Ontario Principals' Council

What Ontario Principals' Council does

Ontario Principals' Council (OPC) is a voluntary nonprofit professional association established in 1998 that represents approximately 5,500 principals and vice-principals in Ontario's public elementary and secondary schools. Headquartered at 20 Queen Street West in Toronto, OPC delivers a bundled membership offering that includes Protective Services for employment matters, professional advice from former principals, an award-winning digital magazine (The Register, published three times per year), a group benefits plan, member discounts, and member-only web resources. Its core product surface is Professional Learning, encompassing Additional Qualifications (AQs) accredited through the Ontario College of Teachers, the Principal's Qualification Program (PQP), the Emerging Leader Development Program (ELDP), Leadership Coaching, the New Leader Support Program, the Starling Minds mental fitness program, webinars, workshops, book clubs, the Article Discussion Series, and the annual OPCLeadLearn Conference. Supporting offerings include international Education Study Tours, meeting room rentals at the Toronto office, and magazine advertising.

The underlying technology footprint is operational rather than product-led: an online learning management system for self-directed and facilitated courses, a member portal (app.principals.ca), and standard hybrid-meeting integrations (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace) for room rentals. No proprietary AI, SDK, or API platform is disclosed; AI appears only as a curated topic and an externally developed chatbot from Wilfrid Laurier University researchers.

OPC's revenue model is multi-stream and member-funded: recurring annual membership fees, professional learning program fees (with member/non-member rate differentials), international study tour fees at $1,275-$1,525 CAD per participant, meeting room rentals ($300-$500 CAD per day plus HST), and advertising in The Register. Go-to-market is community-led through district-based outreach, the annual conference, professional learning networks, and an active multi-platform social presence. Customer segments include primary principals/vice-principals, an Associate tier (retirees and education-interested individuals), and a specialized Indigenous Community Schools administrator segment. No parent company, external funding, or M&A activity is present; the organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by an Executive Director with an ~18-person professional staff plus consultants.

Name

Ontario Principals' Council

Legal name

Ontario Principals' Council

Website

https://www.principals.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ontario Principals' Council is a nonprofit professional association serving approximately 5,500 Ontario public school principals and vice-principals with protective services, accredited professional learning, the Register magazine, and member benefits, funded by annual dues and program fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Leadership Professional Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

School Leader / Administrator Certification & Licensure Boards (EDADAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Executive Leadership & Cabinet Administration (EDADAKAA)

Keywords

• Education leadership association
• Professional learning programs
• School administrator services
• Protective employment services
• Membership association services

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: OPC generates revenue through annual membership fees from principals and vice-principals in Ontario's public schools. Membership fees provide access to protective services, professional learning, publications, and member discounts.
2. Professional Learning Programs: Revenue from Additional Qualifications (AQ) programs, Principal's Qualification Program (PQP), workshops, seminars, and other professional development offerings. Programs are offered at member and non-member rates.
3. Education Study Tours: Customized five-day education study tours for international educators wanting to learn from the Ontario education system. Pricing ranges from $1,275-$1,525 CAD per participant for groups of 15-25 participants.
4. Meeting Room Rentals: OPC rents meeting spaces at their Toronto office to education partners. Large Training Room at $500/day + HST, Board Room at $300/day + HST.
5. The Register Magazine Advertising: The award-winning professional magazine publishes digitally three times yearly and accepts advertising from education-related businesses and organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ontario Principals' Council is a voluntary professional association that delivers protective services (legal and employment support), professional learning programs (Additional Qualifications, Principal's Qualification Program, Emerging Leader Development Program, Leadership Coaching), publications (The Register magazine), and member benefits (group benefits plan, discounts, networking) to approximately 5,500 principals and vice-principals in Ontario's public schools. The organization also operates international education study tours, board-level partnership programs, and meeting room rentals at its Toronto headquarters.

Product overview

Ontario Principals' Council is a voluntary professional association offering a unified platform of services for Ontario's public school principals and vice-principals. The core offerings include Protective Services (legal and employment support), Professional Learning (comprehensive professional development including Additional Qualifications, the Emerging Leader Development Program, Leadership Coaching, and the annual OPCLeadLearn Conference), The Register Magazine (award-winning quarterly publication), and Membership benefits (group benefits plan, discounts, and member resources). Supporting products include Education Study Tours, Book Clubs, Article Discussion Series, Webinars, the Starling Minds Mental Fitness Program, Meeting Room Rentals, and the Associate membership category. The organization provides structured pathways from aspiring leaders through experienced administrators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program Voluntary professional association membership for principals and vice-principals in Ontario public schools, providing protective services, professional advice, resources, professional learning discounts, and group benefits eligibility.
• Protective Services Legal and employment support services for principals and vice-principals, including employment contract review and protective services coverage.
• Professional Learning A comprehensive department offering professional development opportunities for principals and vice-principals, including Additional Qualifications, workshops, webinars, conferences, coaching, study tours, and self-directed learning.
• Emerging Leader Development Program (ELDP) Program designed to prepare teachers for transition to school administrator roles, featuring eleven five-hour online modules facilitated by practising principals covering topics including instructional leadership, equity stance, legal duties, and data-informed decision making.
• Additional Qualifications (AQs) AQ programs accredited through the Ontario College of Teachers including Education Law, Equitable and Inclusive Schools, Mentoring, Principal's Development Course, Principal's Qualification Program, Special Education, and Supervisory Officer's Qualification Programs.
• Education Study Tours Five-day customized programs for educators to understand and gain insights from the Ontario education experience, including school visits, district sessions, and professional learning workshops.
• The Register Magazine Award-winning professional magazine published digitally three times yearly (October, February, May), offering coverage on topics and issues that school leaders face.
• Book Clubs Peer-facilitated co-learning sessions where OPC Members and Associates explore and discuss key concepts from chosen books on educational leadership.
• Article Discussion Series Free professional learning series (partnership with CPCO and Learning Forward Ontario) engaging school leaders in conversations on emerging issues in educational leadership in a VUCA world.
• OPC Group Benefits Plan Group benefits plan available to eligible OPC members working for participating school boards.
• OPCLeadLearn Annual Conference Annual conference for Ontario principals featuring workshops, speakers, and networking opportunities, held October 22-23.
• Leadership Coaching Professional coaching program supporting leadership development for school administrators.
• Starling Minds Mental Fitness Program Mental fitness program designed specifically for school administrators, providing access to mental health resources and support.
• Webinars Online professional learning sessions on various educational leadership topics.
• New Leader Support Program Program providing support for newly appointed principals and vice-principals.
• Meeting Room Rentals Rental of meeting spaces at the OPC Toronto office for education partners, with various configurations and hybrid meeting capabilities including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Workspace support.
• Associate of OPC Membership category for individuals not eligible for full OPC membership, providing access to certain resources and discounts, including retirees, those on leave, and individuals with interest in education.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,500 members representing Ontario school leaders
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Catholic Principals Council of Ontario (CPCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint sponsorship of the Article Discussion Series - a professional learning initiative bringing together school leaders from different education sectors to discuss emerging leadership topics.
• Learning Forward OntariocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint sponsorship of the Article Discussion Series with OPC and Catholic Principals Council of Ontario to engage school leaders in conversations related to emerging issues in educational leadership.
• Ontario College of Teachers (OCT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPC members operate within the ethical guidelines of the Ontario College of Teachers. OPC AQ programs are accredited through OCT.
• Toronto District School Board (TDSB)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMost school visits for education study tours are arranged with the Toronto District School Board. OPC has access to other districts in the province as well.
• Ontario Ministry of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation study tours include information sessions with the Ontario Ministry of Education as part of the programming.
• Education Quality and Assessment Office (EQAO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresentations from governing agencies including EQAO as part of education study tour programming.
• The Cadillac Fairview CentreminorOthersOPC office space is located at The Cadillac Fairview Centre. Meeting room rentals are available to other Cadillac Fairview tenants.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Association of California School Administrators (ACSA): ACSA is a statewide professional association for California school administrators, offering training, advocacy, and member services similar to OPC. It operates in a different geography but with a directly comparable member-based service model for school leaders.

Direct peers

• Learning Forward (formerly National Staff Development Council): Learning Forward is an international professional association focused on professional learning for educators, including school leaders. OPC's Article Discussion Series is co-sponsored with Learning Forward Ontario, making it a close peer in the professional learning and standards category.
• National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP): NAESP is the U.S. national professional association for pre-K through grade 3 (and in some structures, elementary) principals, offering professional learning, advocacy, and member benefits. It is functionally equivalent to OPC at a national U.S. scale and a strong structural comparison for benchmarking OPC's service mix.
• National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP): NASSP is the U.S. national association for middle and high school principals, providing professional development, advocacy, and student leadership programs. It is a direct functional peer to OPC's secondary-school-facing activities at a larger U.S. geographic scale.
• British Columbia Principals' & Vice-Principals' Association (BCPVPA): BCPVPA is the professional association serving principals and vice-principals in British Columbia's public schools. It operates a very similar membership-based model with protective services, professional learning, and advocacy, making it the most analogous cross-provincial peer to OPC.
• Catholic Principals Council of Ontario (CPCO): CPCO is the voluntary professional association representing principals and vice-principals in Ontario's publicly funded Catholic school system. It is the closest direct peer to OPC, operating a parallel membership, professional learning, and protective services model for an adjacent but distinct principal population, and even co-sponsors the Article Discussion Series with OPC.

Others

• Ontario Teachers' Federation (OTF): OTF is the umbrella federation for Ontario's teacher federations. While its members are explicitly ineligible for OPC membership, OTF is an adjacent ecosystem player whose policy positions, professional development offerings, and collective bargaining outcomes directly affect OPC's member principals.
• Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA): OPSBA represents Ontario's public school boards rather than individual administrators, but it is a closely adjacent stakeholder with overlapping policy advocacy, professional development convening, and government relations work that touches OPC's member base.
• Education Quality and Assessment Office (EQAO): EQAO is Ontario's provincial student assessment agency and a partner in OPC's education study tour programming. It is an adjacent public-sector body with overlapping educator engagement, but it does not directly compete with OPC's member services.
• Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE): CODE represents Ontario's Directors of Education (superintendents) and works with the Ministry of Education on policy and professional matters. It is adjacent to OPC's principal-focused mission but covers the leadership tier above principals, making it a thematically related peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/OPCouncil
• Facebookfacebook.com/OntarioPrincipalsCouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ontario-principals%27-council/?originalSubdomain=ca
• Instagraminstagram.com/opcouncil

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Ontario Principals' Council