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private school satellite program serving Catholic and
Catholic-friendly home-educating families since 1994
A Note on Accreditation
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"Doesn't my student need an accredited transcript?!"
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No! Based on my research and first-hand experience, I have never seen an overwhelming need for an accredited transcript.
While many colleges and the NCAA used to require the use of accredited curriculum by home educated high school students for admission, that requirement no longer stands. In fact, many colleges now staff a homeschool admissions counselor to work closely with students and parents, and the NCAA also now has an entire division dedicated to home educated students.​​​
The first question to ask is, "what is accreditation?"
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​High school accreditation is a voluntary process in which institutions are evaluated by an
independent agency to determine whether they meet established standards for quality education.
Most of us have heard of the usual regional accrediting agencies (NEASC, WASC, etc.), but there are hundreds of others, each using their own set of standards and guidelines for accreditation. For independent and religious-based home educators, why would we believe it necessary to employ a curriculum that has been accredited by the same agencies accrediting public schools? We choose to home educate for many reasons but one, I'm sure, is that we do not subscribe to the standard of education offered by public schools. Why then, why would we believe that we must use a school or curriculum which meets those much lower standards?​​
In my twelve years as director of this 31-year-old private school satellite program, not a single one of our families' students has ever not been accepted at a college or institution due to not having an accredited transcript. This includes colleges in the UC and California State system; public and private colleges across the country; international colleges; all branches of the military; and seminaries and convents.
More important than accreditation is the course of study you plan in preparing your student for life during and after high school. This, above all, will best provide the foundation your student will need to move onto higher education, the workforce, and to live their lives to the fullest as God-centered human beings and productive members of society.
I absolutely advise parents to always research the higher education institution of their child's choice to know well ahead of time what their particular requirements are of your home educated student. They will likely advise you as to what type of coursework they would like to see on your student's transcript, especially in the areas of the arts and sciences.
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We have several Catholic homeschool programs that boast accreditation.
I invite you to take a close look at their processes and standards and ask yourself,
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"Is this simply another traditional school imposing traditional standards,
or is this truly home education,
allowing me the freedom to beautifully tailor to each one
of my child's unique talents and ambitions?"
Here are some other, well-respected voices in the homeschool industry (the first two of which are our extremely well-respected Catholic providers), who also agree that an accredited transcript is not necessary in today's world:
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