Accreditation guide

International school accreditations, explained

Accreditation means an outside body has checked a school against published standards. Check it yourself, because any school can put a logo on its website, but only the body's own register shows who really holds the mark.

I opened every register link on this page on 4 October 2026. Where a page blocks automated checks, I say so. These are the marks I see on the schools in the School Finder, plus the big ones you'll meet elsewhere.

How to check any mark in three steps

  1. Write down the exact words. "Accredited by CIS" is a claim. "Member of CIS" is a different claim. The words matter.
  2. Search the school on the body's own register. The links are in the sections below. A logo on the school's site doesn't count.
  3. If you can't find it, ask. Ask the school for its certificate or its latest report. Then ask the body, using the contact on its site.

Five things people call "accredited"

They are not the same, and a school can use the word loosely. Here is how I sort them.

  • Accreditation: a body reviews the whole school against standards. Examples: CIS, NEASC, WASC, MSA, BSO, COBIS Accredited.
  • Authorisation: a body gives permission to teach its programme, once the school meets its requirements. Example: IB World School.
  • Approval as an exam centre: a board approves a school to teach and enter its exams. Examples: Cambridge schools, Pearson Edexcel centres. It says the school can run those exams, not that the whole school was reviewed.
  • Membership: a school belongs to an association. Examples: CIS member, COBIS Member (Compliance), HMC, FOBISIA. Joining is not the same as being checked in full.
  • Government inspection: a regulator inspects and rates schools. Examples: KHDA in Dubai and ADEK in Abu Dhabi.

Red flags

  • "Member" instead of "accredited". At CIS, a school must be a member before it can be accredited, and many members are not accredited. COBIS has the same split.
  • A logo with no register entry. If you can't find the school on the body's register, treat the logo as unproven.
  • "Accredited" with no name. Accredited by whom? If the school won't say, move on.
  • An old report. Look at the date of any inspection. COBIS, for example, only counts a successful BSO inspection from the last five years.
  • A mark for one programme. Some marks cover a single programme, not the school. One school in the Finder holds a sports-programme accreditation, and I label it as not academic.
  • "Candidate" or "provisional". That means the school is working towards the mark. It doesn't hold it yet.

CIS: Council of International Schools

Who gives it
The Council of International Schools (CIS).
What it checks
A school-wide review against internationally benchmarked standards, with guidance for continuing to improve. CIS has two levels. A school can join as a member after an application, a visit from a CIS staff member, and an agreement to its Code of Ethics. Accreditation is the deeper review, and only members can apply for it.
How to check
Search the CIS Membership Directory. Make sure the school is listed as accredited, not just as a member.

NEASC: New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Who gives it
NEASC's Commission on International Education, which accredits international and American schools around the world.
What it checks
It is an ongoing, voluntary cycle. The school reflects on itself, a team of trained volunteers from the education community visits, and the school reports back from time to time. Some schools hold a joint CIS and NEASC accreditation.
How to check
NEASC says a school's status is in its School Directory.

WASC: Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Who gives it
The Accrediting Commission for Schools of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC). It serves schools in the western United States, Asia and other parts of the world.
What it checks
A school's own self-study, then an on-site evaluation. A status typically lasts six years. WASC calls the process voluntary.
How to check
WASC says its directory is the only information it releases to the public about schools. The directory also lists schools with "candidacy" status, and a candidate is not yet accredited.

MSA: Middle States Association

Who gives it
The Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS). It accredits schools in the United States and in many other countries.
What it checks
Schools against its published Standards for Accreditation.
How to check
Use the MSA directory, which lists officially accredited schools. MSA gives accreditation@msa-cess.org for questions.

COBIS: Council of British International Schools

Who gives it
The Council of British International Schools (COBIS), for British-style schools abroad.
What it checks
COBIS runs its own Accreditation and Compliance scheme, which it says an independent UK quality body has validated. It has levels, and the words differ. COBIS Member (Compliance) means a school meets standards 1 to 5. COBIS Accredited Member means it meets standards 1 to 10. A school can also become an Accredited Member by holding another accreditation, such as BSO, CIS, WASC or NEASC. A provisional school is one still being planned.
How to check
Use Search for COBIS Members, and read the school's membership category carefully. The categories are explained here.

BSO: British Schools Overseas

Who gives it
The UK Department for Education runs the scheme. It is voluntary. Inspections are done by inspectorates that the Department approves. At the time I checked, those were the Education Development Trust and the Independent Schools Inspectorate. A third, Penta International, was removed on 15 July 2026, so older reports may carry its name.
What it checks
Inspectors check whether the school meets the British Schools Overseas standards, which follow the standards used for independent schools in England. COBIS describes BSO inspection as the only accreditation recognised by the UK Government.
How to check
The Department publishes the most recent report for each accredited school on its BSO inspection reports page. Check the date of the report.

IB World School

Who gives it
The International Baccalaureate Organization (IB).
What it checks
This is authorisation, not whole-school accreditation. A school goes through a candidacy phase, then must meet the IB's requirements before it may teach an IB programme. Every school authorised for one or more IB programmes is an "IB World School". It may be authorised for one programme and not the others, so ask which one.
How to check
Use Find an IB World School and check the programmes listed. A school that is still a candidate is not yet an IB World School.

Cambridge International school

Who gives it
Cambridge International Education.
What it checks
This is an exam-board approval. A school must register with Cambridge to offer its qualifications. It expresses interest, applies, has an approval visit, and is registered once it meets Cambridge's registration standards. It receives a certificate and a wall plaque. Approved exam centres for private candidates are different: they are not schools and don't teach.
How to check
Use Find a Cambridge school. Cambridge warns that some institutions falsely claim an affiliation, and asks you to check the list.

Pearson Edexcel centre

Who gives it
Pearson, which sets the Edexcel and BTEC qualifications.
What it checks
This is also an exam-centre approval. It says a school is authorised to offer those qualifications. It is not a review of the whole school.
How to check
Use Pearson's international centre search. Pearson says the lists only include centres that gave permission to be shown, so a school that's missing may still be approved. If you can't find it, ask Pearson.

Other marks you will see

These are memberships, inspections or exam boards. They are useful, but they are not the same as accreditation.

HMC
The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference is a professional association of heads of independent schools, with international members. Membership is for the school's head. Look up a school in the HMC Schools Directory.
FOBISIA
The Federation of British International Schools in Asia is a not-for-profit membership organisation for British international schools in Asia. See its member schools list.
EARCOS
The East Asia Regional Council of Schools is a membership group of international schools in East Asia. Its member directory asks you to log in, so I can't point you to a public register. Ask the school, or ask EARCOS.
ISI
The Independent Schools Inspectorate inspects independent schools in the UK, and is one of the inspectorates approved for BSO inspections abroad. Its reports are published at isi.net.
KHDA (Dubai)
The Dubai government regulator inspects and rates private schools. This is a government inspection, not an accreditation. Ratings are on the KHDA school directory.
ADEK (Abu Dhabi)
The Abu Dhabi regulator runs the Irtiqa'a inspections, with five ratings from Outstanding to Weak. Private schools display a performance plaque at the entrance. See ADEK's explanation of the plaques.
CISCE (India)
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations is an exam board. A school "affiliated" to it teaches and enters its ICSE and ISC exams. That is an exam-board link, not an accreditation. Its school locator blocks automated checks, so I couldn't open it from my tools.

Keep going

General information only. Standards, registers and links change, so always check the body's own register. I quote accreditation from each school's own site and don't verify it for you.