Private School Loses Prized Accreditation

Stoneridge Preparatory School, a small private school in Tarzana once attended by actors Drew Barrymore and Corey Feldman, has had its accreditation revoked by the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges.

The association’s seal of approval is prized by private and public schools, and losing it can hamper students’ efforts to attend certain colleges and receive financial aid.

The association revoked Stoneridge’s accreditation this month because the 56-student school had not followed earlier recommendations to address problems, said George Bronson, associate executive director of a commission from the accrediting group.

“They still didn’t have it to our satisfaction, so we said, ‘That’s it,’ ” he said. He would not specify the reasons for the commission’s decision.

Stoneridge’s owner and director, Maria Arnold, said problems found during an inspection in January were “mainly administrative.” She said she has asked the association to dispatch another group of inspectors later this month.

“We have a sound academic program,” Arnold said. She said she believes the group inconsistently evaluates schools.

“One group comes and says something. The next group comes and interprets entirely differently,” she said. “They do not understand small schools, especially for-profit schools.”

In addition to evaluating colleges and universities, the association sends representatives to about 400 public and private schools each year in California, Hawaii and American territories in the Pacific. On average, 1% of schools that go through the process do not receive accreditation.

A school without the group’s endorsement is not necessarily one to be avoided, Bronson said, but lacking accreditation can prevent students’ academic credits from transferring to other schools and colleges. Students can also be denied financial aid offered by the state.

“It just makes life much more difficult for these students,” Bronson said.

Since its founding in 1956, Stoneridge has leased several locations in the San Fernando Valley. The school, which enrolls boys and girls in grades seven through 12, currently rents space at the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East on Lindley Avenue.

As students left Stoneridge on Thursday afternoon, one boy and his mother said they were not aware that the school had lost its accreditation.

“It’s disappointing because that’s kind of a perk to coming here,” said the 16-year-old student. He did not want to give his name, but said he has been satisfied with Stoneridge since enrolling last fall.

His mother was not similarly pleased.

“I haven’t paid their tuition,” she said. “I’m not going to pay it. . . . They don’t have any facilities.”

Annual tuition at Stoneridge ranges from $5,250 in junior high to $8,000 for high school, Arnold said.