Maine's First Virtual Charter School Set to Open

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) _ Maine's first virtual charter school is on track to open in the fall after exceeding its minimum enrollment threshold.
 
    The Portland Press Herald reports Maine Connections Academy has signed up 279 students, 36 more than the threshold set by the Maine Charter School Commission. Principal Karl Francis says the school is ``ready to go.''
 
    Students will log in from home and take lessons online. The school will provide a computer and other materials.
 
    The academy got an extension to meet its enrollment goal after it fell almost 50 percent short of its June 1 target of 243 seventh, eighth and ninth grade students. The school is the sixth charter school in the state. Connections Academy is a for-profit company running virtual charter schools in more than 20 states.