Independent Schools Victoria

What Independent Schools Victoria does

Independent Schools Victoria (ISV) is a non-profit membership peak body founded in 1949 that represents approximately 230 independent schools operating nearly 400 campuses across Victoria, Australia, serving roughly 179,000 students. The organization functions as the collective advocacy voice for the sector with state and federal governments and as a service provider delivering compliance, professional learning, recruitment, communications, analytics, and government program administration to its member schools.

ISV's core technology is the isEducation Suite, a portfolio of integrated digital platforms: isConnect (member portal), isComply (compliance management aligned to VRQA Minimum Standards), isLearn (professional learning management), isAnalyse (analytics), isCommunicate (stakeholder communications), isRecruit (staff recruitment), and isArtworks (a 3,000+ piece student art gallery). The architecture is platform-plus-modules with isConnect serving as the core entry point for member services. Recent product investment has concentrated on isComply, launched in 2025 with legally-informed model policies co-developed with law firm Russell Kennedy.

ISV's revenue is generated through two streams: recurring membership fees paid by member independent schools, and managed administration of federal and state government programs including Capital Grants, State Support Services, the Student Resiliency Program, the Reform Support Fund, and the Choice and Affordability Fund. Go-to-market is relationship-driven rather than transactional, with member engagement delivered through the digital suite, regional roadshows, professional learning events, and direct consulting services. The organization is governed by a Board representing member schools and led by Chief Executive Rachel Holthouse.

Name

Independent Schools Victoria

Legal name

Independent Schools Victoria Limited

Website

https://is.vic.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Independent Schools Victoria is a non-profit membership peak body representing approximately 230 independent schools across Victoria, Australia, delivering advocacy, compliance support, professional learning, and government program administration through its isEducation Suite of digital platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Sector Advocacy & Membership Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.) (EDAJABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC)

Keywords

• School advocacy services
• Education membership association
• Compliance management software
• Professional learning programs
• Government program administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: ISV operates as a membership organization funded through fees from its member independent schools. Services include advocacy, professional development, compliance support, and government program administration.
2. Government program administration: ISV administers federal and state government programs including Capital Grants, State Support Services, Student Resiliency Program, Reform Support Fund, and Choice and Affordability Fund. Funding is provided to support implementation of national policy initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Independent Schools Victoria (ISV) is the peak body for independent schools in Victoria, Australia, providing sector advocacy, compliance support, professional learning, and government program administration through the isEducation Suite of digital platforms. Its core service is collective representation of more than 230 member schools to government and regulators, complemented by subscription-based digital tools (isConnect, isComply, isLearn, isRecruit, isArtworks) and consulting/professional learning delivered directly to schools.

Product overview

Independent Schools Victoria operates the isEducation Suite, a platform-plus-modules architecture consisting of multiple integrated digital products: isConnect (core portal for member services), isComply (compliance management), isAnalyse (analytics), isLearn (professional learning), isCommunicate (communications), isRecruit (recruitment), and isArtworks (student art gallery). These products work together to serve member schools. Beyond the digital suite, ISV provides advocacy services, government program administration, professional learning programs, school consulting services, and resources including a Compliance Calendar. The organization functions as a member service organization for approximately 230 Independent schools across Victoria, supporting them with compliance, funding, professional development, and sector representation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• isEducation Suite: A suite of digital platforms including isConnect, isComply, isAnalyse, isLearn, isCommunicate, isRecruit, and isArtworks for member schools.
• isComply
• isLearn

Products and services

• isEducation Suite
• isComply Online Portal
• isArtworks
• Advocacy and Sector Representation
• Professional Learning Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 16.8% of Victorian students now educated in independent schools, with 3.5% growth in the past 12 months
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Russell KennedycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerISV partnered with leading law firm Russell Kennedy to develop an extensive range of compliance policies for member schools. The partnership has produced over 30 legally-informed model policies designed to help schools meet their governance and compliance needs, structured around VRQA Minimum Standards. This allows schools to access practical, legally-sound policies they can tailor to their context.
• Harvard Graduate School of Education (Project Zero and The Principals' Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISV collaborates with Project Zero and The Principals' Center at Harvard Graduate School of Education for its Leading Learning that Matters (LLTM) program. Principals participate in a two-year research project including US study tour, residential workshops, Harvard seminars, and ongoing support. The program has benefited close to 30 experienced principals over seven years.
• Victorian Independent Schools Block Grant Authority (VIS BGA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIS BGA administers Australian and Victorian government programs to improve educational outcomes by providing funding for school infrastructure development. ISV works with member schools to facilitate participation in the Australian Government Capital Grants Program and Victorian Government Building Fund.
• University of Queensland Learning LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerISV supports member schools like Fintona Girls' School in participating in the University of Queensland Learning Lab Partner Schools Program. The research-practice partnership empowers educators to engage with the Science of Learning and translate research into classroom teaching practices.
• Australian Government Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISV works with the Australian Government to administer the Non-Government Reform Support Fund, Choice and Affordability Fund, and Capital Grants Program. These programs support implementation of national policy initiatives and address challenges in the non-government school sector.
• Victorian Government Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISV administers Victorian Government's State Support Services program providing funding for specialized services including visiting teachers for students with disabilities, speech pathologists, and the Student Resiliency Program for suicide prevention.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Edrolo: Australian education technology company providing digital teaching, learning, and assessment resources to schools. Competes with ISV's professional learning and curriculum-adjacent offerings for member school attention and budgets.
• Education Perfect: An Australasian edtech platform providing digital curriculum, assessment, and learning tools to schools. Overlaps with ISV's isLearn and isAnalyse modules as a commercial competitor for digital education services in member schools.

Direct peers

• Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia: Western Australia's peak body for independent schools. Operates a directly comparable membership-organization model providing advocacy, professional learning, and government program administration.
• Tasmanian Independent Schools: Peak body for Tasmanian independent schools, providing advocacy and support services to member schools across a smaller jurisdiction but with the same operational model.
• Independent Schools Queensland: Peak body for Queensland independent schools. Provides the same combined advocacy, professional development, and compliance services model as ISV, but for the Queensland jurisdiction.
• Association of Independent Schools NSW: The state-level peak body for independent schools in New South Wales. Closest functional peer to ISV — operates the same membership, advocacy, and service delivery model for NSW member schools.
• Independent Schools Australia: The national peak body for independent schools in Australia, providing federal-level advocacy and policy representation. Comparable to ISV at the national tier — same business model, broader geographic scope.
• Association of Independent Schools SA: South Australian independent schools peak body. Same advocacy, professional learning, and compliance support model for SA member schools.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Education Commission of Victoria: Peak body for Catholic schools in Victoria — operates the same advocacy and support model as ISV but for the Catholic sector. Comparable in scale, scope, and government program administration role.
• Victorian Department of Education: Government counterpart that regulates and partially funds the schools ISV serves. Critical counterparty for ISV's advocacy and program administration, and the source of regulatory frameworks like VRQA that ISV's compliance services address.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IndSchoolsVic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/independent-schools-victoria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Independent Schools Victoria