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Best California Private Schools Belonging to Membership Associations (2026)

For the 2026 school year, there are 2,403 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).

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Top-Ranked California Private Schools by Membership Association (2026)

Membership Association

# Schools

# Students

% Minority

Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) or (School of Tomorrow)

2,848

57%

Accreditation International

123

47%

American Association of Christian Schools (AACS)

2,231

59%

American Montessori Society (AMS)

165

21,119

52%

Association for Experiential Education (AEE)

181

Association Montessori International (AMI)

3,288

60%

Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)

1,925

45%

Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)

384

97,989

42%

Association of Christian Teachers and Schools (ACTS)

4,062

39%

Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS)

4,880

35%

Association of LD Schools (ALDS)

Association of Military Colleges and Schools

448

64%

Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)

188

80%

Association of Waldorf Schools of North America

4,945

27%

Bilingual School Association

834

61%

California Association for the Gifted

1,788

30%

California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)

201

69,900

38%

California Association of Private Special Education Schools (CAPSES)

1,052

50%

Carden Educational Foundation

450

53%

Christian Schools International (CSI)

8,138

33%

Cognia

10,808

42%

Council of Bilingual Education

1,193

65%

Educational Records Bureau

4,252

42%

European Council for International Schools

4,015

33%

Evangelical Lutheran Education Association (ELEA)

3,463

46%

Friends Council on Education (FCE)

498

42%

General Conference of SDA Church

112

31%

General Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist Church (GCSDAC)

6,462

63%

Institute for Independent Education

4,422

57%

International Baccalaureate (IB) World School

8,171

53%

International Boys Schools Coalition

1,072

40%

International Coalition of Girls Schools

980

57%

International Montessori Council (IMC)

772

60%

Islamic School League of America (ISLA)

1,918

67%

Jesuit Schools Network

449

100%

Jesuit Secondary Education Association (JSEA)

6,748

47%

Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA)

207

38%

Mercy Secondary Education Association (MSEA)

387

60%

Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools

223

41%

National Association for the Education of Young Children

209

25,519

51%

National Association for the Gifted

1,380

30%

National Association of College Admissions Counselors

6,052

50%

National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES)

9,277

50%

National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)

273

107,565

40%

National Association of Laboratory Schools

739

64%

National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools (NAPCIS)

2,275

28%

National Association of Private Schools

870

National Association of Private Special Education Centers

1,419

55%

National Association of Secondary School Principals

449

23%

National Catholic Education Association

2,377

91%

National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA)

505

159,006

60%

National Christian School Association (NCSA)

310

49%

National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools

177

89%

National Coalition of Boys Schools

163

88%

National Coalition of Girls

4,095

47%

National Council for Private School Accreditation

1,895

70%

National Honor Society (NHS)

4,998

45%

National Independent Private Schools Association

14,491

61%

National Junior Honor Society (NJHS)

3,080

National Lutheran Schools Accreditation

7,822

41%

National Middle School Association

707

55%

National Society of Hebrew Day Schools (NSHDS)

4,025

20%

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

254

New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS)

Not Available (School did not report any membership associatons).

497

43%

Oral Roberts University Educational Fellowship (ORUEF)

144

48%

Orton Gillingham Academy of Practioners and Educators

420

40%

Other associations(s) for exceptional children

4,568

58%

Other Montessori association(s)

10,776

48%

Other religious school association(s)

140

31,186

45%

Other school association(s)

314

64,088

53%

Other special emphasis association(s)

19,469

40%

Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools

1,113

Society For Classical Learning

70%

Solomon Schechter Day Schools (SSDS)

1,845

Southern Association of Independent Schools

1,429

39%

Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools (SBACS)

1,498

41%

State or regional independent school association

16,614

44%

The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS)

5,872

49%

The French school system abroad (AEFE)

The Jewish Community Day School Association (SSDSA)

493

35%

Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America

2,896

25%

Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

704

233,438

47%

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod School Accreditation (WELSSA)

327

23%

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