CLEVELAND COUNCIL OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

What CLEVELAND COUNCIL OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS does

Cleveland Council of Independent Schools (CCIS) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) consortium founded in 1967 to promote cooperation among independent schools in Northeast Ohio. The organization serves as a regional council connecting 20 member schools — including coed day schools, single-sex day schools, Montessori programs, boarding schools, a Jewish day school, and a school dedicated to students with learning differences — that collectively educate more than 10,000 students. CCIS's membership services span a centralized school directory, coordinated admissions calendar and notification dates, financial aid and admissions testing resources, a job postings platform, and an extensive professional development infrastructure anchored by 32+ affinity groups (admissions, HR, technology, diversity, athletics, college counseling, and more) supported through listservs, recordings, and committee work. The organization also facilitates cross-school student-facing events such as middle school socials and a Lego Robotics competition.

Underlying technology is deliberately lightweight: CCIS does not develop proprietary products. It runs on the Finalsite website platform for public-facing communications and directory infrastructure, and provides member-facing connections to established third-party tools including the ISEE and SSAT admissions exams, SSS by NAIS and Clarity for financial aid assessment, and MapMe for virtual tours. There is no disclosed proprietary AI/ML capability.

CCIS generates revenue through annual membership dues paid by its 20 institutional members. Dues are assessed each fiscal year (July 1 start) according to school size, with specific tier rates not publicly disclosed and set by the Board of Directors. Governance is via a Board drawn from member schools, with a lean three-person staff consisting of a Director (Alison McCloskey), a Business Manager (Robin Chandler), and an Accountant (Pam Plott). Membership eligibility requires 501(c)(3) status, three or more years of operation, an independent governing board, and a commitment to accreditation through ISACS or a comparable body; provisional membership may be granted for schools working toward accreditation. The organization sustains strategic alignment with NAIS, ISACS, OAIS, AISAP, CASE, and the Enrollment Management Association.

Name

CLEVELAND COUNCIL OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

Legal name

Cleveland Council of Independent Schools

Website

https://ccis-ohio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Cleveland Council of Independent Schools is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) consortium founded in 1967 that supports and promotes independent education for 20 member schools and over 10,000 students across Northeast Ohio through shared admissions, professional development, and affinity group services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Education Membership Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAJACAB

Independent Charter Schools (Single-Site)

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/Charter K–12 Schools

Keywords

• Independent school consortium
• Membership education services
• School admissions coordination
• Professional development networks
• School accreditation support

Headquarters

HQ city

Windsor

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CCIS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that generates revenue through annual membership dues assessed to member schools based on size. Membership dues are due by August 15th following the fiscal year starting July 1st.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CCIS is a nonprofit membership consortium that brings together 20 independent schools in Northeast Ohio under a shared collaborative framework. Its core offering is the membership itself, priced as annual dues based on school size, which grants access to a unified school directory, coordinated admissions processes, 32+ professional affinity groups, shared ISACS/NAIS-aligned standards, a centralized job posting platform, and collective advocacy for independent education.

Product overview

CCIS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1967 that serves as a cooperative council for independent schools in Northeast Ohio. The organization provides a unified network of over 20 member schools serving more than 10,000 students. Rather than a traditional product portfolio, CCIS offers membership services including a shared member school network, centralized admissions resources with entrance exam and financial aid guidance, affinity group professional communities, event coordination, job posting platform, and ISACS/NAIS standards compliance resources. The member schools themselves represent diverse educational approaches (Montessori, traditional, progressive, classical, faith-based, secular, single-sex, coeducational, day and boarding) serving students from toddlers through high school.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CCIS Member School Network A membership network of over 20 independent schools in Northeast Ohio serving more than 10,000 students, providing families access to diverse educational approaches including Montessori, traditional, progressive, classical, faith-based, secular, single-sex, coeducational, day, and boarding options.
• Admissions Resources Centralized admission resources including calendar, member school directory with contact information, acceptance notification dates, and guidance on entrance exams (ISEE, SSAT) and financial aid applications.
• Affinity Groups Professional networks and committees for CCIS member school staff including Human Resources, Admissions, Technology, Diversity, Athletics, College Counselors, and 20+ other professional communities for collaboration and best practice sharing.
• Calendar and Events Event coordination including affinity group meetings, middle school socials, admission events, and professional development opportunities across member schools.
• ISACS/NAIS Standards Resources Professional standards and hiring process guidelines from ISACS and NAIS that member schools adhere to, including Principles of Good Practice for admissions and employment.
• Job Postings Platform Centralized listing of employment opportunities across member independent schools including teaching positions, administrative roles, and support staff positions.
• Member Schools Directory Comprehensive listing of CCIS member schools with detailed information including grade levels, educational approaches, contact information, addresses, and membership tenure.

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAIS is a national association providing principles of good practice for hiring and admissions that CCIS adopts and promotes among member schools. CCIS references NAIS hiring processes and admission principles as best practices for member schools.
• Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISACS is the regional accrediting organization for independent schools. CCIS membership requires schools to belong to ISACS or comparable accrediting organization. CCIS references ISACS Principles of Good Practice for admissions and employment.
• Ohio Association of Independent Schools (OAIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOAIS is the state-level association for independent schools in Ohio. CCIS maintains a quicklink connection to OAIS and collaborates on advancing independent education in Ohio.
• Enrollment Management AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced in CCIS Resources as an advancement association for enrollment management professionals, providing guidance on financial aid processes.
• Association of Independent School Admission Professionals (AISAP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced in CCIS Resources as the professional association for independent school admission professionals.
• Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced in CCIS Resources for advancement and support of education professionals.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ohio Association of Independent Schools (OAIS): The state-level association for independent schools in Ohio. OAIS is a direct peer to CCIS — both serve overlapping memberships of Ohio independent schools with collaboration and advocacy missions, though OAIS operates statewide while CCIS focuses on Northeast Ohio.

Broad incumbents

• Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE): A global nonprofit serving advancement professionals in education. CASE is a broad incumbent whose advancement, alumni, and fundraising resources complement CCIS's affinity group programming for member school staff.
• Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS): The regional accrediting body serving independent schools across the central United States. ISACS is a broad incumbent peer — it operates at a larger geographic scale than CCIS and provides accreditation that CCIS member schools must obtain.
• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS): The preeminent national membership association for independent schools in the US. NAIS is a broad incumbent whose Principles of Good Practice CCIS directly adopts and promotes — comparable mission (supporting independent schools) at vastly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Enrollment Management Association: The organization administering the ISEE and SSAT entrance exams used in independent school admissions. Enrollment Management Association is a niche peer whose financial aid and testing tools CCIS explicitly references and channels member families toward.
• The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS): An international membership association for boarding schools. TABS is an emerging/niche peer that overlaps with CCIS's boarding school members (e.g., Andrews Osborne, Western Reserve, Gilmour) but specializes in the boarding subset of independent education.
• Association of Independent School Admission Professionals (AISAP): The professional association for independent school admission professionals. AISAP is an emerging/niche peer that overlaps with CCIS's admissions-coordination role for member schools, but focuses specifically on the admissions function rather than whole-school collaboration.

Regional players

• Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS): The state-level association serving independent schools in Pennsylvania. PAIS is a regional peer operating an analogous state-level consortium model — comparable organizational structure and member services but serving a different geography than CCIS's Northeast Ohio footprint.
• New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS): The state association for independent schools in New Jersey. NJAIS is a regional peer offering accreditation support and member services — directly analogous to CCIS's role but in an adjacent mid-Atlantic geography.
• Michigan Independent Schools Foundation: An organization supporting independent schools across Michigan. It is a regional peer operating a similar statewide consortium structure — comparable mission and member-services focus, but in a different geography than CCIS.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CCISalison
• Facebookfacebook.com/Cleveland-Council-of-Independent-Schools-101542511433456
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cleveland-council-of-independent-schools

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CLEVELAND COUNCIL OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS