ccis

What ccis does

The California Consortium for Independent Study (CCIS) is a nonprofit professional membership organization serving K-12 independent study programs across California. It represents over 300 schools and programs that collectively educate more than 200,000 independent learners, with membership drawn from teachers, administrators, and counselors working in public school districts, county offices, and charter schools. CCIS's core purpose is to help members navigate California's complex independent study laws, compliance requirements (attendance accounting, written agreements, work samples, audit records), and ongoing legislative changes through state-level advocacy.

CCIS's product surface is built around three operational pillars: (1) an annual Winter Conference (held in February, rotating between Bay Area and San Diego venues such as Hyatt Regency SFO and Sheraton San Diego Marina) that attracts 300-450 attendees with expert-led sessions, workshops, and an exhibit hall; (2) a recurring webinar series featuring compliance Q&A sessions conducted by board members and subject experts; and (3) a proprietary content library including a compliance manual, legal guides, toolkits, and best-practice documentation tailored specifically to California independent study requirements. The organization does not operate a software or technology platform.

CCIS's revenue model combines two streams. The primary monetization layer is a tiered vendor sponsorship program that sells access to conference attendees and webinar audiences to educational product/service vendors — Platinum ($3,000), Diamond ($2,000), Gold ($1,000), Silver ($750), plus a $500 Gold Webinar Sponsorship, with add-on presentation slots available. Active flagship sponsors include Edmentum and Imagine Learning (Platinum), with FlexPoint Education, Scout, and Bright Thinker at Diamond and Accelerate Education, Achievium Pulse, BYU Independent Study, eDynamic Learning, and School Pathways at Gold. The secondary stream is voluntary membership dues from educator members, though individual fee levels are not publicly disclosed. The organization operates with a small staff (1-10 employees) from a Sacramento mailing address and distributes content through its website, email newsletter, Facebook, and X/Twitter channels.

Name

ccis

Legal name

California Consortium for Independent Study

Website

https://ccis.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CCIS is a California nonprofit professional membership organization serving 300+ K-12 independent study programs and 200,000+ learners. It delivers compliance resources, annual conferences, webinars, and state-level legislative advocacy for independent study educators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Advocacy and Professional Development Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Services (611)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD) (EDAAALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Independent study advocacy
• K-12 education compliance
• Professional development conferences
• Educator membership organization
• Education policy advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Conference Revenue: Revenue generated from annual Winter Conference vendor sponsorships, exhibit booth fees, and conference registrations. Vendor partnership packages range from $750 (Silver) to $3,000 (Platinum), with additional add-ons for presentations.
2. Membership Dues: Voluntary organization of teachers, administrators, and counselors supporting independent study programs. Revenue derived from membership fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CCIS is a voluntary professional membership organization serving teachers, administrators, and counselors in California independent study programs. It delivers advocacy, compliance resources, annual conferences, training workshops, and Q&A webinars tailored to independent study education. The organization also runs a tiered vendor sponsorship program connecting educational product and service providers with independent study decision-makers.

Product overview

CCIS (California Consortium for Independent Study) is a professional membership organization that provides advocacy, professional development resources, and compliance support for independent study programs across California. Rather than offering a software product platform, CCIS delivers services including annual conferences, training workshops, webinars, legal and compliance resources, and an advocacy network for educators. The organization also facilitates a vendor partnership program connecting educational service providers with independent study programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Winter Conference
• Compliance Manual
• Q&A Compliance Webinars
• CCIS Membership
• Vendor Sponsorship Program

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.

• EdmentumflagshipOthersPlatinum vendor sponsor providing educational technology solutions for independent study programs. Edmentum offers courseware and online learning platforms that align with independent study needs.
• Imagine LearningflagshipOthersPlatinum vendor sponsor providing digital learning solutions including literacy, language, and early learning programs for independent study students.
• FlexPoint EducationcoreOthersDiamond vendor sponsor offering online course solutions for independent study and alternative education programs.
• ScoutcoreOthersDiamond vendor sponsor providing educational platform solutions for independent study programs.
• Bright ThinkercoreOthersDiamond vendor sponsor providing online curriculum and educational resources for independent study.
• Accelerate EducationsupportingOthersGold vendor sponsor providing educational programs and services for independent study students.
• Achievium PulsesupportingOthersGold vendor sponsor offering accountability and analytics tools for education.
• BYU Independent Study (BYU IS)supportingOthersGold vendor sponsor providing independent study course options through BYU's distance learning program.
• eDynamic LearningsupportingOthersGold vendor sponsor offering elective courses and career education programs for independent study.
• School PathwayssupportingOthersGold vendor sponsor providing student information systems and education management software.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National Education Association (NEA): The largest U.S. teacher union and professional association with millions of members. While not specific to that delivery model, NEA operates a parallel membership and advocacy model serving K-12 educators, including those in alternative and independent study settings, making it a broad incumbent comparable.
• K12 Inc (Stride): Large online learning and full-time virtual school operator serving K-12 students nationwide. Stride is a broad incumbent in the same online/independent study category, operating at scale with curriculum, instruction, and compliance systems that overlap with what CCIS member programs deliver.
• AASA (School Superintendents Association): National professional association for school superintendents and district leaders. AASA operates parallel advocacy, conferences, and professional development services to CCIS, but at national scale and for district leadership broadly rather than independent study specialists.

Regional players

• California Teachers Association (CTA): State-level professional and labor organization representing California educators. CTA operates the same membership, advocacy, and professional development model as CCIS, but at a much larger scale and across all K-12 delivery models rather than specializing in independent study.
• Association of California School Administrators (ACSA): California professional association for school administrators, offering advocacy, conferences, and professional development. ACSA shares CCIS's member-based model and California focus but serves administrators broadly across all school types rather than specializing in independent study.
• California School Boards Association (CSBA): California membership association for school board governance, policy, and advocacy. CSBA shares CCIS's California focus, advocacy orientation, and member-based service model, although its audience is governance leaders rather than independent study educators.

Direct peers

• Edmentum: Leading education technology provider offering online coursework and learning platforms used in independent study and alternative education programs. Edmentum is both a CCIS Platinum sponsor and a comparable ecosystem player serving the same K-12 independent study programs with curriculum and delivery infrastructure.
• Imagine Learning: Digital learning provider serving K-12 students with literacy, language, and core curriculum solutions. Imagine Learning is a CCIS Platinum sponsor and operates in the same independent study ecosystem, supporting many of the same districts and programs.
• BYU Independent Study: One of the largest independent study providers in the U.S., offering accredited distance-learning courses to K-12 and adult learners. BYU IS is a CCIS Gold sponsor and serves the same independent study audience through a directly overlapping course catalog and delivery model.
• Florida Virtual School (FLVS): State-sponsored online and blended learning provider serving K-12 students. FLVS operates a delivery model directly comparable to the independent study programs CCIS supports, including course catalogs, teacher support, and compliance infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ccisfuture
• Facebookfacebook.com/CCIS4Schools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/college-consortium-for-international-studies-ccis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 ccis