Yes. We are a public charter school operated under a contract with Merrill Area Public Schools.

We serve students in K4 (aka 4K or Preschool), Kindergarten, and 1st grade through 12th grade. Students from outside the Merrill area can only open-enroll to K4 if their home district also has a K4 program. Students entering into K4 must be 4 years old by September 1st of the upcoming school year. Students entering Kindergarten must be 5 years old by September 1st of the upcoming school year. You can find more information about the specific grade levels on the FAQ pages for Elementary, Middle School, and High School.

Yes, BVA is a public, charter school. Each of our teachers are licensed Wisconsin teachers in the subject area(s) and grade level(s) they teach.

BVA is a public, state-wide charter school, so there is no tuition fee to attend. Curricular resources and technology are also provided for each student.

Each student is provided a laptop to access school work. Internet is required, and access can be supported through our Academic Enrichment process.

Instruction is delivered in a variety of ways and is dependent upon both the grade-level and individual needs of a student. Teachers meet with families each summer to develop an instructional plan or pathway for each individual student. This plan is developed from a combination of online resources, live teacher-led instruction, paper and pencil curricular options, project-based learning, teacher-led projects, and dual credit opportunities (secondary).

We have a wide variety of curricular choice options. Families will receive access to BVA’s ILP website once they are officially enrolled in the program. The ILP website contains a list of the approved curricular options by grade-level, and it also includes videos & written documents that give an overview of the program expectations. Families are able to personalize curricular choices from these approved lists. Since we are a K4-12 school, the choices vary by grade-level; options often include print books, online options, virtual-teacher-led instruction, project-based learning and more. Our program focus connects student learning to state and national standards through student demonstration. We have found that instead of a one-size fits all curriculum, it is best to meet a student where they are at academically and provide the curricular resources to support student growth. Please review our video overviews on our Prospective Families page for further understanding of program design.

As a public school, we are not permitted to purchase religious materials. However, families are welcome to supplement student learning using religious materials, which they have purchased on their own.

BVA consistently earns high satisfaction ratings from parents and students. In addition to this positive feedback from our families, data trends show an increase in ACT scores for students who have been enrolled in BVA for multiple years, starting with students who began in the elementary program. A majority of students who graduate from BVA leave with college credits and/or work experience and are prepared with technology, communication, and organization skills to help them succeed in their next step. Our goal is to develop students into independent learners and the outcomes we have seen over the last 12 years indicate we are consistently able to achieve this goal!

Student participation is individualized to students according to subject area and the course delivery format selected. Depending on the chosen curriculum students may or may not have set times for meeting. At the K4-2 level, there are no required weekly class options. At the 3rd grade level and up, students may have choices between set meeting time classes and/or asynchronous learning opportunities. Seminar classes are live and synchronous. Students enrolled in these classes are required to attend at the scheduled times. At the MS/HS level, seminar classes occur Monday through Thursday. Fridays are dedicated to Homework Help time for students to work with teachers, in addition to optional Student Community Building virtual events and independent academic enrichment.

No. The amount of screen time will vary per student depending upon curricular choice and course selection. BVA courses are delivered in multiple formats, and the format selected will determine the required amount of screen time. Students and teachers utilize a variety of curricular options. These include both digital and print resources. See the answers to “How is instruction delivered?” and “What curriculum do you use?” from the questions above for more specific details.

Yes, BVA provides support for students with disabilities as required by law.

Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) for students are developed in the spring (for current students) and summer prior to the start of the school year. At this time, students and parents meet with the assigned teacher(s) and develop the Individualized Learning Plan. The educational process is discussed and resources are selected to meet the specific needs of a student.

Once a student is enrolled with BVA, families get access to BVA’s ILP website that includes all the approved curriculum options, courses, schedules, etc. Families complete documents on the website to make the initial selections of materials and courses that would best suit their student. Once selected, they will complete a form to notify the student’s advisory teacher they are ready to meet. Each family will meet individually with a teacher to finalize curriculum choices, order materials and address unanswered questions. Once the ILP meeting has occurred, students will begin receiving curriculum resources and technology via the mail.

Every student in BVA is assigned an advisory teacher. The advisory teacher is the primary point of contact for families and students for school communication, questions, ILP planning, community building, etc. Advisory teachers are assigned by grade band and students remain with the same advisory teacher while within a grade band. Depending on the grade-level and the ILP subject learning selections, students will have classes taught by subject-area teachers.

Yes. BVA is a Public Charter School and all students have to meet the state requirements, in addition to the BVA Governance Board graduation requirements. The diploma earned from BVA carries the same weight as a high school diploma from Wisconsin public school.

High school students enrolled in Bridges Virtual Academy are required to complete coursework in the following subject areas: English: 4 credits (8 semesters) Social Studies: 3 credits (6 semesters to include one semester of US Government and civics exam) Science: 3 credits (6 semesters to include a minimum of 1 life science and 1 physical science) Math: 3 credits (6 semesters) Health: .5 credit (1 semester) Physical Education: 1.5 credits (3 semesters) - required during 3 of 4 years Personal Finance: .5 credit (1 semester) - required starting with the class of 2028 Elective courses: 8.5 credits (17 semesters) Note: Beginning with the class of 2028, only 8 credits (16 semesters) will be required. Students in grades 9 -11 are required to be enrolled in 6 credits per year. Students in grade 12 are required to be enrolled in a minimum of 5 credits per year. BVA does not accept part time enrollment. Students will be required to earn at least 23.5 total credits and/or demonstrate equivalent competencies in all subject areas listed to satisfy graduation requirements.

High school students attending Bridges Virtual Academy are not able to participate in high school level sports at their local school or for Merrill High School. Some districts may allow BVA students to participate in middle school sports or activities but it is at the discretion of the district or school (not BVA). Please see our Student/Parent Handbook for specifics.

Regular open enrollment is available from February until the end of April. Students applying to BVA from outside the Merrill school district (non-resident) will need to open-enroll during this time period. An Alternative Open Enrollment form would need to be filled out for requests occurring after the end of the regular open-enrollment period. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction provides the timeline and application process for the Alternative Open Enrollment process. For more information visit our Prospective Families area.

The enrollment limits are set each school year by the BVA Governance Board and administration based on the projected number of applicants and the space available for the school. Considering that BVA is a virtual school, the “space availability” is determined by the number of teachers on staff. The Bridges Virtual Academy Governance Board will determine the enrollment limits before the open-enrollment period in February each year. If there are more applicants than spaces available, we will conduct a random selection process in May to determine which students will be eligible to enroll. Preference will be given to siblings of currently enrolled students.

See the Department of Public Instruction's webpage on open enrollment denials for the most up-to-date information on this question.

After the regular open-enrollment period ends, applications will be reviewed at the district level. Applicants will be notified with approval decisions by the end of June. Parents will then be asked to provide confirmation of their student’s enrollment in BVA. Once confirmed, you will receive an email from the BVA office sharing the online registration form and further instructions on how to plan for the ILP meeting with your student’s assigned advisory teacher.