Our Story

A Collaboration for Students

Northern Star Online (NSO) was founded as a collaboration between public schools that wanted to try something new. In 2001, online learning was arriving on the educational scene as an innovative approach to education. Within the member districts of Intermediate District 287, schools began working to create their own online courses and platforms. It soon became clear that in working together and pooling resources, educators could more effectively create and deliver high quality online courses to all their students. Out of this collaboration, they created Northern Star Online through Intermediate District 287. 

As a public school, NSO leveraged the power of collaboration to lead the way in providing online resources to Intermediate District 287, its member districts, and students throughout Minnesota. NSO engaged in creating high quality, open digital curriculum aligned to state standards through the Minnesota Learning Commons and MN Partnership of Collaborative Curriculum. NSO also worked closely with the Minnesota Online Learning Alliance to help guide best quality online practices and policy for all schools within the state.  

Since our founding in 2001, NSO has taken a collaborative approach to educating students, working closely with schools and families across Minnesota.NSO has continued to expand its offerings and learning options while remaining committed to providing high quality online learning in a way that works for students and schools. NSO has worked with over 400 schools and is the largest online public school in the state, continuing to operate as a responsive, collaborative partner in online learning.