Accreditation

accreditation

The accreditation process does not align with Thales Academy's mission and would prevent Thales Academy from maintaining our standard of the highest quality education. Too often, accreditation burdens staff and teachers with bureaucratic requirements, forces harmful changes to core policies and curricula, and does not correlate positively with student performance (this is evidenced by low graduation rates in accredited schools).

At Thales Academy, we prefer to concentrate our full efforts on student achievement, academic excellence, and character and skills development.

Parents are often concerned that secondary school accreditation affects college placement. It is important to note that college and university admissions are based on student achievement, SAT/ACT test scores, and high school transcripts, not accreditation. Colleges make independent evaluations on the rigor and quality of each high school's grading system and programs, regardless of accreditation status.

Thales Academy students have gained acceptance to the following colleges and universities:

  • Abilene Christian University
  • Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
  • Alfred University
  • Alleghany College
  • American University
  • Appalachian State University
  • Arcadia University
  • Arizona State University
  • Auburn University
  • Augusta University
  • Ave Maria University
  • Averett University
  • Barton College
  • Baylor University
  • Belmont Abbey College
  • Belmont University
  • Benedictine College
  • Berry College
  • Bluefield College
  • Boston College
  • Boston University
  • Brevard College
  • Bridgewater College
  • Butler University
  • CUNY Baruch College
  • California Polytechnic State University
  • Campbell University
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Catawba College
  • Catholic University of America
  • Cedarville University
  • Champlain College
  • Christendom College
  • Christopher Newport University
  • Clemson University
  • Clinton College
  • Coastal Carolina University
  • Coe College
  • College of Charleston
  • Colorado School of Mines
  • Colorado State University
  • Community College of Vermont
  • Concord University
  • Converse University
  • Cornell University
  • Davidson College
  • DePaul University
  • Drake University
  • Drexel University
  • Duke University
  • Duquesne University
  • Earlham College
  • East Carolina University
  • East Tennessee State University
  • Elon University
  • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
  • Emory University
  • Faulkner University
  • Fayetteville Technical Community College
  • Flagler College
  • Florida Atlantic University
  • Florida Gulf Coast University
  • Florida Institute of Technology
  • Florida Southern College
  • Florida State University
  • Fordham University
  • Franciscan University of Steubenville
  • Furman University
  • Gardner-Webb University
  • George Mason University
  • George Washington University
  • Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)
  • Georgia State University
  • Gonzaga University
  • Greensboro College
  • Grove City College
  • Guilford College
  • Gwynn and Mercy University
  • Hampden-Sydney College
  • High Point University
  • Hillsdale College
  • Hollins University
  • Illinois Institute of Technology
  • Indiana University Bloomington
  • Jacksonville University
  • James Madison University
  • John Paul the Great Catholic University
  • Johnson and Wales University
  • Keene State College
  • Kenyon College
  • King's College
  • LIM College - New York
  • Le Moyne College
  • Lees-McRae College
  • Lenoir-Rhyne University
  • Lewis & Clark College
  • Liberty University
  • Lincoln Memorial University
  • Lipscomb University
  • Long Island University
  • Longwood University
  • Louisiana State University
  • Loyola University - Chicago
  • Loyola University - Maryland
  • Marquette University
  • Marshall University
  • Mary Baldwin University
  • Marymount Manhattan College
  • Marymount University
  • Mercer University
  • Meredith College
  • Methodist University
  • Michigan State University
  • Michigan Technological University
  • Milwaukee School of Engineering
  • Mississippi State University
  • Montana State University
  • Montreat College
  • Mount St. Mary's University
  • Muhlenberg College
  • New College of Florida
  • Niagara University
  • North Carolina A&T University
  • North Carolina Central University
  • North Carolina State University
  • Northeastern University
  • Norwich Military Academy
  • Nova Southeastern University
  • Oberlin College
  • Oglethrope University
  • Ohio University
  • Old Dominion University
  • Pace University
  • Penn State - Altoona
  • Penn State - Behrend
  • Penn State - Hazleton
  • Penn State - University Park
  • Pfeiffer University
  • Princeton University
  • Purdue University
  • Queens University of Charlotte
  • Radford University
  • Randolph College
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  • Ringling College of Art and Design
  • Roanoke College
  • Rochester Institute of Technology
  • Rocky Mountain College
  • Rowan University
  • SKEMA International Business School
  • Salem College
  • San Diego State University
  • Santa Clara University
  • Savannah College of Art and Design
  • Seton Hall University
  • Shaw University
  • Shenandoah University
  • Smith College
  • Southern Methodist University
  • Southern Virginia University
  • Spelman College
  • St. Andrew's College
  • St. Andrews University
  • St. Francis University
  • St. John's University
  • St. Louis University
  • St. Mary's College
  • Stevens Institute of Technology
  • Stevenson University
  • Sweet Briar College
  • Syracuse University
  • Temple University
  • Tennessee Technological University
  • Texas A&M University - College Station
  • Texas A&M University - Galveston
  • Thales College
  • The Citadel
  • The King's College
  • The Ohio State University
  • Tulane University
  • United States Military Academy at West Point
  • University of Alabama - Huntsville
  • University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa
  • University of Alaska Anchorage
  • University of Arizona
  • University of California - Los Angeles
  • University of Central Florida
  • University of Cincinatti
  • University of Colorado - Boulder
  • University of Dallas
  • University of Denver
  • University of Florida
  • University of Georgia
  • University of Groningen (Netherlands)
  • University of Illinois
  • University of Kansas
  • University of Kentucky
  • University of Lynchburg
  • University of Maine
  • University of Michigan, Flint
  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
  • University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)
  • University of Montana
  • University of Mount Olive
  • University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • University of New Haven
  • University of North Carolina at Asheville
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  • University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  • University of North Carolina at Pembroke
  • University of North Carolina at Wilmington
  • University of North Texas
  • University of Oregon
  • University of Pittsburgh
  • University of Puget Sound
  • University of San Diego
  • University of San Francisco
  • University of South Carolina
  • University of South Florida
  • University of St Andrews, Scotland
  • University of Tampa
  • University of Tennessee, Knoxville
  • University of Texas at Arlington
  • University of Texas at Dallas
  • University of Vermont
  • University of Virginia
  • University of Wyoming
  • Utah Valley University
  • Valdosta State University
  • Valparaiso University
  • Vassar College
  • Villanova University
  • Virginia Commonwealth University
  • Virginia Tech
  • Virginia Wesleyan University
  • Wake Forest University
  • Wake Technical Community College (Wake Tech)
  • Warren Wilson College
  • Washington & Lee University
  • Webber International University
  • Webster University at Vienna, Austria
  • Wellesley College
  • West Virginia University
  • Western Carolina University
  • Western Kentucky University
  • Western University (Canada)
  • Wheaton College
  • Whitman College
  • Wilkes Honors College
  • William & Mary
  • William Peace University
  • Wingate University
  • Winthrop University
  • Worcester Polytechnic Institute
  • Xavier University

Thales Academy offers excellent academic preparation and our test scores prove repeatedly that Thales Academy students are far ahead of their peers nationally in all subjects and on the PSAT. Colleges across the US make no requirements that their applicants must graduate from accredited schools, but they do look for students, like those found at Thales Academy, who excel academically and are well formed to succeed in college and beyond.

For those with further concerns about accreditation, consider the following:

  • From the North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education: North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education: "Most colleges accept students from a non-accredited high school (public or private) as long as: (a) The school is in compliance with the school laws of the state in which it is located; (b) The prospective college student achieves a certain minimum score on either the ACT (American College Test) or the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)." Thales Academy is in full compliance with North Carolina school laws, which can be viewed here .
  • Headmaster Brad Watkins of our sister school, St. Thomas More Academy: "We send all of our graduates to four-year colleges. There isn't…a place on any part of the college application that asks if the student attended an accredited school." St. Thomas More Academy maintains a consistent record of impressive college acceptances and scholarship awards each year.
  • Homeschooling: Currently, there are over 100,000 homeschool students in NC and nearly 2,000,000 across the US. These students are not associated with any accredited institution, yet they still successfully apply and gain admission to colleges and universities each year.
  • Recent events concerning Wake County Public Schools show that accreditation companies can go beyond their primary purpose of evaluation and attempt to change major policies and curricula, which is completely counter to Thales Academy's insistence on independence.

Thales Academy is dedicated to providing the best possible opportunities to every student.