For D17 who was homeschooled the whole way and also had/has some significant atypical neurology about social interaction, we did a combination of both.
We had online for some AP classes in junior and senior year (Am History, Envior Sci) and some non-AP courses. She did DE at a very not-advanced community college for some other courses (Psych, Biology 1, Chem 1, comp sci) and took the APs in Bio and Psych. She did some other AP work and other courses at home with me and took the exams (Latin, Euro History)
Some major advantages for at least a few classes DE even at a lackluster school:
- She needed two letters of rec for some colleges. Since I was already writing the counselor letter, DE provided better interaction for that.
- More direct interaction in classes with peers which D17 really needed to practice. Others might not need this.
- Because I attended a program there myself, we were able to have her take a 200 level DE in a field- Anthropology- with his permission and her ACT scores. She had also audited one of his courses in 9th grade. He was her main letter writer.
- Our state at the time paid the DE tuition but not for online AP.
Is it possible to approach a professor and get permission for a higher level course? Especially in non-math fields, this might be an idea.