Autauga County Schools launches tuition-free K-12 virtual academy

Autauga Virtual Academy is a tuition-free K-12 virtual option for students anywhere in Alabama, giving families in Prattville and across Autauga County another route for children whose schedules, health needs, travel demands or learning styles fit better outside a traditional campus.

Autauga County Schools opened the academy for the 2024-25 school year. Pre-registration for the 2026-27 school year ran from March 18 to April 15, and enrollment is open to all students entering grades K-12 who live in Alabama. The National Center for Education Statistics lists the academy as a new regular school with a KG-12 grade span and a Prattville mailing and physical address at 154 West 4th Street.

Autauga Virtual Academy is built around Edgenuity, its online learning partner, and Edgenuity will initially employ all teachers. Autauga County Schools expects to hire more district employees in future school years as the program grows. Attendance is based on platform logins, and standardized testing will still happen in person at the current Prattville Kindergarten School site.

Superintendent Lyman Woodfin said, “Academics is priority one for us,” while also saying the district sees traditional classrooms as important for many students. He said the long-term goal is for the virtual school to become its own program with its own graduates and more socialization and extracurricular opportunities.

For now, virtual student-athletes who live in Autauga County can play at the school they are zoned to attend. Students who live outside the district may continue to play junior varsity sports at the closest district school. Autauga County Schools says extracurricular and athletic opportunities should grow as enrollment increases.

Autauga Virtual Academy also arrives during a wider period of district change. In September 2024, the district pointed to the academy’s opening alongside the new Prattville Kindergarten School and a proposed ad valorem tax increase. By January 2025, the district said it was working with a consulting firm to study restructuring, rezoning and other funding options.