Can you be a police officer with a penn foster high school?

Answer 1

YES

Penn Foster High School is both regionally & nationally accredited as well as licensed by the State of Pennsylvania

http://www.pennfoster.edu/diploma/certification.html

Here is a list of some colleges, trade schools and universities that have accepted our high school diploma:

http://www.pennfoster.edu/diploma/CareerOutlook.html

Answer 2

Answer 1: Absolutely! Er... well... wait: let me clarify that.

If one only needs a high-school diploma to be a police officer in whatever juristdiction you're talking about, then, yes, Penn Foster's high school diploma is every bit as good as the one issued by the local high school near your home.

That's because Penn Foster (and its main competitor, Ashworth College) both realized that when it comes to high-school diplomas, the "national" accreditor that accredits its college programs isn't good enough. When it comes to high school displomas, only a "regional" accreditor will do.

All public (and most private) elementary, middle and high schools in the US are "regionally" accredited. At the high school level, "regional" accreditation is the "gold standard" of accreditation. As long as any high school diploma, no matter where it's from, is "regionally" accredited (or, rather, technicall, as long as the high school, not the diploma, is "regionally" accredited), then it's good for every possible use for which a high school diploma may be used.

And so, then, a Penn Foster High School diploma is just as good as the one issued by any other public high school -- be it of the in-classroom type, or the online type -- in the United States.

Therefore, if the police job requires a high school diploma, the one from Penn Foster is as good as it gets.

Most police departments, though, require more: usually at least an associates degree. And for that, Penn Foster may not be good enough. Yes, its associates degrees are accredited by a USDE- and CHEA-approved agency. However, they're "nationally" (as opposed to "regionally") accredited; and some police departments may not accept that.

Therefore, to play it safe, you should probably get your college degrees from "regionally" accredited schools. It matters not if the school is online or in-classroom. All that matters is that it's "regionally" accredited.

That said, the best way to find out for sure is to ask the police department in question. If it will accept a "nationally" accredited college degree, then you could get your associates from Penn Foster, too.