Penn Foster High School

Last updated

Penn Foster High School
Location
315 Deaderick Street, 17th Floor, Suite 1721, UBS Tower

Nashville
,
Tennessee
37238

United States
Coordinates 36°9'56.5"N, 86°46'56.3"W
Information
Type Private High School
Established1890
FounderThomas J. Foster
StatusOpen
CEEB code 394413
CEOKermit Cook
Grades9–12
ColorsBlue and White   
AccreditationRegional: Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools
National: DEAC AdvancED: AdvancED
Website www.pennfoster.edu/high-school

Penn Foster High School is a for-profit online high school in the United States. The school offers online high school diploma program and various career-focused concentration programs. The high school is regionally and nationally accredited and is among the largest high schools by enrollment in the United States. [1]

Contents

History

19th century

The institution was founded in 1890 by Thomas J. Foster, a newspaper editor, as the International Correspondence Schools (ICS). It aimed to provide coal miners with the education they needed to advance in their careers and increase worker safety. [2]

20th century

By the 1920s, public high school education became more universal and benefits such as the G.I. Bill led to a decline in enrollment. [2] ICS operated on a smaller scale from the 1950s to the 1990s. [3]

After several name changes in the 1990s, in 2006 ICS became Penn Foster High School, along with Penn Foster Career School and Penn Foster College.

21st century

In 2007, the Wicks Group, a private equity firm, bought the school from Thomson Corporation. In 2009, Penn Foster was resold to test preparation and educational support company The Princeton Review. In 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. [4] In 2013, Education Holdings 1 filed for bankruptcy; it exited two months later. [5] [6] In 2014 Vistria Group, led by Martin Nesbitt, acquired Penn Foster. [7] [8]

In 2018, Bain Capital acquired Penn Foster from Vistria Group. [9] [10]

Academics

Penn Foster High School is an open enrollment institution. As an online school, students work with the support of certified teachers. Students complete core subjects and elective courses, with some electives aligned to career areas such as healthcare, information technology, and veterinary assistant. [11]

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Penn Foster High School has 11.5 FTE (full-time equivalent teachers) for about 13,000 students. [11]

Student outcomes

According to the company, about 30,000 people graduate each year. [12]

Accreditation

Penn Foster High School is regionally accredited for grades 9-12 by the Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools (MSCSS). [13] and nationally accredited by the DEAC. [14] Penn Foster High School is also accredited by Cognia [15] Penn Foster High School is not licensed by the Pennsylvania Department Of Education. [16] It is registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center. [17]

Social groups and clubs

[18]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ "10 Largest High Schools in the United States". /largest.org. largest.org. June 16, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Watkinson, James D. (1996). ""Education for Success": The International Correspondence Schools of Scranton, Pennsylvania". Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Penn State University: 343–370. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  3. ↑ "International Correspondence Schools of Scranton, Pennsylvania - 1891 to the Present". digitalservices.scranton.edu. University of Scranton. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Princeton Review to sell test prep business name". Associated Press. March 27, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  5. ↑ Penn Foster parent seeks bankruptcy protection
  6. ↑ Ex-Princeton Review Owner Wins OK For Ch. 11 Exit Plan
  7. ↑ "The Vistria Group Acquires Penn Foster Education Group". /mergr.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  8. ↑ "THE VISTRIA GROUP: A NEW APPROACH TO DOING WELL BY DOING GOOD" (PDF). Vistria Group. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Bain Capital to Buy Penn Foster, a Workforce-Skills Provider That Dates Back to Late 1800s"
  10. ↑ "Bain Capital to Buy Penn Foster, a Workforce-Skills Provider That Dates Back to Late 1800s". www.edsurge.com. Ed Surge. May 2, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Private and Non-Public Schools Enrollment Reports". www.education.pa.gov. Pennsylvania Department of Education. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  12. ↑ "PENN FOSTER HIGH SCHOOL". partners.pennfoster.edu. Penn Foster. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  13. ↑ Penn Foster High School Middle States Accreditation
  14. ↑ "Penn Foster High School DEAC Accreditation". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Cognia Registry". home.cognia.org. Retrieved September 22, 2023. "Grades: Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth. Accredited: Yes. Initial Accreditation Date: 2016-11-02" (shown 2023-09-22)
  16. ↑ PA Dept of Education Institution Program Search
  17. ↑ NCAA High School Administration
  18. ↑ "Sign In — Penn Foster Community". community.pennfoster.edu. Retrieved March 22, 2025.

41°26′51″N75°40′06″W / 41.447547°N 75.668351°W / 41.447547; -75.668351

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