Ontario Virtual School (OVS) Reviews
As a leader in online education, Ontario Virtual School is proud to offer our students the best learning experience possible.
In addition to our great Google reviews and recommendations from students and parents, we invite you to read our school profile on the prestigious Our Kids website for private schools including their assessment of our school.
Additionally, there are five detailed reviews written by students and alumnus evaluating OVS on ten key criteria, including overall experience, school leadership, teaching, academics, students, admissions and community. The following are excerpts from two reviews.
“I enjoyed how even though this was an online course I could still interact with others and get feedback from both the teacher and fellow students…”
Stephanie Sassi – Alumnus (Posted November 19, 2018)
Overall Experience
Ontario Virtual School provided me with one of the best experiences. They cared about my marks and helping me in all the ways that they could. I was on a time limit to finish the course and they helped me in many ways to ensure that I would still do well in the course and getting it done during the short time period. They went out of their way to help and I appreciated it a lot. I was so happy i chose this school as my experience was one of the best I’ve ever had. I still to this day use what I learned in the course on an everyday basis. And the way the teachers helped me and went out of there way to ensure I would be alright after I was done the course was absolutely amazing.
School Leadership
Ontario virtual school had excellent leadership. They were given respect and also gave out respect towards the students. They made sure to respond to emails as soon as possible and provided me with additional help when required. The administration was quick to get all I needed to get done finished. They provided me with help even after I was done the course and communicated in the kindest way possible. They understood whenever I was stressed and ensured that I would be alright.
Teaching
The teachers I had with this school were fantastic. They were very kind and accepting with every question i had. They would give me extra feedback to try and get me to do the absolute best. They were also extremely passionate about what they taught which I loved because it made me enjoy the stuff I learned about. Having a passionate teacher is one of the most important qualities and this is something all my teachers have had. The teachers I’ve had went above and beyond in order to help me complete the course within the time limit I had and make sure I was still doing as well as I could in the course. They helped me develop a love for what I was learning about.
Academics
All the courses I took within Ontario virtual school were very helpful because I would use the knowledge I learned on an everyday basis. I was challenged to do the best I could which made me do better and better as time went on. Students were competitive to the point that it made me strive to do even better. Everything I learned was very useful and helpful. Whenever I was confused or struggling with something it was easy and simple to ask for help and better understand what I needed to know. I felt as if everything I learned was useful even to this day in my university experience. The lessons provided visual learning and also audio to help it better sync into your head. The teachers gave excellent feedback on assignments to show you how you can improve next time.
University Placement and Counselling
Towards the end of my grade 12 year I was in a time limit to complete the course in order to keep my university acceptance. Ontario virtual school helped me in all the ways that they could in order for me to get the course done while still doing good in the course. They helped me by emailing my university and telling them the information I needed to get shared. The school also helped me with my stress. The guidance this school spread was amazing and helped me a lot when it came to my university placement. This school made the time limit I was in a much less stressful experience as they helped me and went out of their way to make sure that I would be alright.
“OVS is the PERFECT school… You can keep reviewing content, even if it’s hard, and spend as much time as you like to understand the content completely before moving on”
Wajiha Fatima Syeda, Student (Posted, November 22, 2018)
Student Experience
Ontario Virtual School has provided me with a very valuable learning experience. The best thing about OVS is the amount of content and material provided for self-study. The course is done online entirely so clear material is something very important for students. As a student, you often get stuck on a few things, but I was VERY pleased with quick responses from the teachers who often were willing to explain things from scratch. If there is one thing students need to keep in mind is that self-motivation is necessary when it comes to any online course. With that being said, with the efforts of both the student and teacher, it will be a very pleasant experience for sure.
School Leadership
The school leadership at Ontario Virtual School is very respectable. Although, there is minimum interaction because of the online setting, the code of language is very professional and kind from the teachers and administration. They take student concerns very seriously such as deadlines to apply for universities and guide the students accordingly. One major thing you learn at OVS is professional communication via e-mail with the teachers and the staff because that is the main medium for interaction between student, teachers and the staff. This can help students when they graduate from high school and start their university life or go onto to their professional work life.
Teaching
At OVS, the major thing I felt teachers were expecting out of students was grasping the material in a way that is applicable practically. I took a grade 12 Physics and English course with Ontario Virtual School and both times I felt that the practical application of things learned was an emphasis. For example, there were many videos provided throughout the course to make students understand the practicality of what we were learning. Especially with the Physics course. I think a big part of this journey with OVS was getting prepared for University. Unlike traditional setting, our teachers expected us to stay self-motivated to finish our work on time even when they were physically absent. If you overcome to this challenge as a student, it can prepare you for a more successful university life where professors do not spoon feed students.
Academics
In my personal opinion, the work is just right. I say this because of the way the courses are structured. In a traditional class setting, I used to often feel like I was falling behind the class, whether you understood something or not, the class had to go on and the teacher had to finish the syllabus. This did not benefit the students who were slow-learners. OVS is the PERFECT school for students like that. You can keep going back to the content, even if it is hard, and spend as much time as you like to understand that content completely before moving on to more complicated concepts. Thus, it makes for a richer experience as many things you learn in high school will help you in university.
Students
Ontario Virtual School is an online school, thus most things are done from the comfort of your own home or library or a cafe. This to me, came as a great blessing. As an adult student, I often had to juggle between work and school and it was almost next to impossible to do that with a traditional class setting. The great thing is, you can do your work ANYTIME. Be it 1 AM, or 1 PM, you set your own schedule and class time. In my opinion, the students who do best are the ones who know how to plan a schedule and then, follow that plan. Self-motivation and determination is BIG factor for success in Ontario Virtual School. Students who are not motivated or just cannot get out of bed unless there is a scheduled class time may struggle with the setting. Thus, the right mindset will do the trick!
School Location
This was one of the things I loved about OVS! The location of Ontario Virtual School is entirely on the student. Be it your room, a library, a cafe or a mall. The student chooses whatever setting best suits them and feels most comfortable in. This can provide maximum comfort and no travel time for the student! A big plus in my opinion.
Admissions
The admission process is based online. It is very simple to follow through the Ontario Virtual School’s user-friendly and interactive website. The list of courses from grade 9 to 12 are clearly listed with codes. You can select the courses and then carry onto selecting them in your cart. Then it is a matter of payment which can be done by a variety of different methods. The school may ask for prerequisites and a school transcript based on what level you are on and which grade you are entering. A profile is created for you with your courses on it. There is a mini tutorial on how to go about the website and your profile. As a mature student, I had to contact the administration for my specific case. That is done by the e-mail provided on their website. The very helpful and sweet admin staff takes the student step by step to ensure they’re selecting the right courses the right way. It was not stressful at all.
We invite you to read all of the five detailed reviews written by our students and alumnus on the OurKids.net website.