The philosophy of the Accrediting Commission for Schools centers upon three beliefs: (1) a school’s goal is successful student learning; (2) each school has a clear purpose and schoolwide student goals; and (3) a school engages in external and internal evaluations as part of continued school improvement to support student learning.

Accreditation is integral to a school’s perpetual cycle of assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, and reassessment based upon student achievement. It fosters excellence in elementary, secondary, adult, and postsecondary education by encouraging school improvement through a process of continuing evaluation and to recognize, by accreditation, schools that meet an acceptable level of quality in accordance with established criteria.

• Assures a school community that the school’s purposes are appropriate and being accomplished through a viable education program — a trustworthy institution for student learning
• Validates the integrity of the school’s program and transcripts
• Facilitates transfer of credits to other English-speaking schools — critical for college/university acceptance worldwide
• Fosters the ongoing improvement of the school’s programs and operations to support student learning
• Provides valuable insight from fellow educators visiting the school
• Benefits schools that choose joint accreditation or other collaborative processes, e.g., ACS WASC/CDE