CAMARILLO : Gateway School May Get Accreditation

For the first time in its 15-year history, Gateway Community School may be accredited by the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges, the school’s director said Friday.

A team of Gateway teachers and administrators began the application process nearly three years ago, said Phillip B. Gore, director of Gateway. The school was notified this week that it is eligible for accreditation.

A five-member accreditation team will visit the campus at the Camarillo Airport next month to conduct a final, on-site review of its curriculum and operations, Gore said. Formal approval of accreditation could occur about a month after that, he said.

The school serves 450 students who have been expelled from other schools in Ventura County, are on probation or are teen-age mothers, Gore said. It has operated since 1980, but has not sought accreditation until now, he said.

Accreditation will aid students who seek enlistment in military service after graduation, because recruiters give priority to students who have graduated from accredited high schools, Gore said.

It may also help students who wish to transfer back to a mainstream high school. The accrediting association is an independent body that reviews curriculum and programs at schools and colleges throughout California and Hawaii, Gore said.

Its stamp of approval also gives students a psychological edge, he said.

“It’s a way of not only saying this is a good school but the students who attend this school are good, too,” Gore said.