Culinary arts schools are ubiquitous throughout the United States. No matter where you are in the country, there will be at least a few near you. While the vast majority of these are above board, there are always a few that don’t pass muster. Below you’ll find some suggestions to assist you in your search.

See what culinary arts schools have to offer.

Each of the culinary schools in America is required by law to post figures regarding their accreditation status, graduation rate, employment rate and median student debt in an easily understood manner. Thisis probably the fastest method by which you can tell if a school is for you. You should be able to easily locate this information on their website. These are typically called Student Disclosures. If you don’t see this, give them a call. Pick up the phone and call the school in cases where you can’t locate this section. In the unlikely event that a phone call yields no results, it’s time to check out the next school on your list.

Another way of making sure you find a high caliber school is to check whether they have more than one campus location. The sheer overhead costs associated with these schools and their similar curriculums almost guarantee this.

If you’ve narrowed down the list to just one or two culinary schools, the best way to pick one is to visit the campus yourself. Schools that won’t let you do this are hard to find. If they say they don’t allow this, they’re probably not the school for you. They’ll usually offer you a tour of the facility as well as allow you to observe a class or two in session. If you feel at home on your tour, you know you’ve found your cooking school.