OFIS Ontario Federation of Independent Schools

What OFIS Ontario Federation of Independent Schools does

The Ontario Federation of Independent Schools (OFIS) is a Canadian non-profit membership association representing independent schools across Ontario. Founded in the early 1970s as the Ontario Association of Alternative & Independent Schools (OAAIS) and renamed OFIS in 1991, the organization describes itself as the largest association of independent schools of its kind in Ontario and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024. It serves a deliberately diverse membership spanning traditional, faith-based, progressive, special-needs, special-interest, and community/micro schools.

OFIS's core offerings are organized around a four-tier membership architecture (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) tied to compliance levels, with higher tiers receiving lower per-student rates. Member services include professional development courses, workshops and seminars (including the OFIS Principals Course Part 1, which is open to non-members), an annual Independent School Summit, an exclusive member portal (OFIS Hub) with a job board, advocacy with provincial policy makers, school registration guidance, and research publications. The OFIS Charitable Trust, established in 2012 after OFIS lost its charitable status due to CRA objections to its lobbying, provides bursaries and scholarships for educator training. There is no proprietary technology platform; operations run on a standard website, the member portal, and event-based programming.

Revenue is generated through recurring tiered school membership dues (subscription model) and professional development / event fees (professional services model). Specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. The organization is headquartered at 291A Jane Street, Toronto, Ontario, operates with a small staff of three (Executive Director Amanda Dervaitis, plus Marketing & Events and Administration & Member Support roles), and is governed by a board led by Glen Woolner as President/Board Chair. Its geographic footprint is exclusively Ontario, Canada, with no disclosed expansion into other provinces or countries.

Name

OFIS Ontario Federation of Independent Schools

Legal name

Ontario Federation of Independent Schools

Website

https://ofis.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Ontario Federation of Independent Schools (OFIS) is a non-profit membership association that represents Ontario independent schools through tiered membership, professional development, advocacy, and community programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. School Membership Dues: Independent schools pay membership dues to OFIS, with tiered pricing (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) where higher categories receive lower per-student rates as an incentive for elevated compliance standards.
2. Professional Development Services: OFIS generates revenue through professional development courses, workshops, seminars, and the annual Independent School Summit, which educators and leaders pay to attend.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

OFIS is a non-profit membership association that represents independent schools across Ontario. It provides a tiered membership program (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) along with professional development courses, advocacy with provincial government officials, administrative and policy support, an annual summit, and a charitable trust for educator scholarships.

Product overview

OFIS (Ontario Federation of Independent Schools) is a membership-based association offering a comprehensive portfolio of services for independent schools in Ontario. The organization operates a tiered membership program (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) that provides schools with professional development, administrative support, advocacy, and access to government resources. Core offerings include the OFIS Principals Course Part 1 for school leadership training, the OFIS Member Portal for exclusive resources, the OFIS Charitable Trust for scholarships and bursaries, annual summits and events, school registration guidance, research publications, and a job board. The association serves as a unified voice advocating for parental choice in education and recognition of independent schools' contributions to Ontario's educational landscape.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OFIS Membership Services Tiered membership program (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum levels) providing independent schools with resources, professional development, administrative and policy support, advocacy representation, and access to government education resources. Higher tiers receive lower per-student rates as an incentive for elevated compliance standards.
• Professional Development (Courses, Workshops & Seminars) Educational training programs for educators and school leaders, including summer learning programs, in-person and online seminars, and workshops delivered throughout the year on independent school operations, governance, and management.
• OFIS Principals Course Part 1 Foundational course on Ontario independent school operations, governance, and management; open to all educators and leaders regardless of OFIS membership.
• OFIS Member Portal Online member-exclusive platform providing access to benefits, services, resources, and a job board for school leaders of OFIS member schools.
• OFIS Charitable Trust Charitable trust (Charity Licence Number 83452 3680 RR0001) established to provide financial assistance, bursaries, and scholarships for training teachers and administrators in independent schools.
• School Registration Guidance Step-by-step guidance and resources for registering an independent school in Ontario, including Ontario Ministry of Education requirements and validation process information.
• Advocacy Services Representation of independent schools to provincial policy makers and government officials, lobbying for recognition, rights, parental choice, and access to government education resources.
• Annual Independent School Summit Annual conference bringing together independent school leaders for professional development and networking, featuring guest speakers and research presentations.
• Job Board Employment listings platform connecting independent schools with potential educators and administrators.
• Research & Publications Research reports and publications on independent school topics, including studies on credit mills and sector analysis, used to support OFIS advocacy efforts and inform the membership.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cardus study found that only 38 of 272 flagged independent schools were strongly legitimate, underscoring the importance of association membership for legitimacy.

Named customers1 record

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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CarduscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Cardus is a research organization that produced the 'Can We Call Them Credit Mills?' study (2024) examining the state of credit mills in Ontario's independent school sector. OFIS works with Cardus to provide research and data that supports the legitimacy of member schools and informs advocacy efforts. The study highlights the importance of association membership for distinguishing legitimate schools from credit mills.
• Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAIS is mentioned in the Cardus study as another community-driven, self-regulatory mechanism alongside OFIS. The study suggests the government should study the efficacy of such associations for encouraging higher standards in independent schools.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Ontario Ministry of Education: The primary regulator and policy counterparty for independent schools in Ontario. OFIS positions itself as the bridge between member schools and the Ministry, making the Ministry a key stakeholder (rather than peer) shaping OFIS's operating environment.
• Cardus: Canadian independent research organization that produced the 2024 'Can We Call Them Credit Mills?' study referenced by OFIS. Cardus is a research partner rather than a direct competitor, but its publications directly shape OFIS's value proposition and advocacy framing.

Direct peers

• Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS): National accreditation body for Canadian independent schools. CAIS runs its own rigorous accreditation framework and is explicitly cited in the Cardus 2024 study alongside OFIS as a parallel self-regulatory mechanism for the Ontario independent school sector.
• Canadian Council of Independent Schools (CCIS): National advocacy and umbrella organization for independent schools across Canada. CCIS serves a directly analogous role to OFIS but at the national level, providing OFIS with a natural strategic counterparty and occasional competitive overlap.

Regional players

• Independent Schools Association of British Columbia (ISABC): Provincial-level membership association for independent schools in BC. Operates the same model as OFIS (member schools, accreditation, advocacy) but in a different province — a clear peer for benchmarking and the most direct geographic analogue.
• Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta (AISCA): Provincial membership association for Alberta's independent schools. Provides the same accreditation, advocacy, and professional development function as OFIS in a neighboring province with similar regulatory environment.
• Association of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE): U.S. regional membership association providing accreditation and member services to New England independent schools. Analogous regional-scale model to OFIS for benchmarking purposes.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS): U.S.-based umbrella association for independent schools, offering accreditation, professional development, and advocacy at scale. While U.S.-focused, NAIS is the global benchmark for the OFIS model and competes indirectly for best-practice mindshare among Canadian school leaders.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ofis-ontario

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 OFIS Ontario Federation of Independent Schools