Canadian School Boards Association

What Canadian School Boards Association does

The Canadian School Boards Association (CSBA) is a non-profit professional association founded in 1923 that serves as the national advocacy body for publicly funded K-12 education and locally elected school boards in Canada. It operates as a federated membership organization representing 9 provincial and territorial school board member associations, which collectively cover 244 elected boards of education serving approximately 4 million elementary and secondary students. CSBA's primary functions are federal-level advocacy directed at MPs, Senators, and senior government staff, knowledge-sharing and professional development for elected trustees, and coordination on reconciliation with Indigenous communities. The association is governed by a Board of Directors drawn from member associations, with elected President and Vice-President positions; in 2026, Shali Baziuk was elected President for a first term and Dr. Shawn Davidson was acclaimed Vice President for a second term, succeeding Alan Campbell.

CSBA's product surface is centered on advocacy, events, and publications rather than technology or software. Core offerings include the annual National Trustees Gathering on Education, Innovation and Reconciliation (a multi-day conference), the National Reconciliation Partnership Award (a $10,000 annual award co-developed with the Assembly of First Nations), recurring publications (annual reports, President's Bulletins, AGM materials, Brant Report on Indigenous Education), and the FSL Bursaries program providing $3,000 bursaries for post-secondary French-language studies. The 2026-2032 Strategic Plan formalizes three priorities: Advocacy and Public Leadership, Reconciliation and Indigenous Partnerships, and Contextualizing Education within Health and Wellness Mandates. CSBA launched a refreshed brand identity with a new logo in November 2025.

The revenue model is membership-based: CSBA is funded by dues from its 9 member associations, supplemented by event activity and program-specific funding. CSBA does not publicly disclose revenue. The organization is governed under the laws of Ontario, is headquartered in Montréal, and operates with 1-10 employees per its stated headcount. There is no venture capital, private equity, or institutional investment ownership; CSBA is wholly member-driven. Recent strategic activity has emphasized expanding territorial membership (Yellowknife Education District No. 1 joined in 2024), coalition-building on national school food programs, and modernizing the brand.

Name

Canadian School Boards Association

Legal name

Canadian School Boards Association

Website

https://cdnsba.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Canadian School Boards Association is a non-profit professional association founded in 1923 that represents 9 provincial and territorial school board member associations, collectively advocating for 244 elected school boards serving approximately 4 million K-12 students across Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Governance Advocacy

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Elected School Boards & Governance Councils (EDADABAE)

Keywords

• Education governance advocacy
• School board representation
• Public education policy
• K-12 education association
• Professional association membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Canadian School Boards Association (CSBA) is a national professional association representing 9 provincial and territorial school board member associations, collectively representing 244 elected school boards serving approximately 4 million elementary and secondary school students across Canada. CSBA delivers federal advocacy for publicly funded education and locally elected school boards, produces publications including annual reports and President's Bulletins, hosts annual conferences (National Trustees Gathering on Education, Innovation and Reconciliation), administers the National Reconciliation Partnership Award, and operates the FSL Bursaries program.

Product overview

CSBA is a professional association representing provincial school boards associations across Canada. Rather than offering commercial products, CSBA provides advocacy services, professional development events (including the annual National Trustees Gathering), publications (annual reports, President's Bulletins), awards (National Reconciliation Partnership Award), and educational bursaries. CSBA does not offer a software platform or SaaS product - its offerings are centered on advocacy leadership, member services, and national events for education governance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advocacy and Public Leadership Services

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered notable and core.

• Coalition for Healthy School FoodnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Coalition of 280+ non-profit member organizations and 130 endorsers advocating for universal school food access. CSBA is a member, working to advance National School Food Program implementation.
• ACEPOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation representing English-language school boards in Quebec's francization context. Serves as member organization of CSBA representing provincial school board interests.
• Alberta School Boards AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember association representing school boards in Alberta. Participates in CSBA advocacy and governance initiatives.
• Assembly of First NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey Indigenous partner assisting with development of scope and criteria for the National Reconciliation Partnership Award and participating in recipient selection. Represents First Nations education interests nationally.
• British Columbia School Trustees AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember association hosting CSBA 2026 Trustee Gathering in Whistler, BC. Represents school trustees in British Columbia.
• Conseil Scolaire Acadien ProvincialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember association representing French-language school boards in Nova Scotia. Supports CSBA's mandate for inclusive education governance.
• Manitoba School Boards AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember association representing school boards in Manitoba. Participates in national advocacy efforts and events.
• Ontario Public School Boards AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember association representing public school boards in Ontario. Hosted 2024 National Trustees Gathering on Indigenous Education and CSBA Congress in Toronto.
• Quebec English School Boards AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember association representing English-language school boards in Quebec. Supports CSBA advocacy activities.
• Saskatchewan School Boards AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember association representing school boards in Saskatchewan. Will host CSBA 2027 Trustee Gathering.
• Yellowknife Education District No. 1 (YK1)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthern education authority admitted as new member in 2024. Represents school boards in Yellowknife region of Northwest Territories.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Assembly of First Nations: National Indigenous advocacy organization. Strategic partner of CSBA on reconciliation initiatives and co-developer of the National Reconciliation Partnership Award criteria — not a competing association but an adjacent ecosystem participant.

Direct peers

• Alberta School Boards Association: Provincial school board association in Alberta providing governance, advocacy, and trustee services. Direct structural counterpart to CSBA at the provincial level.
• National School Boards Association: US-based national association representing public school boards and advocating for K-12 public education at the federal level. Most direct structural counterpart to CSBA in terms of mandate, governance representation, and federal advocacy role.
• Canadian Teachers' Federation: National federation of teachers' unions and teacher organizations across Canada. Parallel national education stakeholder representing educators rather than trustees, operating in the same federal advocacy environment as CSBA.
• Canadian Education Association: National education organization focused on K-12 research, policy, and leadership. Comparable mandate to advance public education discourse and convene education leaders across Canada.
• Ontario Public School Boards Association: Provincial school board association representing Ontario public school boards. Both a CSBA member and a structurally similar peer organization focused on provincial-level school board advocacy and governance.
• British Columbia School Trustees Association: Provincial association representing BC school trustees. Comparable mandate in governance support, professional development, and advocacy at the provincial level; also a CSBA member and host of the 2026 Trustee Gathering.
• Council of Ministers of Education, Canada: Intergovernmental body of provincial/territorial education ministers. Comparable national convening role in Canadian education governance, though focused on ministers rather than elected trustees.

Emerging players

• Canadian Federation of Independent Schools: National association for independent K-12 schools in Canada. Adjacent in the K-12 education governance space, serving a parallel but distinct (independent vs. public) constituency.

Broad incumbents

• Education International: Global federation of teachers' unions and education professionals. Operates broadly in education governance and policy advocacy internationally, of which CTF is a member; comparable in function to a national-level CSBA peer at global scale.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cdnsba
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMiLkAwn-VFdOXl1cRK-KeA?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/cdnsba
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canadian-school-boards-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Canadian School Boards Association