Online school opens doors for Colorado teen athletes with NCAA approval
Feb 18, 2025
An online Colorado public school, Destinations Career Academy of Colorado has been NCAA-approved. This is a game-changer for elite student athletes in Colorado where an online education serves to better accommodate their busy lifestyles due to managing strict rigorous training schedules that are not conducive to a brick-and-mortar bell schedule environment.
Davian, a junior at Destinations and one of the athletes involved in the program, started playing hockey at seven years old. This is his first year as a full-time student in an online school; he made the switch to better accommodate his busy athletic schedule, which requires more than 30 hours per week of hockey training, practice, games, and travel. Davian plays in a Junior Pro League and wants this experience to take him to college after graduation.
“I was spending more than 30 hrs a week playing hockey… the teachers [at Destinations Career Academy of Colorado] understand the situation I am in, but they still hold me accountable,” said Davian, who prefers to only use his first name.
Destinations prides itself on being a flexible schooling option for students with different types of learning needs and schedules. One of the groups the school serves well is elite athletes with demanding practice schedules like Davian that would otherwise be too challenging to manage with a brick-and-mortar school environment. Student athletes can do their coursework from anywhere there is an internet connection and on their own time. Davian, for example, shared that he tends to complete the majority of his recorded coursework the moment he gets home from his long day. This just wasn’t something that he could have done in an in-person school environment.
With Destination’s NCAA approval, the Colorado online public school can help set students up for athletic and academic success in college and beyond.