Become Accredited
Become Accredited
Recognition as a Candidate for Accreditation is a first step toward membership in and accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC); however, achieving Candidacy does not guarantee eventual accreditation. Accreditation is not a single event, but rather an ongoing cycle. Member schools must, according to the appropriate Commission protocol, periodically demonstrate continued alignment with NEASC Standards in order to maintain their NEASC Accreditation/Membership.
IMPORTANT: The status of "Candidate" precedes NEASC membership. It indicates that an institution has achieved initial recognition and is progressing toward accreditation but is not yet a full member school.
International Schools
Step 1 - Review eligibility requirements
For an international school to pursue Accreditation by NEASC, it must first meet the following criteria:
- Use English as a primary language of instruction and communication throughout the school.*
- Demonstrate the international nature of the school through a mission which includes creating international citizens, through demographics of the student body and staff, and through the co-curricular experiences and programs offered.
- Provide a curriculum which in content, design, implementation, and assessment reflects best practices in American and international education.
- Have several years of operating history.
- Operate outside of the US or be an international school within the US.
*NEASC expects students from our accredited schools to be able to transfer successfully to similar schools worldwide and, after high school graduation, to enter colleges and universities where English is the primary medium of instruction.
Online education academies and providers may qualify for NEASC Accreditation if they meet eligibility requirements. National Schools with embedded international programs may apply to enter the NEASC international accreditation process if the programs are substantial, comprehensive, and leading to a school leaving certificate or diploma.
Consider the questions: Is our school ready to apply for NEASC Accreditation?
Please use the following questions to help you ascertain your school’s current state, aspirations, and readiness to apply for NEASC accreditation:
- Is the school guided by broadly accepted and understood Guiding Statements of vision, mission and shared understanding of high-quality learning?
- Is there evidence that students are learning effectively, are engaged with their learning and understand what they are learning?
- Does the school’s learning environment support and nurture the students’ personal, creative, academic, social, and emotional needs?
- Does the school provide an emotionally and physically safe, secure, accessible learning environment for its students and staff, supported by clear policies to support Child Protection and Safeguarding?
- Do healthy, ethical, respectful, trusting, and constructive relationships and interactions between and among students and adults characterize the school culture?
- Does the school equip its students with the skills, knowledge, and understandings to be successful in the next level of formal schooling and beyond?
- Are the school’s faculty, staff, leadership and governance competent, knowledgeable, and qualified in modeling and promoting the school’s Guiding Statements?
- Are the school’s faculty, staff, leadership and governance committed to ongoing improvement, self-reflection, and life-long learning? Are they aware both of strengths and areas in need of attention?
- Does the school culture encourage future-oriented dialogue, discussion, reflection, and action? Does it tolerate risk-taking and failure?
- Do the school’s resources (financial, equipment, facilities, personnel) assure its long-term viability and development?
Step 2 - Submit inquiry form
If your answer is, "Yes, our school is ready to take the next steps towards NEASC Accreditation," please fill out an inquiry form to register your interest and sign up for a virtual "Learn More" information session with NEASC staff.
Once you have submitted an inquiry form, a NEASC staff member will follow up with you to:
- better understand the current state of the school
- confirm whether the school is eligible to start the accreditation process
- determine which accreditation pathway would be the best fit
Additional expectations
International schools pursuing accreditation with NEASC must:
- Commit to meeting established standards.
- Commit to a process of self-evaluation, peer review, and on-going systematic improvement, utilizing the NEASC Commission on International Education’s Standards for Accreditation.
- Be willing to host a preliminary visit to assess the school’s readiness for the self-study process leading to accreditation.
- Be able to host a visiting team appointed by NEASC so as to ensure peer review.
- Have basic guiding documents (faculty handbook, student handbook, written curriculum, employment contracts, staff evaluation procedures, governing board policies, and job descriptions).
- Upon application, and later upon request, submit an independent audit, current budget, and most recent management letter in English.
- Commit to acting within the spirits of the ideals and principles enunciated in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- Be willing to release faculty members and other personnel to serve on visiting teams for accreditation visits to other similar schools.
Independent Schools
(located in the US)
Independent schools located in the US seeking Candidate status with NEASC must file a NEASC Commission on Independent Schools Application for Candidate for Accreditation.
To achieve recognition as a Candidate for Accreditation by NEASC, a school must first submit a formal application that includes details about its mission, organizational structure, professional staff, curriculum, admissions policies, facilities, and both immediate and long-term plans. After the application is received, the Director of the Commission on Independent Schools assesses a candidacy evaluation fee based on the school’s enrollment.
A Visiting Team from the NEASC Commission on Independent Schools will then visit the school. The team’s report, along with the school’s submitted materials, is reviewed by the Commission to decide if the school qualifies as a Candidate for Accreditation.
Candidate status is reviewed annually by the Commission and may be held for up to five years, unless extended by special vote.
Please contact us at cis@neasc.org to inquire further about becoming a candidate for membership.
Eligibility
To be eligible for NEASC candidacy an independent school in the US must meet the following criteria:
- Legal and Organizational Structure: The school must be a nonpublic institution, either separately incorporated under state or provincial laws or part of a system where leadership oversees the educational program and student learning. (International schools should explore NEASC’s Commission on International Education.)
- Academic Programs: It must offer programs for students aged three or older, leading to a diploma, curriculum completion, or coursework contributing to another program’s requirements.
- Operational History: The school must have operated for at least one year with regular in-person student attendance. (Online-only schools should explore NEASC Online School Accreditation.)
- Enrollment Practices: Most students must be enrolled for at least an academic year, a semester (for semester programs), or the duration of therapeutic care (for therapeutic schools). Educational programs should explore NEASC Program Accreditation.
- Regulatory Compliance: The school must comply with all local, state/provincial safety, health, and child protection regulations.
- Governance: Proprietary schools must have a governing body with policymaking processes involving stakeholders, with at least one-third of members representing public interests and free from conflicts of interest.
- Financial Resources: The school must demonstrate sufficient operational and financial resources to support current students’ continuous enrollment (e.g., nine years for K–8 schools, four years for high schools).
- Commitment to Improvement: The school must have the interest and capacity to engage in a comprehensive school improvement and quality assurance process.
Public schools in the US seeking Candidate status with NEASC must complete and file an Application for Candidacy with the NEASC Commission on Public Schools. Once the application has been received and reviewed, a NEASC staff liaison will contact the school to discuss next steps.
Upon receiving candidacy status, the institution must make a commitment to accreditation by conducting a Self-Reflection (formerly "Self-Study") and hosting an Accreditation Visiting Team within three years of becoming a Candidate. Earlier team visits may be scheduled at the discretion of the Commission; the principal should send this request to the Director of the Commission in writing.
"Candidate for Accreditation" is a temporary status during which time a school is preparing for an initial accreditation visit. An institution admitted to this category is entitled to make public its Candidate status in its publications, correspondence and student transcripts.
Date of Initial Accreditation
The date of a school's initial accreditation is retroactive to the last day of evaluation by the Visiting Team.
Eligibility - Public high schools
Public high schools that wish to apply for Candidate status must:
- have completed one year of operation
- be approved by the appropriate government agency
- be tax supported
- publish and distribute a program of studies and student handbook
- prior to the candidacy visit, submit a narrative assessment of the extent to which the school meets each Standard for Accreditation, to be signed by a committee of representatives of the school, along with a statement of major strengths and needs related to adherence to the Standards, and the school’s stated mission and expectations
- host a visit from a Commission representative(s)
- pay the required candidacy application fee
Eligibility - Public elementary and middle schools
Public elementary and/or middle level schools that wish to apply for Candidate status must:
- have completed at least one year of operation
- be tax supported
- complete and submit a candidacy application form to the Commission office
- host a candidacy visit from a Commission representative(s)
Eligibility - Public technical/career schools and centers
To become a Candidate for Accreditation or be considered for accredited status, a techincal/career institution must meet and maintain the following Eligibility Requirements:
- Have a charter and/or formal authority from an appropriate governmental agency as a freestanding institution
- Be geographically located and organizationally structured to fall within the scope of Committee activities
- Have the legal authority to confer a certificate or diploma
- Have been in operation at least one year and graduated one class prior to the date of application
- Have a governing board, whether elected or appointed, with adequate voting membership that is representative of the public interest and is without any contractual, employment or personal financial investment in the institution
- Have employed a chief administrative officer
- Have a faculty, qualified by education and experience, which is significantly involved in the development and review of educational programs
- Have a basic plan for the development of the institution
- Have formally adopted and made public its statement of mission and program goals
- Have admission policies compatible with the institution's stated mission and program objectives
Application
Candidate for NEASC Accreditation:
Application fees
Application fees and annual dues vary according to an institution's enrollment and are set by the NEASC Board of Trustees. For questions about your specific school's fees or dues, please contact us.