Schools for Troubled Teens in California

In California, there are few residential facilities for troubled teens such as alternative and therapeutic boarding schools. They are licensed and regulated by the State of California Health and Human Services Agency under very strict standards, which makes it difficult for such entities to exist. These social rehabilitation facilities are subject to both general licensing requirements and function-specific standards. These regulations drive up costs so much that most organizations cannot afford to operate.

• Accreditation is optional
  • The Accrediting Commission of Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is one of six regional accrediting agencies in the United States. WASC conducts a comprehensive accreditation of public and private schools and maintains a directory of accredited California schools.
• Registration is mandatory.
  • Private schools are required to file an affidavit annually with the superintendent of public instruction between the first and fifteenth day of October. Cal. Educ. Code §33190. See Recordkeeping and Reports.
• Licensing has no requirements.
• Approval is optional.
  • California does not approve private schools. However, nonpublic, nonsectarian special education schools enroll both privately enrolled and public school-placed students and therefore, are considered a type of private school. These schools are certified by the California Department of Education to provide special education services. See Special Education. Cal. Educ. Code §56836.2.

Reference: https://ed.gov

See also: https://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/non-public-education/regulation-map/california.html