How Does Proximity Learning Work? A Complete Overview (Updated 2025)

Proximity Learning was founded in 2009 to provide synchronous instruction to public school districts around the United States. The company currently works with over four hundred schools around the United States and has staffed more than 3,000 classrooms, providing instruction in topics ranging from Kindergarten Math to AP Biology.

Proximity Learning could be an ideal solution for your school if:

• You're struggling to fill teacher vacancies due to the current teacher shortages
• You want to provide CTEs but can't find certified teachers to take on these classes in your local area
• You need help with special education case management to ensure your IEP and 504 students make steady progress in their learning plan
• You want the most experienced teachers for any given subject, even if these teachers don't live in your city

How Proximity Learning Works

Class Model

Proximity Learning offers synchronous classes. These classes are livestreamed so students can interact with each other and their teacher during the class. Learners still attend school as they normally would, but instead of working with an in-person teacher, they work with a virtual one. All Proximity Learning teachers are certified in their fields of expertise to ensure your learners get the quality education they need and deserve.

Our online education platform offers interactive tools that make learning fun and encourage student collaboration. These include an interactive whiteboard, screen-sharing capabilities, breakout rooms, and chat rooms. Classes are recorded as they take place in case Proximity Learning students want to study the material more at home or need to catch up on classes they missed during the week.

Course Offerings

We offer instruction in all core subjects for K-12 students. Additionally, we offer world language courses in Spanish, Chinese, German, French, Japanese, Latin, and American Sign Language. Some courses are only available to middle and high school students, but many are offered at the elementary level as well. Electives are also available for students at all academic levels, with options including art, theater, health, physical education, and psychology.

We offer ACT tutoring to middle and high school students, making it possible for learners to earn high scores on the ACT test when they’re eligible to sit for the test. We also provide AP classes for those who want to test out of subjects they would otherwise have to study at university.

Our teachers also offer summer school classes and tutoring services. These classes can be tailored to meet the needs of learners who need to improve academic performance or to help advanced learners make speedy progress toward their educational goals.

Onboarding Process

Our onboarding process is broken down into four easy steps and takes between two to four weeks to complete.

Kick Off

Once you sign the contract, we’ll send you a welcome email with key details. At this point, we’ll also ask you to confirm your class schedule.

Planning

We’ll have an onboarding meeting to create a joint success plan with your district administration.

This plan includes:

• Reviewing the outcomes that are most important to you
• Listing potential challenges so we know what you need from us
• Selecting platforms and resources
• Reviewing support needs for learners who have an IEP or 504 plan
• Selecting primary facilitators for each classroom

Our team will also begin setting up courses and choosing the best teachers for each class. At this point, we also ask schools to share essential teacher resources.

Preparation

We’ll begin training facilitators for each online class. Student enrollment opens and we send out the name and email address of each teacher who will be working with your learners. During this time, webcams and speakers are installed in school classrooms to ensure students can see and hear their online teachers clearly. We can also set up teacher accounts if needed.

We encourage you to let your learners and their parents know what to expect from the Proximity Learning virtual education platform. Your learners are likely already familiar with virtual instruction but may be expecting an asynchronous course with pre-recorded video lectures rather than live classes that demand a high level of participation and collaboration. Make sure learners know when and where classes are held, understand course expectations and requirements, and know who to communicate with if they need test accommodations, have problems submitting homework or assignments, etc.

Launch

At this point, classes go live. We offer troubleshooting and support should problems arise, and we’ll conduct an initial check-in for sharing student, teacher, and facilitator feedback. Moreover, we’ll monitor student engagement, performance, and grade book evaluations on an ongoing basis. We can communicate with you via video conferencing, email, or by phone, depending on your needs and preferences. You can also choose how often you want us to update your administration team. Options include weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly.

We welcome feedback at all times and we can adjust class schedules as needed to meet your student’s needs. We’ll review the joint success plan with you every three months and make updates as needed. At the end of each semester, we offer a Net Promoter Score Survey so you can evaluate our partnership.

Why Work with Proximity Learning?

Proximity Learning isn’t the only e-learning platform, but it is the one with the most experience. Our expert teacher began offering virtual learning long before the COVID-19 lockdowns. We understand the virtual instruction model and know how to keep learners engaged so they're motivated to make academic progress. We have the tools needed to provide learners of all ages and walks of life with a winning learning experience. We're passionate about educational equity and take pride in connecting schools with highly-motivated Proximity Learning teachers who have the skills needed to help your students reach their full potential.

Are you looking for ways to improve your educational offerings, without breaking your budget? Would you like to see learners paired with educational experts who can boost student achievement? If so, get in touch with us today to find out more about how we can help you or to start the onboarding process.

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