Accreditation is important but it is not a be-all and end-all concerning whether or not a school is a "good school." Below are some important accrediting bodies for private schools in Canada and a discussion of the issue of accreditation.

In Canada, private schools are accredited by bodies such as The Canadian Education Standards Institute (CESI). Under the rules of its charter, CESI evaluates and ensures that schools maintain standards for accreditation. CESI is also a member of The International Commission on Accreditation.

In addition, there are also membership bodies that do not necessarily accredit private schools but serve other important functions, such as Christian Schools International (CSI) or the Canadian Association of Independent Schools (CAIS).

Other Canadian accrediting bodies

The following bodies are included a part of the listings at ourkids.net. When you see the logo of one of these associations, that indicates that the school has been accredited by that body.

The CCMA is the Canadian Association of Montessori Administrators who accredit Montessori schools in Canada. This is important as “Montessori” is in the public sphere, not trademarked, and can be applied to any school, whether or not it adheres closely to the tenets of Montessori.

The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) is a respected body headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, with offices worldwide. ACSI provides accreditation to Christian private schools from across the world that adhere to certain standards and practices. Christian Schools International (CSI) is also a member of the National Council for Private School Accreditation. Their three-step accreditation process includes a self-evaluation by schools, a site visit, and steps toward improvement.

The Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools (OACS) is focused on structure, development of curricula and organization of Ontario’s independent Christian schools but it does offer accreditation under its School Quality Assurance Program. It does not focus on Christian school accreditation.

You can consider accreditation by CESI, ACSI or the CCMA as a seal of approval for the school, a sure sign that your child will be able to apply credits earned there to other member schools and higher learrning institutions. Feel free to fully investigate the validity of accrediting bodies with which you are not familiar.

The real goods on accreditation vs. reputation

In the end, we recommend that you focus concern on how well the school is otherwise recognized, whether courses are fully accepted by higher-level institutions. Many private schools listed with ourkids.net facilitate students’ entering the university of their choice, even though they may not have sought accreditation. Consider this as you search our listings below or through our private school search.