The person who posted the link about accreditation is wrong. It varies from state to state. From the link provided up above, the state of Maryland, for instance. Maryland's standards for home schooling environments are stricter than for private schools (although they had no required standards when I home schooled there around 1990)..

"Institutions operated by bona fide church organizations are exempt from the requirement to hold a Certificate of Approval from the Maryland State Board of Education. The head of the bona fide church organization must, however, submit to the State Department of Education acceptable evidence of the bona fide church organization legal authority status and certification of the legal authority?s assumption of responsibility for governing and operating the nonpublic school."

(Legal authority status is doesn't have anything to do with accreditation.)


And let's see... oh, I don't know... Alabama...

"Registration/Licensing/Accreditation: All private schools, except church schools, must register annually on or before October 10 with the Alabama Department of Education and report on the number of students and instructors, enrollment, attendance, course of study, length of term, cost of tuition, funds, value of property, and the general condition of the school. Ala. Code § 16-1-11. The state superintendent of education furnishes the necessary forms for reporting. Ala. Code § 16-4-16.

"Church schools" are defined as schools offering "instruction in grades K-12, or any combination thereof including the kindergarten, elementary, or secondary level and are operated as a ministry of a local church, group of churches, denomination, and/or association of churches on a nonprofit basis which do not receive any state or federal funding." Ala. Code 16-28-1.

Licensing by the Alabama Department of Education is required annually prior to the operation of a private school. Ala. Code § 16-46-5. However, most private elementary and secondary schools would qualify for exemptions, as schools operated by "a parochial, denominational, or religious organization, and/or as a ministry of a local church or group of churches on a nonprofit basis" or schools operated by "a community, educational organization, or group of parents, organized as a nonprofit educational corporation with the expectation of establishing a more favorable environment for those in attendance." Ala. Code § 16-46-3. Exempted private schools may voluntarily request to be licensed without surety. Ala. Code § 16-46-3(d). Licensing is based on specific criteria, such as, the quality and content of curriculum, adequate space, equipment, instructional materials and personnel, recordkeeping, and financial stability. Ala. Code § 16-46-5(i)(1)-(7). Ala. Admin. Code r. 290-030-050.

By definition, a private school, but not a church school, holds a certificate issued by the state superintendent of education showing that the school conforms to the following requirements: (1) instruction is given by persons holding certificates issued by the state superintendent of education; (2) instruction is given in the several branches of study required to be taught in the public schools; (3) the English language is used in giving instruction; 4) a register of attendance is kept indicating every absence of each child from school for a half day or more. Ala. Code § 16-28-1(1)."


Arkansas doesn't address the subject of accreditation at all. And its requirements for home schools are stricter than for private schools.


In some of the states in that link accreditation is not required for religious schools, and in some cases not for other kinds of private schools, either, but they do have curriculum requirements. Many don't mention anything about mandatory testing.

I haven't looked at all of them, but that's a sampling of schools that don't require accreditation (or have any other academically related requirements of private schools and/or religious schools.