Online courses start in August, and enrollment begins this month. To register, go to http://www.iolani.org.

Courses will be taught by 'Iolani School faculty. Initially, Advanced Placement (AP) courses will be offered.

"The primary mission of 'Iolani eSchool is to broaden our reach as outlined in our strategic plan," said 'Iolani Headmaster Dr. Val Iwashita in a written statement.

"We have a tremendous amount of expertise on our campus, particularly in our Advanced Placement curriculum. We hope through distance learning, our educational program is available to a broader constituency."

As public high schools are forced to cut back on Advanced Placement courses, 'Iolani's eSchool may fill a gap in some Hawai'i students' educations.

Available in August for O'ahu juniors and seniors will be: AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Computer Science A, AP English Language and Composition, AP European History, AP Physics B, and AP United States History.

In summer 2008, PSAT and SAT preparation courses for students in grades 10 to 12 along with writing courses for grades 9 to 12 will be added.

During its initial phase, 'Iolani eSchool's 2007-08 courses will be available only to O'ahu students with plans to expand throughout the state.