Manheim Township School District Board Policy #217 (Graduation Requirements) provides students with opportunities to attend post-secondary institutions on a part-time basis as a junior and/or senior, attend college full-time in lieu of their senior year, or graduate early from high school.

To Access These Programs:
In addition to being academically eligible, the student would be required to:

• Meet the entrance requirements of the college or university
• Pay all costs associated with college enrollment including registration, tuition, dues, fees and transportation.

Early College - Dual Enrollment (Part-time):
Students may attend a post-secondary college or technical school part-time during their junior and/or senior years while also attending the high school. Students interested in this option generally attend the high school in the AM or PM to complete remaining credits needed for graduation and then attend classes at a local institution during the remainder of their school day. College courses may also be used to satisfy high school graduation requirements with advanced approval of administration. Students are responsible for providing an official college transcript to their assigned counselor if they wish to have the course appear on their high school transcript. The actual course grade earned is not figured in a student’s GPA, but will appear as “P” (Pass) or “F” (Fail).

Although students choosing this option are not eligible for federal financial aid, most local colleges have agreed to substantially reduced tuition rates for our dual enrollment students. Please see Mrs. Hall in the Counseling Office for participating colleges and universities.

Early College (Full-time):
Students may enroll in any two-year/four-year college, university or technical school for the Full-time Early College Program in lieu of their senior year. Students must be in good academic standing and on track to graduate in order to qualify for this opportunity. Students must successfully complete 24 credits (typically 8 classes) during their early college freshman year to take advantage of this program. Upon successful completion of the 24 credits and submission of an official transcript to their school counselor, the student will be eligible to receive a Manheim Township Diploma. During the early college freshman year, students are not considered high school graduates and are therefore ineligible for federal financial aid.

Early Graduation (Graduation in Three Years):
Students who wish to graduate in three years must complete an Early Graduation Application, receive approval of administration, and then plan carefully with their counselor to successfully complete all course work and requirements. (See Graduation Requirement Section of this guide) With this option, students are considered high school graduates and are eligible to apply for and potentially receive federal financial aid for college.

Updated information on these programs is posted on the school counseling website as it becomes available.

MTHS offers many courses in a virtual format as part of the Manheim Township Virtual Academy. The MT Virtual Academy provides students with an opportunity to take asynchronous online courses through Lancaster-Lebanon Virtual Solutions (LLVS) as well as courses managed by Manheim Township teachers. Asynchronous virtual courses allow students to have the advantage of 24/7 access to course lessons. Students may use the flexibility of virtual courses to facilitate work schedules, to pursue early graduation, or to earn credit recovery. These classes are available for students in grades 9 through 12 unless a counselor specifies otherwise.

Students may choose to enroll in one or two virtual courses to supplement a traditional, face to face schedule in the building, or they may choose to participate in the MT Virtual Academy full-time. Full-time MT Virtual Academy students generally complete their work from home while part-time students complete their work in the MT Virtual Academy workspace at the high school.

Students wishing to participate in the full-time online learning program should visit the MT Virtual Academy webpage on the district’s website. After reviewing the FAQs and the K-12 MT Virtual Academy Handbook, interested students and their parents should communicate with their school counselor and complete the electronic Intake Form to initiate the process of enrollment. Click here to access the MTVA webpage.

Students interested in taking one or more online courses through the MT Virtual Academy must select MTHS Virtual Course ADM200 during course registration. They will then meet with their counselor to complete the Online Course Application prior to registering for any online classes.

There are two required courses for MT Virtual Academy students who take 4.0 or more credits in one year. To meet their career readiness requirements, students must take Career Explorations and Cyber and Digital Citizenship. Each course is worth .25 credits (see course descriptions at the end of this section).

Students taking online or virtual courses through the MT Virtual Academy have 5 school days from the start of the course to inform their counselor or the Virtual Academy Coordinator that they would like to drop the course. After 5 school days, students will be expected to complete the course. All courses removed after the 5-day grace period will be reflected on a student’s transcript.

Virtual course offerings may vary from year to year. For a full, updated list of available virtual course offerings and descriptions for 2021-2022, students should consult with their school counselor.