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Best North Carolina Private Schools Belonging to Membership Associations (2026)

For the 2026 school year, there are 497 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 (2026)

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
34,359
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
68
24,491
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
11,731
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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