Stanford University has shut down the Office of the Vice Provost for Digital Education, known as Stanford Digital Education, on January 15, citing budget cuts, ending a program that for years connected low-income high school students to Stanford-taught courses.Since 2021, Stanford Digital Education coordinated efforts to offer online Stanford courses beyond campus. According to information published by the program, it reached 2,612 high school students across 103 schools in 22 states and Washington, D.C. The office’s closure also ended Stanford’s partnership with the National Education Opportunity Network, which delivered Stanford courses to Title I high schools serving students from low-income families.
University cites lack of long-term funding
In a statement to the Stanford Daily, Director of University Public Relations Charlene Gage said the initiative began with start-up funding but did not secure long-term financial support. She said the University chose to concentrate its digital education efforts in programs with established and sustainable funding models, pointing to the Center for Global and Online Education and Stanford Continuing Studies.
How the program worked
Through the National Education Opportunity Network partnership, Stanford professors taught remote courses alongside Stanford student teaching fellows, while high school teachers supervised students on site. Students who completed the courses received a Stanford transcript and grade. The courses drew national attention, including coverage by the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times.
Partner organization seeks continuation
Leslie Cornfeld, chief executive officer and founder of the National Education Opportunity Network, told the Stanford Daily that the organization had offered to cover the costs of continuing the Stanford program and remained hopeful it could resume. She said the courses helped students see themselves as belonging in elite academic spaces.
Faculty and student concerns
Faculty members involved in the program also expressed concern about its end. Drew Endy, a professor of bioengineering who taught a course through the partnership, said the classes aligned with Stanford’s founding mission to promote the public welfare. He said the program exposed students to fields they might not otherwise encounter.Former Stanford Digital Education student teaching fellow Parth Sarin learned in June that the University planned to stop funding the program. Sarin told the Stanford Daily that uncertainty about the program’s future had grown over the past year and questioned the decision to end it, arguing that the costs were relatively limited and that faculty interest remained strong.
Impact on participating schools
High school educators who worked with the program said the closure left a gap that is difficult to fill. Lindsay Humphrey, an English teacher at Birmingham Community Charter High School in Los Angeles, told the Stanford Daily that Stanford courses generated strong interest among students and helped some envision themselves attending selective universities. Two students from her school who participated in the program later enrolled at Stanford.Sara Schafer, an Advanced Placement coordinator at Topeka High School, said alternative university courses were arranged after Stanford Digital Education closed, but she viewed Stanford’s involvement as distinct. She said the program also played a role in introducing Stanford to students in regions with lower application rates.
Student experiences and access concerns
Students who participated described the program as a rare opportunity. TaSheena Thompson, a Stanford undergraduate who grew up in the Navajo Nation and took multiple courses through the partnership while in high school, told the Stanford Daily that the experience helped her understand what college-level study involved and gave her confidence about pursuing higher education. She said the program’s end would limit access for future students from similar backgrounds.
Uncertainty about what comes next
University officials have not announced plans to replace the Stanford Digital Education office or restore the partnership. For schools that relied on the program, its closure marks the end of a pathway that connected low-income high school students directly to Stanford classrooms.
