Now accepting enrollments in grades 6, 8, and 9 immediately and grades 7, & 10-12 are waitlisted. Apply now in order to be accepted as soon as possible!
A Minnesota online school with free and customized education that’s designed for you.
The key to BlueSky’s success is our unique approach to student support. BlueSky offers Minnesota students in grades 6-12 a world-class online education backed by unsurpassed resources and individualized attention, making us one of the top Minnesota online schools.
Customized
Here at BlueSky, we believe that every student deserves to learn in a way that is customized to their unique needs. BlueSky works alongside students, parents, and staff in order to design a program that works best for every student’s individual learning style while adhering to state education requirements as a Minnesota online school.
Supportive
The key to BlueSky’s success is our unique approach to student support. We offer students a world-class online education backed by unsurpassed resources and individualized attention. Our success as a Minnesota online school is contingent upon the success of our students, so we strive to give each and every BlueSky student the tools they need in order to feel supported and be successful.
Heritage
A pioneer in distance learning, BlueSky is the most established Minnesota online public charter school. Since 2000, BlueSky has provided a free, high- quality online curriculum to Minnesota students in grades 6 to 12. We are proud to be one of the first Minnesota online schools, offering world-class education to students from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds.
BlueSky Stars
The BlueSky Advisors recognize these students for their hard work and dedication.
Luca
Luca Heinen is featured in our BlueSky Star Award Senior Spotlight for their exceptional journey through online learning. Luca chose the flexibility of online school to allow for greater control over their schedule. While this freedom offered opportunities, it also presented the unique challenge of managing unstructured time—something Luca has learned to master with determination and self-discipline.
This senior year, Luca has truly come into their own as an independent, focused student who prioritizes completing work and managing time effectively. Luca shares a key insight: “One thing that you have to develop to be a successful online student is to be self-motivated. You need to have discipline and drive. If you don’t, you’ll fall behind—and then it can feel impossible to catch up.”
A passionate musician, Luca plans to continue playing bass guitar and creating costumes for the Renaissance Festival. They also stay busy with stagehand work at The Armory in Minneapolis and The Ledge Amphitheater in Waite Park. Luca’s band, Seven Deadly, is aiming to move to Nashville, TN, within the next year to pursue a career in the music industry.
Academically, Luca highlights English class with Ms. Jaclyn Weber as a standout experience:
“She always provides a lot of great feedback on my essays.”They also found creative inspiration in the photography and fashion design courses.When asked what advice they would give their 9th-grade self, Luca says: “Make sure you stay on top of your work.”
Congratulations, Luca, on an outstanding senior year!!
~Nominated by Julie Endersbe
Marin
Marin Muckala is featured as this month’s BlueSky Star Student because she is a great example of a wonderful student AND person! Marin is in 12th grade and graduating this Spring. She has been at BlueSky for three years and has fully embraced the online learning culture. She works hard daily on assignments and puts forth much effort. Additionally, she is also very communicative and kind with teachers and support staff. Marin’s favorite thing about BlueSky is the flexibility in her schedule. Her favorite class at BlueSky has been Criminal Justice. As a potential graduate, her advice to current students is “Take your time, take breaks when you need, take notes and ask questions, and reach out to teachers when you need help.” And personally, in her spare time, Marin enjoys spending time with friends and family.! She also works at a resort in her hometown. After graduation, Marin is planning to work a little bit and then hopefully find a career in the medical or criminal justice fields. Overall, Marin is a joy to work with! I’ve enjoyed getting to know her and chatting with her over the years!
~Nominated by Danielle Fackler
Arianna
For our last monthly newsletter of the school year, I am happy to celebrate Arianna Powers! She is an 8th grade student moving to our supplemental program as a freshman student next school year. Ari came to BlueSky as a 7th grader to try online school as the experiences she was having at her in person school were distracting and somewhat negative. She didn’t like the way others were treating each other. An online environment was a much better option for Ari. When I asked Ari what she likes best about BlueSky, she said, “The teachers, they are nicer, and genuinely care!” Ari has made huge strides in managing her social anxiety at BlueSky. She shared that it is difficult for her to talk to people, use her mic during live sessions or respond in the chat; however, Ari has warmed up and become more comfortable with doing so! This has boosted her self confidence and success in school. Ari joined our latest in person student activity day in May and I very much enjoyed spending time together and getting to know her more.
Reading, writing, poetry, art, drawing, and small crafts are some of the few things Ari enjoys doing outside of school. She also has two dogs Tucker and Tyson. Tyson is pictured below with Ari. Congratulations on an amazing 8th grade school year Ari and best of luck to you next year in high school. Enjoy your swimming pool, trampoline, and spending time with friends this summer!
~Nominated by Rashel Lane
Aja
Aja Gonzales is being featured as this month’s BlueSky Star because she clearly demonstrates the characteristics needed to be a successful online student. She joined last year and has worked hard at credit recovery in her classes, and she also communicates well with the staff here at BS. Please read the following from her that shows how she feels about being a BlueSky student: “Greetings and salutations: My name is Shaylee Gonzales, but most might know me by Aja. I love drawing and video games, and even though I have an INFP-T personality, I also love the outdoors and have grown to love school as well, all because of BlueSky. My time in BlueSky has been nothing short of extraordinary. BlueSky is like no other school in person or online; the compassion and teamwork are unmatched, and their endless love and care for their students’ well-being and future are inspiring, to say the least. I would not be the student or person I am today without BlueSky. Not only did they make it possible for me to graduate by next year, but they also gave me the endless confidence to do what I thought was impossible. I am forever grateful to every staff member and student in BlueSky.”
~Nominated by Dawn Nicol
Harper
Harper Anderson is our Middle School Star. She is not only a star in school, she is a star of the ballet stage, dancing as Clara in the upcoming A Dancer’s Place production of The Loyce Holton Nutcracker Fantasy this holiday season. Harper joined BlueSky last year as she was looking for a school that would accommodate her dance endeavors as well as provide the flexibility to complete her education. She has found strategies for balancing school and dance, including creating a Google spreadsheet to track her work that she colorizes by class, indicates the due date, notes the completion date, and records the grade.
When asked about her school/dance schedule, Harper said, “My dance schedule at Concept Pavielle is very, very, very busy. I normally end school work around 11 and get ready for dance, and then I have dance from 12:30 to 8:45 at night. I then come home, eat dinner, and do school work.” Beyond local performances, Harper competes on a national ballet level as well.
Her long-term goal is to be a professional dancer, but she is also looking beyond that to a possible career in Interior Design or as a Dermatologist. Harper works hard to achieve her academic and career goals.
When asked about advice for students coming online, she said, “Reach out to your teachers, and no matter what, they’ll always help you. If you’re stuck, if you need help with something, or you just want to talk to them, they’re always open to talking.”
I am proud of Harper’s work and dedication not only to her academics but her career as well.
~Nominated by Dawn Mensing
Allysa
Allysa Olson is being featured as this month’s BlueSky Star because she continually pushes herself to go above and beyond what is expected of a BlueSky student.
Allysa uses her to-do list to help keep herself on track. She says staying motivated online can be tough, but she tries to remind herself about her goals and how important her education is to her future. Her favorite subject has been Psychology. She found it interesting to learn about how the mind works and why people behave the way they do. One of her biggest challenges was staying organized and managing her time, but she found that setting daily goals and using her calendar helped a lot.
Her biggest supporter throughout high school has been her older sister, who always encourages her to keep going. Outside of school, Allysa enjoys spending time outdoors. She also enjoys reading, listening to music, hanging out with friends and family, and watching TV.
After high school, she plans on going into the workforce. Her main goal is to find meaningful work where she can grow as a person and make a positive impact. Allysa’s advice for other students is to stay organized, stick to a routine, and find a quiet place to work.~Nominated by Sean Miller
Accreditation
BlueSky Online School’s curriculum, instruction and assessment practices, along with its governance and leadership is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement.
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BlueSky Receives Innovation Award for Social-Emotional Approach
We’re thrilled to share some exciting news with our BlueSky community—we’ve been honored with the Innovation Award from the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools for our unique approach to supporting student mental health. This recognition highlights something we’ve always believed: you can’t teach kids effectively unless their mental health needs are being addressed first. What…
