CAIS

The Canadian Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) was established in 1981 as a national network of member schools supporting collaborative initiatives in leadership, education, management, and governance. Its key activities included organizing, coordinating, and facilitating conferences, benchmarking, senior management compensation surveys, and advocacy.

In 1986, the Canadian Educational Standards Institute (CESI) was established as an organization to develop and promote educational excellence and school improvement in independent schools. CESI's key activities included establishing national Standards/Best Practices and an accreditation process, conducting 10 accreditation visits per year, and conducting research and targeted professional learning. Their policies were available for reading.

In October 2009, CAIS and CESI held votes at their Annual General Meetings to create a new national organization. After extensive consultation with its membership, the organization changed its name to Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) in February 2010.

Today, CAIS comprises over 95 schools, all of which commit to undergoing a reflective and collaborative school improvement process, meeting National Standards, and participating in research and professional learning.