St. Francis Central Coast Catholic High School is fully accredited by the School Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in conjunction with Western Catholic Educational Association. Accreditation certifies that St. Francis meets WASC's established criteria or standards and is achieving its own stated objective as a college preparatory school. Graduation diplomas are validated by this accreditation.
The primary goal of accreditation is consistent and continuous self-improvement. Besides indicating the quality of education, accreditation is evidence that St. Francis is accomplishing its stated purposes; provides stable support of student learning by its planning, organization, curriculum, assessment; and promotes student learning with clearly defined academic standards.
The University of California has certified and approved all courses offered at St. Francis High School that are required for admission to the University of California system (UC), California State University system (CSU), and other private and public colleges and universities.
St. Francis is accredited by the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA). WCEA accredits Catholic elementary and secondary schools in nine western states (26 (arch) dioceses) and the US Territory of Guam. WCEA co-accredits and is in partnership with three Regional agencies (WASC, NAAS, NCA CASI) and two private agencies (CAIS and HAIS). WCEA began in 1957 in San Francisco and has a long and successful history of assisting school improvement through the accreditation process.