Florida Council of Independent Schools

What Florida Council of Independent Schools does

The Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS) is a non-profit membership association founded in 1954 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida. It is one of only ten state associations formally recognized by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) for accreditation purposes. FCIS accredits and serves approximately 150 independent schools across Florida, collectively educating more than 82,000 students, running programs from early childhood through grade 12.

FCIS's core product is a multi-decade accreditation regime executed on three proprietary web portals — Accreditation (six-year cycle management), Inservice (teacher in-service hour tracking integrated with the Florida Department of Education), and Events (convention, workshop, and webinar registration). Member schools also receive access to peer benchmarking, governance training, hiring resources, inter-school athletics eligibility via FHSAA affiliation, and a purchasing consortium managed in partnership with the Independent School Cooperative (ISC). A monthly newsletter, an annual convention (November 5–6, 2026), and a calendar of 30+ workshops and webinars round out the programmatic surface. Adjacent memberships include NAIS, ICAISA, CAPE, FAANS, ISC, and FHSAA.

FCIS's revenue model is built on tiered annual membership dues scaled by school enrollment (e.g., $684 + $10.11/student for schools of 1–100 students; up to $10,221 + $2.92/student for schools of 1,000+), supplemented by convention sponsorships, paid professional-development series — including a recently launched AI for Teachers virtual track — advisor engagements, and applicant inquiry services. The organization runs with a six-person direct staff under an Executive Director: a Director of Accreditation, Director of Professional Development, Director of Technology and Accreditation Support, Director of Business and Operations, and an Assistant Director of Professional Development (effective summer 2026). Governance is provided by a Board of Directors drawn from member-school heads.

Name

Florida Council of Independent Schools

Legal name

Florida Council of Independent Schools

Website

https://fcis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS) is a 501(c) membership association that accredits and serves 150 independent schools across Florida, operating a six-year accreditation cycle, teacher in-service portal, and annual convention with 30+ professional development sessions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent School Accreditation Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Professional Organizations (81392), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Assessment, Certification & Qualifications Frameworks (BPADAKAL)

Keywords

• School accreditation services
• Professional development programs
• Teacher certification services
• Independent school association
• Educational advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from 150 member schools based on student enrollment. Tiers range from 1-100 students ($684 + $10.11/student) to over 1000 students ($10,221 + $2.92/student over 1000), plus Early Childhood Fee of $565.
2. Professional Development Programs: Revenue from workshops, webinars, institutes, and annual convention registration fees. Includes New Teacher Institute ($625 members), Prospective Heads' Institute ($635 members), Leadership Partners ($569 members), and various webinar series.
3. Inquiry and Application Fees: $500 inquiry fee for schools seeking membership, plus application fee of $500 or 50% of annual dues (whichever is greater).
4. Advisor Services: Low-cost consultation services to member schools at $125/hour.
5. Convention Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorship and exhibit opportunities at annual convention, including Gold, Silver, and Bronze level sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

FCIS is a non-profit membership association that provides accreditation evaluation services, professional development programming, and Florida teacher certification support to approximately 150 independent PK-12 schools across Florida. The organization delivers its services through tiered annual membership dues, an annual convention, in-person and virtual institutes and webinars, three web-based portals (Accreditation, Inservice, Events), and legislative advocacy at the state level.

Product overview

FCIS operates a multi-product service portfolio anchored by its accreditation program (one of only 10 NAIS-recognized state associations and an ICAISA founding member), supplemented by professional development programming (annual convention, institutes, workshops, webinars, and roundtables), and Florida teacher certification services. Supporting infrastructure includes three web-based portals: the Inservice Portal for teacher continuing education tracking and state reporting, the Accreditation Portal for self-study and visiting committee workflows, and the Events Portal for event registration. Member schools additionally receive access to DASL benchmarking data, the Independent School Collaborative purchasing consortium, an Advisor consultation program, and state-level legislative advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FCIS Accreditation Services Rigorous six-year evaluation cycles, New School Candidacy assessments, and original accreditation reviews for independent schools in Florida; FCIS is one of only 10 state associations recognized by NAIS and a founding member of ICAISA.
• FCIS Professional Development Programs Year-round professional development including the Annual Convention, Prospective Heads' Institute, New Teacher Institute, Leadership Partners workshops, Governance Virtual Series, Technology Lunch and Learns, and webinars/roundtables on teaching, technology, curriculum, legal, and leadership topics.
• Florida Teacher Certification Program Certification renewal, initial certification support, and the Professional Education Competency (PEC) Demonstration Program for FCIS-accredited member schools.
• FCIS Inservice Portal Online portal for FCIS-accredited member schools to manage teacher inservice activities, track professional learning hours, submit continuing education records, and report to the Florida Department of Education.
• FCIS Accreditation Portal Online work area for member schools and visiting teams to complete self-studies electronically 18 months prior to accreditation visits, with centralized workspace for evaluation committees.
• FCIS Events Portal Online registration and event management portal for FCIS workshops, institutes, webinars, and the Annual Convention.
• Advisor Program Low-cost consultation service connecting FCIS member schools with experienced educators and former heads of school for guidance on board training, head coaching, accreditation preparation, strategic planning, curriculum development, and governance.
• Data and Analysis for School Leadership (DASL) Partnership with NAIS providing member schools access to benchmarking data for goal-setting, progress assessment, and future planning. FCIS schools can compare data with other FCIS and multi-association peers.
• Independent School Collaborative (ISC) Collective purchasing consortium providing FCIS member schools access to curated online educational resources and services at discounted consortium pricing through the Southeast Collaboration.
• Legislation and Advocacy Services State-level advocacy representing member school interests at the Florida Legislature and Florida High School Athletic Association, including employment of a dedicated lobbyist and active participation in FAANS.

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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1954FCIS is a member of NAIS and one of only 10 state associations whose accreditation process has been recognized by NAIS. FCIS participates in DASL (Data and Analysis for School Leadership) partnership with NAIS and 30 other associations to provide data benchmarking for member schools.
• International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation (ICAISA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCIS is a founding member and member in good standing of ICAISA, the international leader in independent school accreditation. ICAISA advances excellence and upholds standards for independent schools across the globe, representing schools in over 100 countries.
• Council of American Private Education (CAPE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCIS is an affiliate of CAPE, which promotes a voice for private schools within the broader education landscape.
• Florida Association of Academic Nonpublic Schools (FAANS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCIS is a founding member of FAANS, working to promote the interests of independent schools in matters of legislation and regulation in Florida.
• Independent School Collaborative (ISC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCIS participates with ISC to provide member schools access to curated online educational resources and services. ISC negotiates consortium pricing with providers, allowing member schools to save 10-30% compared to standard market rates.
• Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCIS maintains an active presence at state meetings of the FHSAA Board of Directors, providing members to serve on sectional appeals committees and the leadership council to advocate for member school interests.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS): NYSAIS accredits independent schools throughout New York State with parallel structure: institutional accreditation, PD programming, and member advocacy. Sits in the same NAIS-recognized state association cohort as FCIS.
• Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS): PNAIS is the NAIS-recognized state/regional accreditor for Pacific Northwest independent schools. Offers parallel accreditation evaluation, member services, and PD programming; serves as the geographic equivalent of FCIS in the Northwest.
• Association of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE): AISNE is a regional accreditor serving New England independent schools with accreditation, professional development, and advocacy services. Shares the membership-driven accreditation business model and NAIS-recognized status with FCIS.
• Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS): ISACS accredits independent schools across the central U.S. with a nearly identical service portfolio to FCIS: institutional accreditation, professional development, and member advocacy. Operates on the same NAIS-recognized association framework, making it a directly comparable peer.
• Educational Collaborative for International Schools (ECIS): ECIS is an international membership organization supporting international and independent schools worldwide. It overlaps with FCIS in accreditation support, professional development programming, and serves as a peer in the global independent school ecosystem, especially given FCIS's ICAISA international engagement.
• California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS): CAIS is the state-level accreditor for California independent schools, with the same NAIS-recognized accreditation model. Like FCIS, it offers accreditation evaluation, professional development workshops, and legislative advocacy for member schools.
• Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS): SAIS is a regional accreditor for independent PK-12 schools across the southeastern U.S., with a comparable membership model, accreditation cycles, and professional development programming. It is one of the 10 state/regional associations with NAIS-recognized accreditation, putting SAIS in the same elite cohort as FCIS.

Emerging players

• The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS): TABS is a membership association for boarding schools globally, focused on residential programming, professional development for residential staff, and advocacy. While FCIS serves primarily day schools in Florida, both organizations overlap in supporting independent school leadership and best practices.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS): NAIS is the national umbrella organization for independent schools and the body that formally recognizes state accrediting associations like FCIS. NAIS offers its own PD, advocacy, and data benchmarking (DASL), making it both a partner and a broader-scale incumbent in the same ecosystem.
• Cognia (formerly AdvancED): Cognia is a large-scale, globally recognized accreditation body for K-12 schools (including independent schools) offering institutional accreditation and performance benchmarking. Unlike FCIS's Florida-only, association-led model, Cognia operates as a scaled, multi-region accreditor competing for the same institutional accreditation dollars.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FCISnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/FloridaCouncilofIndependentSchools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/florida-council-of-independent-schools
• Instagraminstagram.com/fcis_news

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Florida Council of Independent Schools