| Penn Foster Career School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 925 Oak Street Scranton, Pennsylvania, 18515 United States |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Private vocational school, Distance education |
| Established | 1890 |
| Status | Open |
| Principal | Jerry Skettino |
| Staff | 538 |
| Enrollment | Approx. 140,000 |
| Accreditation(s) | Distance Education and Training Council |
| Website | Official Site |
Penn Foster Career School is a U.S. for-profit distance education vocational school. The school was founded in 1890, and was known as International Correspondence Schools, or ICS. The school is located in and operates from Scranton, Pennsylvania.
In December 2009, Penn Foster Career School was purchased by test preparation and educational support company The Princeton Review from its previous owner, The Wicks Group, a private equity firm[1][2] that had bought the career school from Thomson Corporation in 2007.[3]
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The school was created in 1890 by newspaperman Thomas J. Foster. The school originally provided correspondence courses for coal miners, but later expanded into many other vocational subject areas. Originally, the school was known as "International Correspondence Schools" which was later shortened to "ICS." Later, it was briefly named "Education Direct," and then renamed "Penn Foster Career School."
The school reports that by 1945, five million students had enrolled in the school's courses and that the number now stands at 13 million.
Penn Foster Career School is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC).[4]. Penn Foster Career School is licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools[5]
Penn Foster offers a curriculum outline, tuition schedule, and information for parents and students. Parents can enroll their child for Penn Foster by filling in a form online, calling a toll-free number, or mailing a form. Parents are responsible for the cost of the courses. After the school receives payment, the student will be issued a student I.D. number. The student I.D. number is for accessing study materials online and for accessing exams online. Students receive study guides and textbooks through the mail.[6]