Barton County Academy is now enrolling for the fall semester.

BCA is an Essdack Learning Center located at 1010 Taft St. in Great Bend. It offers a variety of options for finishing a high-school diploma including online coursework and face-to-face instruction with certified teachers. The program offers flexibility allowing students to balance employment and family responsibilities while earning a diploma, said Rachel Ellison, site director.

“Barton County Academy has a long history of helping those in our community obtain their high school diploma,” Ellison said. “We understand there are many reasons why someone doesn’t finish high school, but it is our goal to help them have a bright and successful future.”

Students who participate in the BCA program receive a high school diploma, not a GED.

“The GED is often a ‘faster’ option, though not always a better option for our learners,” said Carmen Zeisler, learning centers director for ESSDACK. “The GED is not free and does not open up the same opportunities as a diploma, but faced with the reality of how much time it will take to finish a high school diploma, students choose the shorter route. Often, they invest time and energy to try and complete it and end up back at our center because they could not pass it. We are also seeing an influx of learners who obtained their GED in the early 1990s coming back to work on their high school diploma because their employers require it now.” 

Visit www.essdack.org/learning-center/home to learn more about BCA Learning Center and to enroll.