NCVPS was established by the North Carolina E-Learning Commission in 2005 and began operations in 2007 with the purpose of providing courses that augment those available locally in order to equalize educational opportunities statewide and, in many cases, provide an effective online teacher when a qualified teacher is not available locally. Course offerings are available to middle and high school students.
NCVPS has grown quickly; in Spring 2013, it offered approximately 120 courses, ranging from AP and other college credit courses to honors and general courses in mathematics, science, English, social studies, world languages, arts, career and technical education, and healthful living. In addition, NCVPS offers courses specifically designed for credit recovery, services such as test preparation and career planning, and the Occupational Course of Study (OCS) Blended Learning Program, which pairs an NCVPS content teacher with a face-to face OCS classroom teacher to provide blended instruction to OCS students across the state.
Since its inception, NCVPS has logged over 193,000 enrollments and is now second only to Florida in terms of public virtual school enrollment. NCVPS employs over 400 adjunct teachers, all of whom are certified to teach in North Carolina and are considered highly qualified by No Child Left Behind criteria. The teachers receive special training in online teaching and in the use of a range of interactive technologies to engage 21st-century learners, including video, interactive whiteboards, wikis, active worlds, and online discussion tools.