How International School Accreditation Works: CIS, WASC, NEASC and IB Authorisation

Quick Answer: Accreditation is an outside body's judgement that a school meets its standards; IB authorisation is the IB's permission to teach its programmes. They are different things, they take years to earn, and every one of them can be checked online. Here is how each works and what to ask a school.

Two claims appear on almost every international school website: "accredited by" and "an IB World School". They mean different things. Accreditation is an outside agency's judgement that the whole school meets its standards, renewed on a cycle of five to ten years; IB authorisation is the International Baccalaureate's permission to teach one of its programmes, granted per programme after at least a year of candidacy. Neither is given quickly, and both can be verified in a minute on the agency's own website. This guide explains the four bodies that matter most to international school families, CIS, WASC, NEASC and the IB, how each process works, and what to ask.

What does accreditation mean?

An accrediting agency sends a team of educators from other schools to evaluate a school against published standards: governance and leadership, curriculum and teaching, student learning and wellbeing, safeguarding, staffing, facilities and finance. The school first writes a self-study; the team spends several days on site testing it; the agency then grants or withholds accreditation and sets conditions. The award lasts for a fixed term, with reports due in between. The three agencies most international schools use:

Agency	Based	Who it accredits	Cycle	Where to check
Council of International Schools (CIS)	Netherlands	International schools worldwide; also universities	Ten-year cycle with a preliminary visit, self-study, team evaluation and a mid-cycle review	cois.org member directory
Accrediting Commission for Schools, WASC	California	Schools in California, Hawaii, the Pacific and East Asia, plus international schools by application	Application, school description report and initial visit, then candidacy or initial accreditation, then a full self-study and visit; terms of up to six years	acswasc.org directory
NEASC Commission on International Education	Massachusetts	International schools worldwide	About five years from application through foundation standards, a preparatory phase, 12 to 18 months of internal reflection and an external review	neasc.org directory

CIS, NEASC, WASC and the Middle States Association are accreditation partners: one evaluation team can visit using the CIS protocol and each agency awards its own accreditation, which is why so many schools in Asia list "CIS and WASC" or "CIS and NEASC". Cognia (formerly AdvancED) is the other large US accreditor seen at American-curriculum schools, and the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) runs its own Patron's Accreditation for British schools abroad.

How does a school get accredited?

1. Eligibility and membership. The school applies, pays a fee (WASC's application fee is US$500) and shows it meets foundation standards: legal status, safeguarding policies, a governing body, financial stability. CIS admits the school as a member first; NEASC calls this the foundation standards or eligibility phase.
2. Preliminary or initial visit. A small team checks readiness. WASC's commission then decides between initial accreditation, candidacy or refusal; CIS and NEASC move the school into a preparatory or candidate phase.
3. Self-study. Twelve to eighteen months in which the whole staff evaluates the school against every standard and writes it up with evidence. This is the part that changes schools.
4. Team evaluation. Five to ten visiting educators spend a week on site, observe lessons, interview students, parents, staff and board, and write a report with commendations and recommendations.
5. Decision and cycle. The commission grants accreditation for a term, requires progress reports, and returns for a mid-cycle or re-evaluation visit. Losing accreditation is rare but public.

From first application to award typically takes two to four years, which is why a school that opened last year cannot be accredited yet, however good it is. "Candidate for accreditation" is the honest label for that stage.

How does IB authorisation work?

The IB is not an accreditor; it licenses schools to teach its programmes. The authorisation process runs in stages: a consideration phase, a request for candidacy, a candidacy period of at least one full academic year in which the school runs the programme in trial with IB-trained teachers and a programme coordinator, a verification visit by IB evaluators, and the IB's decision. Each of the four programmes (Primary Years, Middle Years, Diploma, Career-related) is authorised separately, so "IB school" can mean a school teaching the Diploma in its last two years only. After authorisation, schools undergo programme evaluation every five years. The IB's Find an IB World School search lists every authorised school and programme; candidate schools may say "IB candidate school" but may not call themselves IB World Schools.

What does none of this guarantee?

Accreditation and authorisation are floors, not rankings. They confirm that an outside team found the school meeting standards at the last visit and that the school is in a cycle of review. They say nothing about fees, class sizes, exam results, the strength of a particular department or whether your child will be happy there. Two schools with identical badges can be very different places. Use the badges to shorten the list, then visit.

What should you ask a school?

• Which agencies accredit you, since when, and when is the next visit? Ask to see the last visiting team's report; accredited schools usually share the summary.
• Which IB programmes are you authorised for, and since when? Check the answer on the IB's school search.
• If you are a candidate, when did candidacy start and when is the verification or full visit scheduled?
• Which national or local registration do you hold? In Singapore that is registration under the Private Education Act; in Thailand a licence from the Office of the Private Education Commission; in Hong Kong registration with the Education Bureau. Accreditation is voluntary; registration is the law.
• Do your exam results come from the board (Cambridge, IB, College Board), with cohort sizes, or from the school's own summary?

Our listings show the accreditations and programmes each school reports; use the curriculum filters to compare IB schools and Cambridge schools, and read how to choose an international school for the rest of the decision.