DASHER – Georgia Christian School has earned joint accreditation, meeting educational and Christian standards.

Georgia Christian President Dr. Brad Lawson said Georgia Christian School earned joint accreditation from the National Christian School Association and AdvancED (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the North Central and Northwest regional accrediting bodies). 

The team visited the school in April and the NCSA recommended accreditation status in August, according to a press release. 

The recommendation was approved at the AdvancED Accreditation Commission meeting held at the end of October.

“We currently hold accreditation status through the Georgia Accrediting Commission, but we decided two years ago to pursue NCSA/AdvancEd accreditation,” Lawson said. “A real advantage of this joint accreditation status is that we can ensure we are not only meeting the quality standards of AdvancEd, but also including godly principles throughout to make us a top-notch Christian school.”

NCSA accreditation is a voluntary process designed to assure that a school is providing a quality Christian education, according to the press release. 

The NCSA accreditation assists member schools in pursuing excellence and aids them in a continuous process of assessment, planning for improvement, and progress. The process involves the entire school community in conducting and documenting an intensive self-appraisal of each component of its ministry.

NCSA accreditation requires a school to evaluate how well it is carrying out its mission, to assess its strengths and weaknesses, to document its compliance with accreditation standards, and to develop plans for improvement during a period of one or more years, according to the press release. 

Schools are expected to probe the Christian character of each component of its organization and to document the educational quality and integrity of the school. 

Before a recommendation for accreditation is given, NCSA conducts a peer review by a team of colleagues from other Christian schools and may also include Christians in public education.

Lawson said everyone is more focused on the mission and the students will have a better Christian educational experience. 

“We know this is a big deal and are happy to have this feather in our cap,” he said. “It’s just another part of our strategic plan that will continue to move Georgia Christian School forward in its next century of education.”