Online classes are gaining popularity at area schools as students and officials realize that time at a home computer offers flexibility without costing upward of $4 per gallon.

In Fairfax County, rumblings of all-online summer school have spread as officials consider the potential savings in coming years. A wholesale switch from the conventional setup would allow buildings to close for the summer, said Mike Kowalski, the district’s Online Campus administrator, saving the district hundreds of thousands of dollars in busing and energy costs.