Though K-12 virtual education has been around for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly increased the number of K-12 schools offering virtual education to their students. This comparative case study's purpose was to explore secondary virtual schools within a public school environment. The focus of the study was to examine how two secondary schools build community with their students. Garrison et al.'s (2000) Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework was selected as the theoretical lens through which to view the study. Research was conducted in two Central Southwest secondary public schools that had virtual academies. Data were collected from a variety of sources, including interviews, observations, site documents, and site artifacts. Successful community building strategies were discussed as well as the challenges and barriers in building community with students. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: "one-sided communication," "virtual teachers as progress monitors," "focus on at-risk students," "lack of student engagement," and "a work in progress." Findings indicated that elements of community building were apparent in both schools' virtual programs, but overall, community building was not achieved at high-levels because all three of the CoI constructs, especially teaching presence and social presences, were not present in either program. [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.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]