Open Every Day
The Virtual Campus
The closest thing to in-person that you can find online. Every day, the campus opens for your student to connect, hang out, and belong.
What Is the Virtual Campus?
Most online programs end when the Zoom call ends. YSA is different.
The Virtual Campus is a proximity-based video space where students show up every day to connect with each other. Think of it like The Sims meets Zoom. Students move around a virtual space, and when they walk up to someone, a live video conversation starts. No scheduled calls. No waiting rooms. Just showing up and seeing who is around. For kids who have been looking for a safe space with people who understand them, that matters more than you might expect.
It opens for an hour every day. Students come in, find their friends, meet new ones, and build the kind of relationships that most online programs can’t offer. This is the part of school that kids actually miss: the hallways, the lunch table, the random conversations that turn into real friendships.
How It Works
The Virtual Campus runs on Proximity, a video platform designed for natural social interaction. When your student logs in, they see a map of the campus. They can walk their avatar around the space, and when they get close to another student, a live video window opens automatically. Walk away, and the conversation ends naturally.
There’s no host. No agenda. No assignments. This is unstructured social time, on purpose.
The Campus Zones
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Ages 5 to 10
A dedicated space for younger students to connect with peers their age
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Ages 11 to 18
The main campus for teens and tweens
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Young Adults
For older students and YSA alumni
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Parents
Yes, there’s one for you too. Connect with other YSA parents, share what is working, and be part of something alongside your student.
Each zone is a separate space at zone.k12.com, so students are always with their age group.
Why This Matters
Kids wired like this are looking for community. Gifted or 2e kids especially. Many of them have never found a group where they feel like they fit. They have been the “weird kid” or the “too much kid” or the kid who cannot find anyone who wants to talk about the things they care about.
The Virtual Campus changes that. When your student walks into the space and sees three other kids talking about the same obscure interest, that is belonging. When they show up every day and the same faces are there, that is friendship. When a shy kid finally walks up to a group and gets pulled right in, that is what families mean when they tell us “we found our people.”
This is not a feature. It is one of the most important things we offer.
What Parents Say
I think we found our people and I’m very excited for my daughter. As a PDAer, her enjoying a class that has a lot of teamwork and collaboration with peers is a huge win.
It is interest based with small online groups and neurodivergent mentors.
Great outlet and opportunity to connect with other kids with same interests and socialize in a constructive, supported setting.
What It Looks Like
Walk around, find your friends, and start talking. No scheduling required.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Virtual Campus supervised?
The campus spaces are monitored. YSA staff check in regularly, and the platform logs activity. But the point of the space is unstructured peer interaction, so there is no formal host or agenda.
Does my student have to attend?
No. The Virtual Campus is completely optional. Some students show up every day. Some come once a week. Some prefer to connect only during their courses. It’s there when they want it.
Is there a cost?
The Virtual Campus is included with enrollment. Any student currently taking a YSA course can access their age-appropriate campus zone.
What platform does it use?
The Virtual Campus runs on Proximity (zone.k12.com), a browser-based platform. No downloads required. Students log in and they’re in.
Is there really a parent zone?
Yes. We built a space for parents because you deserve community too. Connect with other families who are going through the same things you are. It opens daily alongside the student zones.