ISACS

Name

ISACS

Legal name

Independent Schools Association of the Central States

Website

https://isacs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1908

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Accreditation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12/School & District Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

National/Institutional Accreditors (Career, Faith-Based, Distance, etc.) (EDADACAB)

Keywords

• School accreditation services
• Professional development programs
• Independent education association
• Education membership organization
• Leadership training workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from 240+ member schools, calculated based on school enrollment and operating information submitted through the member portal.
2. Conference and Event Registration: Revenue from annual INSPIRE conference ($350-$450 per person), workshops, Headways program ($600), and other professional learning events.
3. Sponsorships: Sponsorship packages for Annual Conference including Diamond ($12,500), Platinum ($5,500), Gold ($3,500), Silver ($2,250), Bronze ($1,500) tiers, plus year-round Association Sponsors ($750).
4. Webinar Series: Parent Series ($600-$800 per school) and Trustee Series ($600-$700 per school) annual webinar packages for member schools.
5. Bookshop Affiliate: Bookshop.org affiliate partnership generates revenue from book sales, with a portion donated back to ISACS.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ISACS provides accreditation services and professional development for 240+ independent schools across 13 Central States. Its core offerings include institutional accreditation reviews, the annual INSPIRE conference, workshops, the New Teacher Institute, Leadership Academy, Headways leadership program, Parent/Trustee webinar series, and a member portal/community platform connecting school administrators, faculty, trustees, and parents.

Product overview

ISACS (Independent Schools Association of the Central States) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) membership organization serving 240+ independent schools across thirteen states. The organization offers a unified portfolio of accreditation services and professional development products, including the ISACS Website & Member Portal (powered by Higher Logic), annual INSPIRE conferences, professional learning workshops, webinars (Parent Series, Trustee Series, Head2Head), leadership programs (Headways, Leadership Academy with Northwestern Kellogg), the New Teacher Institute, Lead Learners network, Career Center, Bookshop, and the ISACS Classroom physical venue. These products work together to support independent schools through accreditation, professional development, and community building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INSPIRE: Annual conference of the Independent Schools Association of the Central States, held in November each year.
• New Teacher Institute
• Leadership Academy
• Headways
• Head2Head

Products and services

• ISACS Accreditation Services Institutional accreditation service for independent schools across the 13 Central States, including standards interpretation, report reviews, on-site/visiting team coordination, and Board recommendation of accreditation status. Designed for member independent schools seeking credible external validation of educational quality.
• INSPIRE Annual Conference Two-day flagship in-person conference (~150 sessions, two keynotes) attracting 1,300+ independent school educators, administrators, and trustees each November. Members pay $350 (2-day) or $230 (1-day); non-members pay $450 (2-day) or $330 (1-day).
• New Teacher Institute Three-day in-person institute preparing new teachers for independent school teaching. Open to ISACS members ($975) and non-members ($1,075). Next edition scheduled July 20-22, 2026 in Chicago.
• Leadership Academy Three-day in-person executive leadership program for independent school leaders, developed in partnership with Northwestern University's Kellogg School Center for Nonprofit Management. Limited to 50 participants per cohort; registration subsidized by the Claudia M. Daggett Memorial Grant.
• Headways: Your Leadership Path Paid program offering learning and personal support for heads of school in their first five years of headship. $600 for ISACS members; includes four virtual meetings, Speed Dial coaching sessions, and conference discounts.
• Head2Head Webinars Complimentary one-hour virtual sessions for heads of school covering topics chosen by participants. Provides a virtual gathering space with peers and subject-matter experts.
• ISACS Heads Conference Annual in-person conference for heads of school featuring national experts and dedicated networking. Next edition January 28-29, 2027 at Swissôtel Chicago.
• Webinar Series for Schools (Parent Series & Trustee Series) Annual webinar subscription packages for member school communities: Parent Series (6 webinars on child development, mental health, parenting strategies) and Trustee Series (10 webinars on governance, financial planning, strategic trends). Delivered via Zoom with on-demand recordings.
• Career Center Job posting and career resources platform for member schools, integrated with the ISACS Member Portal for posting, managing, and searching jobs in the independent school community.
• Lead Learners Program Teacher liaison network connecting designated Lead Learners across ISACS schools. Built around four pillars (Empowerment, Enlightenment, Responsibility, Collaboration) and connected through the ISACS Connect community platform for peer learning.
• ISACS Classroom (Chicago) Physical classroom and meeting space at ISACS Chicago headquarters (55 West Wacker Drive, Suite 701) available for member school events, professional learning, and workshops. Equipped with A/V equipment, virtual conference capabilities, and refreshment amenities.
• ISACS Bookshop Online bookshop affiliate partnership with Bookshop.org. A portion of every sale routed through the ISACS Bookshop link is donated back to ISACS to support independent bookstores.
• ISACS Annual Membership Annual school membership granting access to accreditation services, the member portal (members.isacs.org), ISACS Connect community, and discounted rates on all professional development programs. Dues are calculated based on each school's total enrollment and operating income.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 240 member schools served
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISACS is a member of NAIS, the national organization representing independent schools. Debra Wilson serves as NAIS President and contributes to ISACS Trustee Series webinars.
• Northwestern University Kellogg School of ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-branded Leadership Academy program held at Northwestern University's Kellogg School Center for Nonprofit Management in Chicago, providing executive education for independent school leaders.
• Bookshop.orgminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with online bookseller Bookshop.org; a portion of all book sales through the ISACS Bookshop link is donated back to the organization.
• Association of Independent Michigan Schools (AIMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister state organization; ISACS Executive Director and Director of Accreditation regularly attend AIMS meetings to share information and facilitate dialogue.
• Cleveland Council of Independent Schools (CCIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister state organization in Ohio; ISACS staff participate in meetings and collaborative activities.
• Independent Schools of St. Louis (ISSL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional organization serving St. Louis area independent schools; Board President Alexis Wright also serves on ISACS Board.
• Indiana Association of Independent Schools (IAIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState association for Indiana independent schools; John Huber serves as President.
• Kansas City Independent School Heads Association (KCISHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional organization for Kansas City independent schools.
• Kentucky Association of Independent Schools (KAIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState association for Kentucky independent schools.
• Lake Michigan Association of Independent Schools (LMAIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional association serving schools around Lake Michigan.
• Minnesota Association of Independent Schools (MAIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState association for Minnesota independent schools.
• Missouri Association of Independent Schools (MISA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState association for Missouri independent schools.
• Ohio Alliance of Independent Schools (OAIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState alliance for Ohio independent schools; Dan Dodd serves as Executive Director.
• Wisconsin Association of Independent Schools (WAIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState association for Wisconsin independent schools.
• Higher LogiccoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform provider powering the ISACS member portal, community platform (ISACS Connect), and event registration systems.
• ZoomcoreTechnology or IntegrationVideo conferencing platform used for webinar delivery, Head2Head sessions, Headways meetings, and virtual professional learning.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS): Accreditation and PD association serving independent schools in the Southwest U.S. Same accreditation-plus-professional-development model as ISACS, but in a different geographic territory.
• Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS): Regional association providing accreditation and professional development to Pennsylvania independent schools. Closely analogous business model and scope to ISACS.
• California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS): California's counterpart regional accreditor and PD provider for independent schools. Provides accreditation, leadership training, and member services comparable to ISACS's offering.
• Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE): A peer regional association offering accreditation, professional development, and advocacy for independent schools across New England. Mirrors ISACS's mission and service portfolio at the regional level.
• New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS): A directly comparable regional accreditation and PD association serving independent schools across New York. Operates the same member-accreditation-PD model as ISACS in a different region.
• Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS): Florida's regional accreditor and PD provider for independent schools. Directly comparable service portfolio (accreditation, conferences, member support) to ISACS.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS): The national umbrella association for independent schools; ISACS is a NAIS member and Debra Wilson (NAIS President) contributes to ISACS programming. NAIS provides broader national advocacy, research, and resources while ISACS focuses on regional accreditation and PD.

Others

• Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management: Partner institution co-developing ISACS's Leadership Academy. Comparable as an executive education provider competing for the same heads-of-school training dollars, while also serving as ISACS's content co-development partner.
• Higher Logic: Technology vendor powering ISACS's member portal, community platform, and event registration. An ecosystem enabler rather than a competitor, but a key operational dependency for ISACS's digital infrastructure.

Regional players

• The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS): Membership association for boarding schools, with overlap in professional development, governance training, and leadership programming for heads of school, but focused on boarding institutions rather than ISACS's broader day-school footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ISACSorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/independent-schools-association-of-the-central-states

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ISACS