North Cook ISC & Regional Office

What North Cook ISC & Regional Office does

North Cook Intermediate Service Center (NCISC) is a government-designated Regional Office of Education/Intermediate Service Center operating under the Illinois State Board of Education. Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois (transitioning to Mount Prospect in 2025-2026), NCISC serves as the mandated liaison between ISBE and 41 member educational organizations in Region 5 of northern Cook County. The membership comprises 32 elementary districts, 7 high school districts, and 2 special education cooperatives that collectively educate approximately 130,000-142,000 students and employ roughly 17,000 faculty. NCISC also directly operates the North Cook Young Adult Academy (NCYAA), a Regional Safe Schools Program alternative school for grades 6-12, through a wholly-owned subsidiary structure.

NCISC delivers an integrated portfolio of services across four functional pillars: Professional Learning (Administrator Academies, Leadership Coaching, Mentor Programs, PERA Evaluator Trainings, and custom in-district training); Student Services (NCYAA, Student Advocacy ALOP Program, attendance support, McKinney-Vento homeless liaison services, and newcomer/refugee/asylum seeker support); Licensure Support (Professional Educator License processing, paraprofessional licensure, fingerprinting via Illinois State Police and FBI); and Compliance/Operational Services (facility inspections, health/life safety reviews, mandated policy audits, communications/referendum support, and bus driver training for all of Cook County including Chicago). Underlying technology is entirely non-proprietary: the organization operates on standard third-party platforms including Canvas (LMS), Square Appointments (scheduling and payments), Finalsite (web/content management), Learning Stream (event registration), and ISBE's ELIS licensure system.

NCISC's revenue model combines ISBE-authorized government funding (the primary base) with publicly disclosed fee-based professional services. Fee structures include per-session in-district training ($1,800-$3,050 tiered by participant count, e.g., $1,800/day full-day or $900/half-day custom PL), subscription coaching packages ($1,500 for 6 sessions for new clients; $250/session for returning clients), annual mentor program fees ($3,200/administrator Year 1; $1,600 Year 2), and per-transaction fingerprinting ($35 student teachers; $50 contractual/substitute plus processing fees). The FY2025 Adopted Budget shows combined fund revenue of approximately $9.7M (Education Fund $2.48M; General Fund $5.81M; Institute/Bus Driver/Proprietary Funds $1.39M). The organization is governed by a 12-member Governing Board of educational leaders and is not privately owned, venture-backed, or pursuing IPO.

Name

North Cook ISC & Regional Office

Legal name

North Cook Intermediate Service Center

Website

https://ncisc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

North Cook Intermediate Service Center (NCISC) is an Illinois State Board of Education-designated Regional Office serving 41 member school districts in northern Cook County, delivering professional learning, licensure, compliance, student services, and alternative education to roughly 130,000 students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710), Other Schools and Instruction (6116)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Education Regulatory Authorities & Commissions (Cross-Sector) (EDADAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Educational service center
• Professional learning services
• Educator licensure support
• School district compliance
• Alternative education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Plaines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: NCISC is authorized by the Illinois State Board of Education and receives government funding to operate as the liaison between ISBE and local schools in Region 5. This forms the primary revenue base for operational activities.
2. Professional Development Fees: Fees charged for Administrator Academies, Educator Workshops, Leadership Coaching, and Mentor Programs. These programs provide continuing education credits and professional development for educators.
3. Custom In-District Services: Fees for customized professional learning, consultation services, and training delivered directly to member districts. Pricing varies by session length and program type.
4. Licensure and Fingerprinting Services: Fingerprinting services for educators ($35 for student teachers, $50 for contractual/substitute) and licensure support services to school districts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

North Cook Intermediate Service Center (NCISC) is a Regional Office of Education/Intermediate Service Center designated by the Illinois State Board of Education to serve Region 5 in northern Cook County, Illinois. It provides mandated liaison, compliance, and oversight services to 41 member educational organizations while also delivering fee-based professional learning, educator licensure support, student services (including alternative education through NCYAA), and health/life safety inspections.

Product overview

North Cook ISC is an educational service organization (Intermediate Service Center) serving Region 5 in northern Cook County, Illinois. It operates as a liaison between the Illinois State Board of Education and local schools, supporting 41 educational organizations (32 elementary districts, 7 high school districts, and 2 special education cooperatives) impacting over 130,000 students. The organization offers a comprehensive suite of interconnected services centered around Professional Learning (including Administrator Academies, Educator Workshops, Leadership Coaching, and Mentor Programs), Student Services (NCYAA alternative school, ALOP program, attendance support, homeless services), Licensure Support (educator licensing, fingerprinting), Compliance Services, Communications Services, and Health/Life/Safety Services. These services work together to support the adults in schools who educate and support students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Learning Services Comprehensive professional development offerings including Administrator Academies, Educator Workshops, Leadership Coaching, Evaluator Trainings (PERA), Mentor Program for Administrators, and custom in-district professional learning for district administrators and educators in northern Cook County.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of 2022-2023 Mentor Program participants reported being Highly Likely or Likely to recommend the program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCISC serves as the designated Regional Office/Intermediate Service Center for Illinois State Board of Education Region 5. ISBE authorizes NCISC to conduct compliance visits, oversee regional educational programs, and serve as the liaison between the state board and local schools in northern Cook County.
• Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCISC is part of the IARSS network, collaborating with other regional superintendents and ISCs across Illinois to support public education and share best practices.
• University of St. FrancisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership providing graduate-level credit for educators completing NCISC micro-credential programs. Each micro-credential is worth one graduate credit, with three micro-credentials making up one micro-endorsement.
• Illinois Online AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing access to online course programs through the Illinois Online Academy for educators seeking additional professional development options.
• Pace PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransportation partnership with Pace Suburban Bus Service providing transportation services for NCYAA students as part of the Regional Safe Schools Program.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kane County Regional Office of Education: ISBE Regional Office for Kane County delivering educator licensure, professional learning, health-life-safety inspections, and alternative education services — the same functional mix as NCISC, just across a different Illinois region.
• DuPage Regional Office of Education: Regional Office of Education serving DuPage County, Illinois under the same ISBE framework as NCISC. Provides an analogous suite of professional learning, licensure support, compliance visits, and student services to its member districts.
• Lake County Regional Office of Education: ISBE-designated Regional Office for Lake County offering parallel services — educator licensure, fingerprinting, Administrator Academies, compliance reviews, and regional safe schools programming — to school districts in its territory.
• Will County Regional Office of Education: Regional Office of Education serving Will County with mandated ISBE services including professional development, compliance, and student services. Operates a comparable intermediate service center model with member districts as customers.
• McHenry County Regional Office of Education: Regional Office of Education for McHenry County providing licensure, fingerprinting, Administrator Academies, compliance reviews, and Regional Safe Schools programming to its constituent districts under the same Illinois statutory framework.

Broad incumbents

• Solution Tree: National K-12 professional development and publisher that sells leadership coaching, mentor, and in-district training programs — overlapping with NCISC's leadership coaching, mentor program, and custom PL offerings, but operating across all states.
• Learning Forward: National professional association dedicated to educator professional learning. Competes for thought leadership and content on Administrator Academies and educator workshops that NCISC delivers at the regional level.
• ASCD: National association for curriculum, instruction, and supervision leaders offering professional learning resources and PD frameworks used by administrators — adjacent to NCISC's Curriculum & Instruction collaborative and evaluator training work.
• Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS): Statewide association that NCISC belongs to; IARSS coordinates the network of all Illinois regional superintendents and ISCs, sharing best practices and policy advocacy at a state level above any single region.

Emerging players

• TeachPoint: Cloud-based educator evaluation and PD tracking platform often aligned with state frameworks like Illinois' PERA — overlaps with NCISC's Evaluator Trainings (PERA) and tracks PD hours relevant to licensure renewals NCISC facilitates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-cook-intermediate-service-center
• Xx.com/northcookisc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 North Cook ISC & Regional Office