On Oct. 10, 2022, Bridges Virtual Academy (BVA), a K4-12 online school chartered by the Merrill Area Public School (MAPS) district, announced they were recognized by Niche as the 2023 #1 Best Online High School in Wisconsin. Niche is the “market leader in connecting colleges and schools with students and families,” providing in-depth profiles on every school and college in America with over 140 million reviews and ratings.
BVA currently serves more than 730 students statewide in Wisconsin.
In addition to being ranked the #1 Online High School, BVA’s overall Niche report card rating rose from a B to an A-.
Teachers were graded as “A”, which was the highest ranked BVA category on the Niche report card. Now in its 11th year of existence, BVA has maintained stability in teaching and support staff with over 75% of staff members on the team for more than five years.
“Relationships are the foundation for the entire school program,” said BVA Executive Director John Hagemeister. “This award demonstrates BVA’s commitment to student success, as our lack of staff turnover has provided stability for both students and their families. Our relationship focus has allowed for an innovative educational environment that supports a wide range of instructional delivery options which have led to solid academic growth and achievement for students.”
BVA established itself as one of the strongest online programs in the state of Wisconsin long before the “COVID years.” Because of this, BVA was able to provide continuous academic learning opportunities for Wisconsin students throughout the pandemic. BVA has also consistently ranked as the top virtual charter school in Wisconsin on the annual Department of Public Instruction (DPI) School Report card with the most recent ranking of “Exceeding Expectations.”
“We are eagerly looking forward to the release of this year’s [DPI] School Report Card in November,” Hagemeister said.
To see the BVA profile and complete 2023 rankings, methodologies, and data sources, go to Niche.com.