A Study of Central Dauphin School District’s Middle School Virtual Cyber Academy Students’ Academic Achievement in Mathematics and English Language Arts and Students’ Perspectives of Sense of Belonging

As virtual learning becomes increasingly prevalent in K-12 education, understanding how middle school students experience a sense of belonging in online environments and how this relates to academic performance is critical. However, limited research exists on the sense of belonging and academic experience of virtual learners. This action research study investigated the relationship between sense of belonging and academic growth among 6th- 8th grade students enrolled in Central Dauphin School District Cyber Academy. Guided by three research questions, the study examined how virtual students’ sense of belonging compares to brick-and-mortar peers, the relationship between virtual students’ sense of belonging and English Language Arts academic growth, and the relationship between belonging and mathematics academic growth. Quantitative data was collected using the winter 2024 Panorama Education Survey and Edmentum’s Study Island benchmark assessments from fall 2024 to winter 2025. Chi-square analysis revealed a statistically significant association between school setting and a sense of belonging, with Cyber Academy students reporting more favorable perspectives than expected. Descriptive comparative analyses showed a positive relationship between sense of belonging and English Language Arts growth. However, the relationship between belonging and mathematics performance was more variable across subgroups. These findings highlight the importance of fostering a sense of belonging in virtual settings and suggest it is a key factor, but not the only one, influencing academic success. The results offering valuable implications for designing inclusive and effective virtual learning environments.