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Best California Private Schools Belonging to Membership Associations (2025-26)

For the 2025-26 school year, there are 2,417 private schools belonging to membership associations in California.
The most popular school membership associations are Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) (29% of schools), National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) (21% of schools) and Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) (16% of schools).

Top-Ranked California Private Schools by Membership Association (2025-26)

Membership Association
# Schools
# Students
% Minority
Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) or (School of Tomorrow)
60
2,848
57%
Accreditation International
2
123
47%
American Association of Christian Schools (AACS)
21
2,231
59%
American Montessori Society (AMS)
167
21,420
52%
Association for Experiential Education (AEE)
1
181
-
Association Montessori International (AMI)
34
3,416
60%
Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)
14
1,925
45%
Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)
387
98,255
42%
Association of Christian Teachers and Schools (ACTS)
19
4,160
39%
Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS)
15
4,870
35%
Association of Colorado Independent Schools (ACIS)
1
152
53%
Association of Military Colleges and Schools
2
448
64%
Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
1
188
80%
Association of Waldorf Schools of North America
24
4,941
27%
Bilingual School Association
3
907
47%
California Association for the Gifted
5
1,788
30%
California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)
200
69,339
38%
California Association of Private Special Education Schools (CAPSES)
19
1,147
50%
Carden Educational Foundation
3
450
53%
Christian Schools International (CSI)
20
8,138
33%
Cognia
54
9,956
48%
Council of Bilingual Education
12
1,193
52%
Educational Records Bureau
14
4,252
42%
European Council for International Schools
23
4,010
33%
Evangelical Lutheran Education Association (ELEA)
23
3,463
46%
Friends Council on Education (FCE)
3
498
42%
General Conference of SDA Church
2
112
31%
General Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist Church (GCSDAC)
48
6,462
63%
Institute for Independent Education
5
4,422
57%
International Baccalaureate (IB) World School
23
8,171
51%
International Boys Schools Coalition
2
1,072
40%
International Coalition of Girls Schools
4
980
53%
International Montessori Council (IMC)
8
772
60%
Islamic School League of America (ISLA)
13
1,918
67%
Jesuit Schools Network
1
449
100%
Jesuit Secondary Education Association (JSEA)
8
6,840
47%
Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA)
3
207
38%
Mercy Secondary Education Association (MSEA)
1
387
60%
Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools
4
223
41%
National Association for the Education of Young Children
209
25,230
51%
National Association for the Gifted
2
1,380
30%
National Association of College Admissions Counselors
10
6,052
50%
National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES)
28
9,277
50%
National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
272
106,641
40%
National Association of Laboratory Schools
8
739
64%
National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools (NAPCIS)
4
2,237
27%
National Association of Private Schools
3
870
-
National Association of Private Special Education Centers
22
1,419
55%
National Association of Secondary School Principals
1
449
23%
National Catholic Education Association
10
2,377
91%
National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA)
506
159,345
60%
National Christian School Association (NCSA)
6
310
49%
National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools
2
177
89%
National Coalition of Boys Schools
1
163
88%
National Coalition of Girls
12
4,095
47%
National Council for Private School Accreditation
10
1,892
70%
National Honor Society (NHS)
5
4,128
45%
National Independent Private Schools Association
56
14,512
61%
National Junior Honor Society (NJHS)
1
2,210
-
National Lutheran Schools Accreditation
26
7,822
41%
National Middle School Association
1
707
55%
National Society of Hebrew Day Schools (NSHDS)
12
4,025
20%
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
1
254
-
New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS)
1
-
-
Not Available (School did not report any membership associatons).
6
559
40%
Oral Roberts University Educational Fellowship (ORUEF)
2
144
48%
Orton Gillingham Academy of Practioners and Educators
1
420
40%
Other associations(s) for exceptional children
31
4,568
58%
Other Montessori association(s)
94
10,997
48%
Other religious school association(s)
141
31,275
45%
Other school association(s)
318
64,582
53%
Other special emphasis association(s)
92
19,469
40%
Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools
3
903
4%
Solomon Schechter Day Schools (SSDS)
4
1,845
7%
Southern Association of Independent Schools
1
1,429
39%
Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools (SBACS)
12
1,510
41%
State or regional independent school association
57
17,203
44%
The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS)
18
5,872
49%
The French school system abroad (AEFE)
1
-
-
The Jewish Community Day School Association (SSDSA)
2
493
35%
Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America
13
2,896
25%
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
706
232,981
47%
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod School Accreditation (WELSSA)
3
327
23%

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