East Asia Regional Council of Schools

What East Asia Regional Council of Schools does

East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS), founded in 1968 and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Delaware, USA, is a membership association serving international schools across 22 countries in East Asia. It supports 237 member schools, 200 associate institutions, 43 individual associates, and 9 affiliate schools outside the core region, reaching a peak enrollment of 205,540 Pre-K to 12 students served by 25,597 teachers and 3,590 administrators. EARCOS is headquartered in Biñan, Philippines, with a satellite office in the Bangkok area of Thailand, and operates with a lean staff of approximately 10-15 employees.

EARCOS's core offerings are professional development and community-building programs for international school educators and leaders. The flagship offerings are the annual EARCOS Leadership Conference (held each October, 56th iteration scheduled for October 2026 in Bangkok under the theme "Schools of Hope") and the EARCOS Teachers' Conference (held each March, drawing nearly 1,000 educators). Supporting programs include Weekend Workshop Grants (up to $3,500 per workshop for member-school-hosted professional learning), the EARCOS Leadership Mentorship (ELM) program (with 100+ school leaders across 45 mentoring relationships), Action Research Grants ($1,000 each), the triannual ET Journal publication, sponsored webinars, and student-facing awards and scholarships including the Global Citizenship Award, Margaret Sanders Scholarship, Richard T. Krajczar Humanitarian Award ($10,000 distributed biennially), and the Biosphere Camp Scholarship.

EARCOS generates revenue primarily through recurring annual membership dues from schools, supplemented by conference and workshop registration fees ($75-$100 per participant), and partnership co-hosting. Distribution is direct: membership renews annually each April, conferences rotate across regional cities, and programs are promoted through the earcos.org website, ET Journal, webinars, and social channels. Partnerships with the Council of International Schools (CIS) for an annual admissions/guidance institute, the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE) for scholarship administration, and the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) for child-protection resources extend the organization's reach without diluting its membership-centric model.

Name

East Asia Regional Council of Schools

Legal name

East Asia Regional Council of Schools

Website

https://earcos.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership association serving 237 international schools across 22 East Asian countries through annual conferences, professional development grants, mentorship, and the ET Journal publication.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Study Abroad Provider Networks, Consortia & Membership Organizations (EDAIAAAK)

Keywords

• International school association
• Professional development programs
• Education membership organization
• School leadership conferences
• Educator networking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Biñan

HQ country

Philippines

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: EARCOS operates as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supported by membership fees from schools across East Asia. The organization serves 237 member schools, 200 associate institutions, and 43 individual associates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

EARCOS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization that serves international schools across East Asia. It delivers annual leadership and teachers' conferences, weekend workshop grants, action research grants, webinars, mentorship programs, student scholarships, humanitarian and global citizenship awards, and publishes the triannual ET Journal. Its core business is supporting the professional growth, leadership development, and networking of educators and administrators at its 237 member schools.

Product overview

EARCOS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization serving international schools across East Asia. Rather than a technology product company, it operates as a professional association providing conferences, professional development programs, publications, and grants. The core offerings include the annual Leadership Conference (ELC) and Teachers' Conference (ETC), the triannual ET Journal publication, Weekend Workshop Grants, Action Research Grants, Global Citizenship Award and Community Service Grants, Margaret Sanders Scholarship, Richard T. Krajczar Humanitarian Award, Leadership Mentorship (ELM) program, webinars, and the Biosphere Camp Scholarship. These programs collectively support professional growth, student recognition, and community service across its member schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EARCOS Leadership Conference (ELC): Annual leadership conference for international school administrators, trustees, and education professionals held in late October.
• EARCOS Teachers' Conference (ETC)
• ET Journal
• EARCOS Leadership Mentorship (ELM)
• Action Research Grant Program

Products and services

• EARCOS Leadership Conference (ELC)

Quantifiable outcome

• 50 Weekend Workshop Grants provided annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Council of International Schools (CIS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2026EARCOS partners with CIS for the annual Institute on International Admission and Guidance. The 2026 institute is scheduled for September 18-19, 2026 at Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok. This event connects international schools with universities from around the world and brings together guidance counselors and university admissions professionals.
• International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEARCOS partners with ICMEC to provide child protection resources to member schools. ICMEC's Global Educator Centre for Excellence and International Task Force on Child Protection provide resources on preventing and responding to child abuse, neglect, and sexual exploitation. EARCOS shares these resources with parents and caregivers to help keep children safe online.
• Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEARCOS works with AAIE on student scholarships. The Margaret Sanders Scholarship application instructions are housed on AAIE's website, where AAIE completes the initial review before forwarding completed applications to regional offices for final selection.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• European Council of International Schools (ECIS): Membership organization for international schools in Europe that offers a parallel portfolio of conferences, PD, and awards. Comparable as a peer model but operates in a different geography from EARCOS.
• Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA): Regional membership body for international schools across Africa with similar conference, PD, and grant programs. Useful as a structural peer even though it operates outside EARCOS's geography.
• Latin American Heads Association (LAHA): Membership organization for heads of international schools in Latin America. Operates a parallel conference and PD model, making it a relevant regional peer despite geographic separation.
• Central and Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA): Membership association for international schools in Central and Eastern Europe offering tournaments, PD, and conferences — a structural peer to EARCOS in another region.

Broad incumbents

• International Schools Services (ISS): Established global provider of services, governance, and PD to international schools with a broader global footprint than EARCOS. ISS is a broader incumbent that overlaps with EARCOS in recruiting, leadership development, and conferences.

Direct peers

• Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA): Regional membership organization for international schools in the Near East and South Asia, offering conferences, PD, and collaborative programming closely paralleling EARCOS's service mix in a neighboring geography.
• Association of China and Mongolia International Schools (ACAMIS): Regional membership organization for international schools specifically in China and Mongolia. Many ACAMIS member schools are also EARCOS members, and the two organizations compete for the same conferences, workshops, and dues.
• Council of International Schools (CIS): Global membership and accreditation body for international schools. EARCOS and CIS co-host the Institute on International Admission and Guidance, and they share overlapping member schools across East Asia, making CIS the most direct counterpart.
• Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE): Membership association serving international school leaders, with which EARCOS already partners on the Margaret Sanders Scholarship; AAIE's focus on leadership and governance mirrors EARCOS's ELM and Leadership Conference offerings.

Others

• Global Curriculum Association (GCA): Adjacent ecosystem participant focused on international curriculum alignment and benchmarking among member schools. Comparable only weakly to EARCOS, but addresses overlapping member schools and similar professional development needs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/earcosorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about East Asia Regional Council of Schools