Start with three questions for the school
The simplest first step is to ask the school directly. Admissions offices hear this question often, and a well-run accredited school will answer it without hesitation. Ask these three things:
- Which agency accredits the school? You want the full name of the accrediting organization, not just the word "accredited."
- When does the current accreditation term run through? Accreditation is granted for a set period and renewed, so the status should be current.
- Can I see the certificate or letter? Every accredited school can produce a current certificate or confirmation from its accreditor.
If the answers are vague, or the school names an organization you can't find anywhere, that's worth a closer look before you enroll. It doesn't always mean something is wrong, but a school that's proud of its accreditation is usually happy to show it.
Search the NCPSA directory of accredited schools
NCPSA keeps a directory of accredited schools that lists schools accredited by NCPSA-recognized agencies. You can search it by school name, city, or state to see which recognized agency accredits a school.
The directory is built from the school lists that NCPSA's member associations report, and it's updated as those lists come in. If a school you're considering doesn't appear, don't assume the worst. The school may be newly accredited, may be listed under a slightly different name, or may be accredited by an agency that isn't an NCPSA member. The next steps below will help you sort out which one it is.
Confirm with the accrediting agency
Once you know the name of the accreditor, go to that organization's own website. Most accrediting agencies publish a list or searchable directory of the schools they accredit, and many list each school's status, such as accredited, candidate, or on probation. If you can't find the school listed, you can call or email the agency and ask them to confirm.
Checking with the accreditor directly is the most reliable way to confirm a school's current status, because the agency is the organization that grants and renews it. It's also a good way to learn what that agency's standards actually cover, since most publish their standards or a summary of them.
When you contact an agency, have the school's full legal name, city, and state ready, since some schools operate under a different name than the one they use in marketing. It's also fine to ask the agency what its accreditation terms mean. Some agencies use several levels, such as candidate, provisional, and full accreditation, and knowing where a school falls helps you understand how far along it is.
Check that the accreditor itself is recognized
This is the step many families skip, and it's the one that matters most. Anyone can create an organization and call it an accrediting agency. What gives accreditation its value is that the accreditor has real standards, applies them consistently, and is itself held accountable by someone outside its own walls.
That's the role NCPSA plays. NCPSA doesn't accredit individual schools. It accredits the accrediting agencies, reviewing their standards, processes, and integrity through peer review, requiring annual reporting, and re-evaluating each member every five years. If a school's accreditor appears on NCPSA's list of member organizations, you know that accreditor has been through that review. Our guide to what NCPSA recognition means goes into more detail.
State education agencies and other public bodies that need an official confirmation of an accreditor's standing can use the accreditor verification request on our Governmental Engagement page.
Words that sound like accreditation but aren't
Some terms show up in school marketing that sound similar to accreditation but mean something different. None of them are bad on their own, but they aren't the same as being accredited by a recognized agency:
- "State approved" or "licensed": usually means the school meets the state's legal requirements to operate, not that it has gone through an independent quality review.
- "Member of" an association: many associations offer membership without accreditation, so membership alone doesn't confirm the school has been evaluated.
- "In the process of accreditation" or "candidate": means the school has started the process but hasn't completed it yet. That's a legitimate stage, and it's fair to ask where the school is in the timeline.
- Curriculum or program certifications: a school may use a certified curriculum or hold a program-specific credential, which is different from school-wide accreditation.
Why the accreditor's name matters
Two schools can both say they're accredited and mean very different things. One might have completed a year-long self-study, hosted a team of trained peer reviewers, and committed to improvement goals that its accreditor checks every year. Another might have filled out a short form and paid a fee. From the outside, both schools can put the word "accredited" on their website.
That's why the name of the accreditor is the most useful piece of information you can get. Once you have it, you can look at what that agency expects of its schools, how often it reviews them, and whether the agency itself answers to anyone. Agencies recognized by NCPSA have published standards, conduct peer review as part of a defined and transparent accreditation cycle, report to NCPSA every year, and are re-evaluated every five years.
It's also helpful to know the accreditor's name if you plan to use a state scholarship or education savings account. Some programs accept only certain accrediting agencies, and families who check early avoid surprises at enrollment. If you're a school leader reading this and your school isn't yet accredited, our guide on how a private school gets accredited walks through the typical path.
If a school isn't accredited
Plenty of good schools aren't accredited, especially new schools that haven't been open long enough to complete a review. If a school you like isn't accredited, ask whether it plans to pursue accreditation, which agency it's working with, and where it is in that process.
It's also worth thinking about what matters for your family. If your child may transfer schools, is approaching high school, or you plan to use a state scholarship or education savings account, accreditation can make a practical difference, because many receiving schools, colleges, and programs look for it. Our guides on what accreditation is and why it matters and accreditation and school choice programs cover those questions. For online programs, see online school accreditation, and for preschools and child care, see early childhood program accreditation.