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

For the 2025-26 school year, there are 498 private schools belonging to membership associations in North Carolina.
The most popular school membership associations are Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) (18% of schools), Cognia (14% of schools) and Other school association(s) (12% of schools).

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

Membership Association
# Schools
# Students
% Minority
AdvancED, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Council on Accreditation and School Improvement
2
1,095
22%
Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) or (School of Tomorrow)
37
1,829
31%
American Association of Christian Schools (AACS)
59
13,770
21%
American Montessori Society (AMS)
32
4,352
26%
Association for Experiential Education (AEE)
3
467
14%
Association Montessori International (AMI)
5
545
26%
Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)
1
206
24%
Association of Baptist Christian Schools (ABCS)
1
184
60%
Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)
89
34,317
22%
Association of Christian Teachers and Schools (ACTS)
5
816
14%
Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS)
11
3,599
16%
Association of LD Schools (ALDS)
1
166
18%
Association of Military Colleges and Schools
1
120
36%
Association of Waldorf Schools of North America
2
408
21%
Children and Adults with Attention Deficit or Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
1
276
8%
Christian Schools International (CSI)
8
2,838
19%
Cognia
69
24,486
18%
Council of Islamic Schools in North America (CISNA)
1
400
50%
Educational Records Bureau
7
2,440
28%
European Council for International Schools
1
118
-
Evangelical Lutheran Education Association (ELEA)
2
154
6%
Friends Council on Education (FCE)
5
926
27%
General Conference of SDA Church
1
11
78%
General Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist Church (GCSDAC)
17
1,018
52%
Institute for Independent Education
5
2,977
13%
International Baccalaureate (IB) World School
4
2,427
10%
International Montessori Council (IMC)
2
132
30%
Islamic School League of America (ISLA)
4
879
56%
Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA)
2
364
13%
Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools
6
2,293
16%
Montessori Educational Programs International (MEPI)
2
134
13%
MSA-CESS Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
203
-
National Alliance of Christian Schools
1
184
60%
National Association for the Education of Young Children
29
1,348
27%
National Association of College Admissions Counselors
4
3,803
14%
National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES)
9
3,225
22%
National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
58
25,555
24%
National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools (NAPCIS)
1
238
27%
National Association of Private Schools
4
696
13%
National Association of Private Special Education Centers
4
394
49%
National Association of Secondary School Principals
1
1,041
11%
National Catholic Education Association
1
242
17%
National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA)
40
14,564
23%
National Christian School Association (NCSA)
7
868
19%
National Coalition of Girls
4
497
18%
National Council for Private School Accreditation
6
3,620
12%
National Honor Society (NHS)
4
1,938
11%
National Independent Private Schools Association
10
772
23%
National Junior Honor Society (NJHS)
2
1,216
13%
National Lutheran Schools Accreditation
4
694
10%
National Middle School Association
2
306
20%
Oral Roberts University Educational Fellowship (ORUEF)
3
461
99%
Other associations(s) for exceptional children
7
725
35%
Other Montessori association(s)
7
768
29%
Other religious school association(s)
42
7,638
20%
Other school association(s)
60
11,689
30%
Other special emphasis association(s)
11
2,441
26%
Solomon Schechter Day Schools (SSDS)
1
230
15%
Southern Association Of Colleges And Schools (SACS)
58
29,000
22%
Southern Association of Independent Schools
36
10,759
27%
Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools (SBACS)
13
5,574
15%
State or regional independent school association
35
13,090
23%
The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS)
5
1,004
19%
The Jewish Community Day School Association (SSDSA)
1
137
2%
Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America
2
319
19%

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