This study contrasted the standardized test scores of impoverished students who took secondary courses in a virtual setting with those of impoverished students who took secondary courses in a traditional brick-and-mortar setting in a selected school district in Florida. The selected school district is located on Florida's central eastern coast, and has a student body of just over 17,000. A pre-experimental design was implemented. The independent variable was virtual education. Dependent variables were state level end of course exams in Algebra I and II, Geometry, Biology, and U.S. History. Independent t-tests with non-equivalent means were conducted for statistical significance. Means and standard deviations are included, and independent t-tests were performed to determine statistical significance. Results are provided by gender. Virtual education was found to have a significant effect on the U.S. History end of course exam, t(82.78) = 4.15, p <0.001. Virtual education also had a significant effect for female students when controlling for gender t(54.95) = 5.25, p < 0.001, and a significant effect for males t(1303) =1.92, p[less than or equal to]0.05 on the Biology end of course exam. Additionally, a financial investigation of the selected school district's financial use of Florida Virtual School is provided. Finally, the study included a breakdown of ethnicity with statistical support that impoverished minority students from within the selected school district did not access virtual education at the same rate as their impoverished majority peers. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]