“Can I use it to go to college?” At Northgate Academy, we get that question a lot from potential students, and our answer is YES! A big fear when you start looking at your options for online high school is that you’ll invest your time and energy learning and completing your required work, but you’ll find out when you apply for a job or admittance into college or the military that what you were working on was a big nothing.
Nobody wants to invest their time, money, and energy into something they can’t use, so you definitely should investigate any program that you want to use to graduate with a legitimate high school diploma. You want to be sure that the institution you’re enrolling in is not a diploma mill. According to the U.S. Department of Education, “Diploma mills are schools that are more interested in taking your money than providing you with a quality education. You need to know how to protect yourself as a consumer.”
Here are a few questions that you can ask to make sure you can use your online high school diploma for whatever you’re looking forward to in your future and how Northgate Academy fits the bill in each of these areas.
Do you have to do actual class work?
If you’ve found the easiest program ever because they tell you that all you have to do is pay them money and they’ll send you a high school diploma, you definitely want to think twice about making even a single payment. That diploma isn’t going to mean more than the paper it’s printed on. Another clue that you’re being roped into a scam is when the school tells you that all you have to do is pass a single test, and you’ll have a high school diploma, or that you can transfer all of your previous credits without taking a single class with them in order to graduate.
Legitimate schools actually want you to learn and make progress in your academics. Although you can transfer up to 75% of your credits from another legitimate, accredited school, at NGA, you have to earn a total of 21.5 credits minimum in order to graduate. These credits include all of the standard core classes like English, math, science, and social studies as well as required and individually selected elective credits. We openly publicize our graduation requirements to our students so that they can rest assured they will learn the foundational skills necessary to pursue their dreams.
Is the school invested in your learning?
Another things to take note of is if the school is going to support your in your academic progress. Some schools will sign you up for classes and then that’s the last time you’ll ever be able to speak to a human being. At Northgate Academy, each full-time student is assigned an Academic Success Coach who they can reach out to with questions or concerns. You can also call us during our normal business hours and always reach an actual human being.
All full-time NGA students also have access to online one-on-one tutoring through Train The Brain. We are invested in your academic success, so no matter where you are, as long as you have an internet connection, you can make an appointment with a highly qualified tutor who will work with you on whatever it is you’re struggling with in class.
What is the school’s accreditation?
Diploma mills will use fake accrediting agencies in order to look like legitimate schools. It’s important to know that if a school is actually accredited by a real agency, you’ll be able to look up information about both the agency and the school. Accreditation is a process through which schools demonstrate their legitimacy and dedication to their students’ academic progress and growth.
Northgate Academy is accredited by Cognia, the world’s largest education community. Cognia works with both public and private schools; in fact, they’ve served over 34,000 schools in both the United States and 70 other countries globally. As a part of that Cognia’s accreditation, we are also accredited by the North Central Association CASI, the Southern Association CASI, and the Northwest Accrediting Commission. You can even find Northgate Academy’s accreditation through Cognia by using their Accreditation Registry online.
We’re also accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA-CESS). No matter where you go, you’ll find that Northgate Academy’s accreditation is top of the line, ensuring that you’ll be able to use your diploma after graduation.
You’ll also want to check to make sure that the school you’re investigating is recognized by their home state. Northgate Academy is recognized by our home state of Minnesota, and you can find the schools profile on the Minnesota Department of Education website. The state of Minnesota recognizes Northgate as a legitimate nonpublic school, so you can feel secure when you enroll with us.
Northgate Academy
If you’re not already a student at Northgate Academy but are interested in learning more about our online high school, you can check out our faith-based programs online. Still have questions? Feel free to send us a text at 763-412-4701 or call us at 800-339-7132. Our academic support team will be happy to answer your questions or help guide you to the best program for you or your child.
