Accreditation

General Information

The Florida Department of Education does not accredit, regulate, approve, or license K-12 private schools. Additionally, the Florida Department of Education does not officially recognize any of the various agencies that accredit private schools.

Section 1002.42, Florida Statutes, requires K-12 private schools to register with the department by completing an annual survey each year and explicitly provides that submitting annual survey data and being listed in the directory of private schools should not be used by any private school to imply approval or accreditation by the state.

There are many organizations with widely variant quality standards and program requirements that accredit private schools. Requests for information about the accreditation of a specific school should be directed to the school staff or its designated accrediting agency. The acceptance of diplomas from private schools will be subject to the requirements of the receiving educational institution or employer.

Accrediting Agencies

While, as stated, the Florida Department of Education does not officially recognize any of the various accrediting agencies that accredit private schools, several accrediting organizations have been listed in the Florida Statutes in conjunction with the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Program and a number of accrediting associations are recognized by the Florida High School Athletic Association for purposes of membership.

Section 1002.55,(3)(b)1., Florida Statutes, lists the associations of accrediting organizations a private school participating in the VPK Program may choose an accrediting agency from. More information on accrediting agencies approved by FHSAA is available on the FHSAA website at: https://fhsaa.com/.