure skating. I marvel at her positive energy, discipline, and vision for her future.”
For a skater training at this level, a flexible school day isn’t a luxury. It’s how elite practice, travel, rest, and academics can exist in the same week.
Katrin Otaegi: Making Room for Elite Swimming—and Rest
Katrin Otaegi is a junior and competitive swimmer who recently won gold in the 50-meter butterfly at the USA Swimming Junior National Championships.
Her parents put the value of online school in practical terms: the flexibility of CalOPS allows Katrin to balance the demands of academics and elite-level athletics while still getting the rest she needs to perform at her best.
That’s an important part of balance that families sometimes overlook. High-level sports are not only about more training hours. They also require recovery. When school can flex around practice and rest, students don’t have to borrow sleep from their studies—or borrow study time from the rest they need.
Fritz Mikael Cayunda: High-Level Tennis and a 4.0
Fritz Mikael Caynda is proving that a demanding tennis calendar and strong academics can grow together.
The Tennis Recruiting Network, in partnership with Adidas, recognized him on the Hot 100 list, which highlights junior players who have made some of the biggest jumps in national rankings. He has had a remarkable stretch of results, winning three singles championships and two doubles championships.
CalOPS has played a meaningful role in that growth by giving him the flexibility to balance academics and high-level tennis. As a first-year student, Fritz earned a 3.97 GPA last semester while adjusting to a new school and training schedule. He is now maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
His story is a reminder that the first year of online school can be a transition—and that with the right routine, students can find their rhythm quickly.
Dallas Duncan: Black Belt Discipline, School Spirit, and a Full Life
Balance doesn’t only belong to elite travel schedules. It also belongs to students who want school, hobbies, family, and community to fit together.
Dallas Duncan, a 7th grader, brings a fun, positive attitude to check-ins and LiveClasses. Her teachers describe a strong work ethic and consistent engagement—including National Junior Honor Society—that shows up in high-quality work and a great reputation with classmates.
Outside of class, Dallas has earned a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo. That kind of training takes focus, patience, and follow-through—the same habits that help students stay grounded in their academics. She also has a deep connection with her family and faith.
And her life outside school has room for adventure and generosity. Dallas recently caught a lobster that produced 26 pounds of lobster—and donated it to a local fire department.
Dallas is a picture of what many families want from online school: a student who is doing well in class, staying involved, and still living a full life at home.
The Celevante-Davis Family: School That Travels With Them
Balance can also look like a family that learns together—and takes school with them.
Donnie Davis and Rochelle Celevante have two students at CalOPS: Ethan, a fifth grader, and Austin, a kindergartner. The family has been with CalOPS for three years.
For them, a flexible school day is about a routine that can move with family life. They have completed schoolwork on a 14-hour flight, set up lessons on a Disney Cruise after a day of fun, and studied in the park. The flexibility of CalOPS has allowed them the opportunity to travel together as a family to countries like Japan.
Donnie and Rochelle say CalOPS teachers make that flexibility possible. Their story is a reminder that a flexible school day can support elite athletes—and it can also support a family that wants time to travel, explore, and stay close.
A School Day That Grows With a Student’s Goals
At CalOPS, we believe education should support the whole student—not just the hours they spend in class.
When students have a flexible learning environment, they can manage their time, stay on track, and still pursue goals that matter to them. That might look like senior-level skating, a national championship swim, a jump in national tennis rankings, a black belt and a full life at home, or a family that takes school on a trip and still has time together at the end of the day.
School, sports, hobbies, and more do not have to compete. With the right routine, students and families can create the schedules they want to balance life both inside and outside of school.
If your family is looking for a tuition-free, WASC-accredited online public school that can grow with your student’s schedule, we’d love to help you explore whether CalOPS is the right fit.
Learn more or start the enrollment process to explore an individualized way of learning that fits your family’s schedule.
