Accreditation Protocol for Independent Schools in the US
NEASC’s accreditation protocol for independent schools is rooted in standards crafted by educators for educators. These standards provide the benchmark for institutional and educational excellence. Accreditation by NEASC ensures that your school not only meets but consistently exceeds the highest levels of quality and accountability.
The NEASC process is mission-driven, child-centered, and focused on holistic student development. It goes beyond traditional accreditation by focusing on impacts and providing ongoing support for continuous improvement. This self-reflective process allows schools to assess their practices, strengthen their alignment with core values, and implement effective, long-term growth strategies.
Process
Accreditation is not a single event, but rather an ongoing, voluntary cycle of comprehensive internal and external assessments, short and long-term strategic planning, and periodic reporting sustained by professional partnership and support. The cycle consists of the following phases:
Pre-Accreditation
- Self-Study
- Data Collection
Accreditation Cycle
- Foundation and Program Visit
Two-year Update
- Focus on progress on major recommendations
Five-year Update
- Focus on alignment of strategic planning and major recommendations
Required Reports
In addition to the decennial cycle, the NEASC Commission on Independent Schools requires that members demonstrate continued alignment with NEASC Standards through an annual update and two- and five-year reports in order to maintain their NEASC accreditation. View more information.
If you have any general questions regarding this requirement or process, please do not hesitate to contact us at cis@neasc.org.
The NEASC Visiting Team truly invested themselves in the process and in getting to know our community; their passion for quality education, mission-based culture, and healthy and vibrant schools was obvious to all of us.
-- Thomas Nunan, President - Bishop Fenwick High School, Peabody, MA