Western Catholic Educational Association

The Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA) is a private educational accreditation agency for elementary and secondary Catholic schools in Western United States.

History
It was founded in 1957 in San Francisco.

For the 2022–23 academic year, it accredited 740 elementary schools, 148 secondary schools, and 14 pK-12 schools in its member jurisdictions.

The WCEA offers co-accreditation with other organizations in its regions, including the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Cognia, California Association of Independent Schools, and the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools.

Membership
As of 2022, the WCEA had thirty members, all Latin Church dioceses and archdiocesesocated in the Western United States and Guam:


 * Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agana
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Great Falls–Billings
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas
 * Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
 * Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Reno
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
 * Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose
 * Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa
 * Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Yakima

The WCEA is presided over by a bishop or archbishop of a California see—the WCEA was created under the auspices of the California bishops, who maintain certain powers, including the appointment of the president. Day-to-day operations are headed by a lay executive director. Coordination for the accreditation process within each diocese is headed by a commissioner appointed by the diocese.