In 2018, the high-school graduation rate in Newburgh, New York, climbed to 78 percent, up from 66 percent just five years earlier. Central to this success was Newburgh's use of online credit-recovery classes. For decades, high-school students who failed a required class were presented with two unappealing options: either repeat the course next year or during summer school. But in recent years, online credit recovery has emerged as a third way. Students who fail a course can enroll in a computer-based version of the class without waiting, quickly progress through required material, earn the missing credits, and, in some cases, improve their grade-point average. This article looks at what actually happens during online credit-recovery courses. A look at recent headlines reveals reasons for concern. The flexibility of online credit-recovery programs can help educators meet students' diverse needs, but it may also hamper efforts to ensure that coursework is rigorous. That may undermine students' longer-term success.