Accreditation
How to Verify Texas School Accreditation
Texas uses separate systems for public K-12, private schools, community colleges, and universities. Here's the right database for each type — and the Texas-specific red flags to watch for.
Key takeaway
Texas public K-12 districts are accredited by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Private schools use TEPSAC-approved agencies. Colleges and universities must hold accreditation from a THECB-recognized body — in practice, almost all Texas universities are accredited by SACSCOC. For any institution, start with VerifyED or NCES, then go to the type-specific database.
Texas's accreditation structure
Texas has two parallel accreditation systems: one for K-12 schools (overseen by the Texas Education Agency) and one for higher education (overseen by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board). Private schools and postsecondary institutions each operate under their own frameworks.
Unlike California, which uses WASC across institution types, Texas's K-12 accreditation is state-administered and higher education accreditation is anchored to SACSCOC — the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges — the regional accreditor for the southern United States.
Verification by institution type
Public K-12 schools (districts and charters)
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) accredits Texas public school districts at the district level, not the individual school level. Accreditation status is assigned annually based on academic accountability ratings and financial integrity scores.
Statuses are: Accredited, Accredited-Warned, Accredited-Probation, and Not Accredited-Revoked. A district must be accredited to operate as a public school in Texas.
How to verify:
Search the TEA accreditation status tables at tea.texas.gov/accreditation. Annual status lists are published and searchable. Individual school lookup: use the TEA's Texas School Directory at rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/tapr or the NCES Common Core of Data.
Private K-12 schools
The TEA stopped accrediting private schools in 1986 due to limited resources. Since then, private school accreditation in Texas has been handled through the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC), which approves 19 accrediting agencies including:
- —Cognia (formerly AdvancED / SACS) — covers most secular private schools
- —Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS)
- —Texas Catholic Conference Education Department (TCCED)
- —WASC (Accrediting Commission for Schools)
- —Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)
TEPSAC recognition matters: credits from accredited private schools transfer to Texas public schools; credits from non-accredited private schools may not. Verify by checking the accrediting agency's school directory directly.
Community colleges and universities
All Texas public institutions of higher education must be accredited by one of seven THECB-recognized regional accrediting agencies. In practice, the vast majority of Texas colleges and universities — including UT, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and all community college systems — are accredited by SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges).
How to verify:
- 1. Search the SACSCOC directory at sacscoc.org → "Directory of Institutions"
- 2. Cross-check with THECB's institution list at highered.texas.gov
- 3. For all federally recognized accreditation: DAPIP at ope.ed.gov/dapip
Private postsecondary institutions
Private degree-granting colleges and universities in Texas must hold accreditation from one of the seven THECB-recognized regional accreditors or one of 12 approved programmatic accreditors (including ACCSC, DEAC, COE, ABHES). Institutions that lack this accreditation cannot legally award degrees in Texas.
Search the THECB's private institution recognition list at highered.texas.gov/recognition-of-accrediting-agencies. For for-profit vocational schools, THECB maintains a separate registration database at thecb.state.tx.us.
Texas diploma mill red flags
Texas's large population and number of legitimate institutions make it a target for credential fraud. Texas-specific patterns to watch for:
Name mimics UT, Texas A&M, or Texas State systems
The University of Texas has 9 campuses; Texas A&M has 11. Diploma mills use names like "University of Texas, Gulf Coast" or "Texas A&M International Online" — neither of which exists. Verify campus names against official system directories at utsystem.edu and tamus.edu.
Private school not in any TEPSAC-recognized agency directory
Texas private schools should appear in at least one TEPSAC-approved accreditor's directory. A private school claiming Texas credentials that doesn't appear in any of these directories hasn't been verified.
College claims accreditation not on THECB's approved list
THECB recognizes specific regional and programmatic accreditors. A Texas college claiming accreditation from an agency not on THECB's published list may be operating outside state authorization.
THECB explicitly listed the school as unrecognized
THECB historically maintained a list of institutions it does not recognize — sometimes called "institutions not authorized to confer degrees in Texas." Cross-check suspicious institutions against this resource.
Texas verification checklist
- 1 Identify institution type — public K-12, private K-12, community college, or 4-year university. The correct database depends on this.
- 2 Cross-check VerifyED or NCES first — confirms the school exists in a verified source and is not a known diploma mill. Catches fabricated institutions before you invest time in deeper database searches.
- 3 Public K-12: Check TEA accreditation status at tea.texas.gov/accreditation.
- 4 Private K-12: Identify the school's claimed accrediting agency and search that agency's directory. Confirm the agency is TEPSAC-approved.
- 5 Higher education: Search SACSCOC directory at sacscoc.org for most Texas colleges and universities. Supplement with DAPIP for complete federal accreditation picture.
- 6 Escalate if absent from all databases — request documentation using independently sourced contact information, not from the credential under review.
Quick reference: Texas verification databases
Search any Texas school instantly
VerifyED searches 912,000+ schools from verified government sources and flags known diploma mills — a fast first check before going deeper into TEA or SACSCOC.
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