Accreditation Process

ISACS Accreditation Process

As a member of the International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation, ISACS joins with peer associations in adopting best practices for accreditation, thereby modeling continuous improvement for independent schools.

The ISACS accreditation process follows a seven-year cycle and is based on three main principles:

  • Compliance with the ISACS Standards for Membership;
  • Full disclosure of a school’s mission, program, procedures, and services; congruence between the school’s stated mission and its actual program and services; and
  • Engagement in the ongoing school improvement, including strategic planning, self-study reflection and an external review of strengths, challenges, and plans and priorities in all areas of the school.

Jump to:

Accreditation Process
The Guide
Standards for Membership
Self-Study Support
ISACS Data Collection in DASL
School Community Survey
Forms & Resources
Accreditation Review Committee

Accreditation provides a rigorous, transparent, collaborative process to reflect on mission, goals, and achievements and set new goals. It demonstrates to all constituents that as an educational institution we take learning and growth seriously and it is not a task merely relegated to students. 

—ISACS Head of School

Accreditation Cycle

ISACS accreditation follows a seven-year cycle designed to support each school in fulfilling its mission. Once during each cycle, the school conducts a comprehensive self-study process involving all school employees and key stakeholders. The following year, the school hosts an accreditation team. The accreditation team confirms the school’s adherence to the ISACS Standards for Membership and uses the self-study report, together with on-the-ground observations and previous experience, to commend the school for its strengths and make recommendations for school improvement. Throughout the remainder of the cycle, the school implements its plans for school improvement and reports to ISACS regularly about its status.

Year 1: Preparation
  • Select the Steering Committee Chair(s) and inform ISACS.
  • Review, revise, and affirm mission statement.
  • Update strategic planning and review the school’s bylaws.
  • Update curriculum documentation.
  • Conduct a school community survey, preferably using ISACS survey instrument.
  • Collect information about alumni.
  • Schedule kick-off meetings to launch the self-study process.
Year 2: Self-Study Process

Create the comprehensive self-study report using ISACS Membership and Accreditation Guide. Ensure that the school conducts an independent financial audit at least once every three years.

Year 3: Accreditation

Submit the self-study report and a copy of the most recent financial audit to ISACS. Host an ISACS accreditation visiting team and receive the accreditation determination made by the ISACS Board of Trustees.

Year 4: Reaction Report

Prepare and submit a Reaction Report to the ISACS Accreditation Review Committee, due:
September 1 following the prior year’s FALL accreditation visit OR
March 1 following the prior year’s WINTER/SPRING accreditation visit.

Year 5: Implementation

Continue school improvement by addressing the accreditation team report’s major recommendations and taking into consideration relevant data, the self-study report’s plans and priorities, and the team report’s chapter-level recommendations.

Year 6: Progress Report

Prepare and submit a Progress Report, including a copy of the most recent financial audit, to the ISACS Accreditation Review Committee due May 1 of Year 6.

Year 7: Review

Review school improvement that has taken place during the current cycle and begin preparations for the next cycle.

ISACS Accreditation Cycle

What do our member schools value about ISACS accreditation?

They tell us that the process:

  • Ensures that time is regularly set aside for reflection and planning about every aspect of school operation.
  • Solicits input from all school employees and key stakeholders to affirm the school's strengths, acknowledge challenges, and establish priorities for school improvement.
  • Provides a thoughtful mechanism for onsite peer reviewers to assess the school's current status, evaluate adherence to membership standards, and make recommendations for school improvement.
  • Highlights institutional health rather than individual performance.
  • Offers school leaders a wealth of information essential for strategic planning.
  • Provides external validation of school quality that enhances credibility with prospective families, employees, and the community at large.
  • Demonstrates the school’s desire to be held professionally accountable and highlights its role within the world of independent school education.
  • Furnishes the additional benefit of a first-rate professional development experience for ISACS peers on the visiting team.

Membership & Accreditation Guide

The Guide offers direction to schools that are beginning the self-study process and provides instruction, background information, and procedures for visiting team leaders and members. The 21st edition of the Guide, for use through during the period 2025–2030, is available as a Flipbook, PDF, and a Google Doc.

Membership Standards

Accreditation by ISACS assures the public that the Standards for Membership have been met and that the school’s success in meeting these standards is periodically reviewed. Among the diversity of its member schools, ISACS recognizes that these elements should be common to all independent schools. 

Accreditation Review Committee (ARC)

The ARC is a standing committee appointed by the ISACS Board of Trustees. Among other responsibilities, the ARC reviews all accreditation reports and recommends action to the Board of Trustees. ARC members are typically school heads and other administrators with extensive accreditation experience.

School Community Survey

Independent schools use the ISACS School Community Survey for evaluation purposes, strategic planning & marketing research. With more than 100,000 surveys in its database, ISACS offers the country’s best resource for comparing data on nearly every element of a school’s operations.