School is getting a high-tech makeover in South Florida, where students are stepping into virtual classrooms powered by artificial intelligence and virtual reality technology.
At Optima Academy Online, a state-approved virtual school program, students attend class using VR headsets that immerse them in interactive learning environments — no traditional classroom walls required.
“When you put on the goggles, you log into your class,” said 10th grader Ryan Eddy.
For Ryan, virtual learning has become more than just an alternative to traditional school — it’s become a creative outlet.
“The VR helps a lot with trying to be creative,” he said.
What once sounded like the “classroom of the future” is now his everyday reality.
Ryan attends school virtually through Optima Academy Online, where students take classes in a fully immersive digital setting. His mother, Virginia Eddy, said the technology-driven format was one of the biggest reasons their family chose the program.
“One thing that attracted me was the virtual reality, the immersive learning,” she said.
Virginia explained she initially worried about Ryan’s safety and the distractions that can come with a traditional brick-and-mortar school environment. Since switching to virtual learning, she says she has noticed a dramatic difference in his focus and engagement.
“With this, I’ve noticed that he’s really just focused on school,” she said.
Now in his second year of virtual education, Ryan takes five to six classes a day. Some are live, teacher-led sessions, while others are self-paced and available on demand. Despite attending school from home, his mother says Ryan still maintains a healthy social life and participates in extracurricular activities, including playing baseball for a nearby school.
“It’s not homeschool — but it’s school from home,” said OptimaEd CEO Adam Mangana.
Mangana said the program was launched in 2021 with the goal of making online learning more immersive and engaging than traditional video conferencing platforms like Zoom. He compares the experience to the classic children’s television series The Magic School Bus.
“What we’re doing is essentially turning teachers into Miss Frizzle and taking students into the parts of a cell or back into ancient Rome,” Mangana said. “They’re doing this all in a social VR platform.”
According to Mangana, Optima Academy Online has quickly become one of the fastest-growing K-12 education models in the country. Through a partnership with the state of Florida, the program is tuition-free for students. The curriculum is state-approved, and the same technology is also being used in several elite private schools.
“This democratizes access and allows people to learn from anywhere in the state of Florida,” Mangana said.
While the rapid rise of AI and virtual reality in education may seem intimidating to some parents, Virginia Eddy said Ryan adapted quickly.
“The future is AI. The future is virtual reality,” she said. “He has that advantage, I feel, where he’s able to learn what you can’t learn in a regular school system.”
Mangana agrees that emerging technologies are reshaping education and says the focus should be on using them responsibly.
“AI and the metaverse are inevitable technologies,” he said. “These are things that most parents are already seeing impact their world. What we want is to create the proper guardrails.”
Currently, 228 K-12 students are enrolled in Optima Academy Online in South Florida.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
