ST. CLOUD — Nearly 14,000 children in Minnesota are enrolled in virtual public schools, a number that continues to grow.

The Minnesota Department of Education has reviewed and approved 27 online educators, including online charter schools, multi-district and single-district programs. A private education consulting firm, Evergreen Education Group, said enrollment in multi-district, fully online schools has increased 82 percent over the past five years and now equals about 1 percent of total students in Minnesota.

Liliana Rios, of St. Cloud, enrolled her daughter in the Minnesota Connections Academy and found it to be a positive experience. Rios said students complete about seven lessons a day and can participate in about 10 field trips a month to museums, zoos or other places.