Penn Foster

Penn Foster High School is a U.S. for-profit high school. The school was founded in 1890, and is now one of the largest high schools in the United States with over 50,000 students currently enrolled across all 50 states. The school is regionally and nationally accredited. It is headquartered in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It offers a complete high school diploma program that students can complete. The school also offers several high school concentration programs including an early college program for students looking to get a head start on their college education, as well as vocational concentrations in carpentry, plumbing, electrical, health care, or information technology. History[edit] In 1890, a newspaper editor named Thomas J. Foster founded what would become Penn Foster High School, Penn Foster Career School, and Penn Foster College to provide coal miners with the education they needed to advance in their careers and increase worker safety. At the turn of the century, the school was officially known as the International Correspondence Schools (ICS), and one out of every 27 adults in the US had taken an ICS course. In December 2009, Penn Foster was purchased by test preparation and educational support company The Princeton Review from its previous owner, the Wicks Group, a private equity firm that had bought the high school from Thomson Corporation in 2007. On May 18, 2012, the Princeton Review brand name and operations were bought for $33 million by Charlesbank Capital Partners, a private-equity firm. The parent company was renamed Education Holdings 1, Inc.[1] Academics[edit] Penn Foster High School allows students to earn their high school diploma, regardless of their education background. All students take a core curriculum of classes, as well as five elective courses. Students may use these elective courses to focus on specific industries, such as Health Care, Information Technology, and Building Technology, or may take approved college level courses.[2] Penn Foster High School has an open enrollment policy, students can start at any time. Students and graduates can access Penn Foster Career Services, which helps students find a job through resume and cover letter preparation, job search assistance, and interview tips. Accreditation[edit] Penn Foster High School is regionally accredited for grades 9-12 by the Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.[3] and nationally accredited by the DEAC.[4] Penn Foster High School is also accredited by AdvancED [5] Licensing[edit] Penn Foster High School is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department Of Education.[6]