About

“Our 46 member schools have founding dates ranging from 1829 to 2002.

We advocate for quality independent-school education for 28,000+ students and offer collaboration opportunities for more than 5,000 employees.

CIS Ontario was incorporated in 1983, building on two earlier informal networks of independent schools to form a new association that initially served twenty-three member schools in the province.

We are closely affiliated with the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools, the national association that accredits the majority of our schools. We are also members of the National Association of Independent Schools (U.S.) and the Independent Schools Association Network (U.S.). In addition, we liaise with the Ontario Ministry of Education and The Ontario College of Teachers on behalf of our member schools.”

Source: https://www.cisontario.ca/about-us

The following are fellow CAIS member schools in Ontario. To find out and learn more about CAIS schools, please click here.

• Private schools are run as for-profit businesses with one or more owners. There is no governing body that inspects private schools. Occasionally, the Ministry of Education will inspect private schools that grant high school credits.
• There are schools that are not accredited by CAIS or CIS but are branded as independent schools. This typically means that they do not belong to a public board. While a school may call itself an independent school, this does not mean they belong to the Conference of Independent Schools or the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools.
• Accredited independent schools belonging to the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools undergo an inspection by CAIS every five years. These schools have been given their accreditation because of their commitment to the CAIS 12 National Standards, which are:

Pillar 1: Strategic Direction

This pillar ensures that the school is strategically guided to achieve long-term strength, permanence, and alignment with its core purpose.

• Standard 1 – School Purpose: Our vision, mission, values, and strategic plan are clearly defined and accepted by our entire community. This purpose guides every decision we make and drives continuous school improvement.
• Standard 2 – School Leadership: Our leadership team intentionally fosters innovation, manages institutional risk, promotes student well-being, and nurtures a positive, collaborative school culture.
• Standard 3 – Governance: The Board of Directors provides effective oversight of the school's strategic vision, policies, financial sustainability, and long-term leadership succession.

Pillar 2: Education Program

This pillar guarantees a comprehensive, dynamic, and future-focused educational experience rooted in student success and well-being.

• Standard 4 – Education Program Foundation: Our academic frameworks are designed to be relevant, innovative, and dynamic, supported by properly resourced learning spaces and effective student schedules.
• Standard 5 – Learning and Teaching: At the heart of our school, this standard ensures excellence in curriculum alignment, modern pedagogical approaches, consistent assessment, and transparent reporting.
• Standard 6 – Student Well-Being and Support: We prioritize the social, emotional, and physical well-being of our students through robust support systems, ensuring a safe, inclusive, and empowering environment.
• Standard 7 – Essential Concepts: Our programming actively integrates core global concepts, such as pluralism, diversity, digital citizenship, and environmental sustainability, preparing students to be responsible global citizens.
• Standard 8 – Custodial Care (Boarding, Homestay, Exchange): (Note: This standard applies specifically to schools managing international exchanges, homestays, or boarding residences, ensuring the utmost care and safety for students in away-from-home environments).

Pillar 3: School Operations

This pillar establishes the highly coordinated administrative, financial, and physical operations necessary to support the educational program.

• Standard 9 – Recruitment and Community Engagement: We focus on sustainable enrolment management, authentic communications, and building meaningful, lasting relationships with families, alumni, and the broader community.
• Standard 10 – Human Resources: We attract, develop, and retain exceptional faculty and staff by fostering a professional growth plan, ensuring operational compliance, and providing ongoing professional development.
• Standard 11 – Finance: The school maintains rigorous financial management, healthy operating reserves, and transparent budgeting processes to protect the institution's long-term viability.
• Standard 12 – Facilities and Infrastructure: We provide clean, safe, secure, and modern campus infrastructure and technology to support optimal learning and daily operations.

ACADEMIC QUALITY

Independent schools offer unparalleled quality that is confirmed by their adherence to the strict standards required to be a member in good standing of our organization.

PERSONALIZED APPROACH

Specialized teachers, lower student-teacher ratios and involvement of parents as partners in education with our schools, mean close, individualized attention for each student, resulting in better outcomes.

SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE

You have the choice among a wide variety of options and approaches to education from CAIS schools. Click here for examples of the types of schools available in the CAIS membership.

TOP QUALITY TEACHERS

Our teachers have the freedom to pursue innovative approaches to learning and collaborating that simply don’t exist outside the independent school community.

DIVERSE EXPERIENCE

Offering the best, most relevant education in today’s world requires an environment and approach to learning that embraces a global perspective and exposes students to the reality of a connected planet. Generous and growing financial aid programs ensure that a growing number of talented students are able to access an independent education.

LATEST TECHNOLOGY

Independent schools employ the most cutting edge technologies that enable vast learning, and literacy in this area is a fundamental driver of success in a knowledge economy.

21ST CENTURY LEARNING

Innovation, creativity, technological wizardry, collaborative leadership, global connection, and trans-disciplinary skills are among a few of the major drivers of success for today’s professional. Independent schools are in the unique position of being able to lead the changes required of our education system to accommodate a new kind of thinking for a new kind of world.

PARENT PARTICIPATION

These schools would not exist without the passion of an engaged parent community committed not only to the success of their own children, but to that of the whole community of students.

POST-SECONDARY SUCCESS

Nearly 100% of CAIS' 53,000 students are accepted at the university or college of their choice.

HAPPY STUDENTS

We cannot underestimate the value of happiness as it relates to success, especially at these critical learning stages of a child’s life. Creating a lively community of discovery, joy, spirit and respect is the underpinning of all CAIS schools, and not surprisingly, the most important factor in their success.

Source: https://www.cais.ca/families/top-10-advantages-of-an-independent-education