The Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) is a nonprofit membership association that provides accreditation, professional development and support services to over 110 elementary, middle, and secondary

independent schools An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

in Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. NWAIS is one of two major agencies that accredit private schools in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The other is the

Northwest Accreditation Commission The Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC), formerly named the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, is a non-governmental organization that provides accreditation to educational institutions in the Northwestern United States. The Co ...

Background

Formerly the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS), the NWAIS is a member of the

National Association of Independent Schools The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1962, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boa ...

Criteria for accreditation

NWAIS develops

accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

standards in compliance with the Criteria for Effective Independent School Accreditation Practices, to foster collegial and ethical relations among its schools, and to safeguard and represent their interests. NWAIS is recognized as a member of th
International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation
(ICAISA), the international authority on independent school accreditation, representing thousands of schools in over 100 countries.

List of accredited schools

The Independent School Facts report published by NAIS for the Northwest Association of Independent Schools, provides statistical data on select schools that are members of NWAIS. Some of the accredited schools for NWAIS are: __NOTOC__

A

Abiqua Academy
Salem, Oregon * The Adelson Educational Campus,

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain or Dawson is a private independent, college-preparatory, and day school in Summerlin, Nevada. The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain provides co-educational and secular education to over 52 ...

, Las Vegas * American Heritage School, Utah * Annie Wright School,

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Pa ...

B

* The Bear Creek School, Redmond, Washington
Bertschi School

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

Billings Middle School
Seattle * The Bush School, Seattle

C

Cascades Academy of Central Oregon
*

Catlin Gabel School The Catlin Gabel School is an independent preschool through 12th grade institution located on 67 acres in Portland, Oregon 5 miles west of downtown. Annual enrollment is approximately 780 students from a wide variety of cultures, backgrounds, and ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

* Charles Wright Academy, Tacoma * Community School, Sun Valley, Idaho

D

* Delphian School,

Sheridan, Oregon Sheridan is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Platted in the 1860s when it received a post office, the city was incorporated in 1880. A major fire burned much of the city in 1913, and a flood covered much of the city in 1964. The po ...

E

Eastside Catholic School Eastside Catholic School is a private Roman Catholic secondary school located in Sammamish, Washington, a suburb east of Seattle within the Archdiocese of Seattle. It has a faith-based educational program for students in grades 6 through 12. D ...

Sammamish, Washington Sammamish ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 67,455 at the 2020 census. Located on a plateau, the city is bordered by Lake Sammamish to the west and the Snoqualmie Valley to the east. Sammamish is a resi ...

* Eastside Preparatory School, Kirkland, Washington * Epiphany School, Seattle *

Eton School Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area and has variously been characterized as ...

The Evergreen School The Evergreen School (formerly known as ''The Evergreen School for Gifted Children'') is an independent school in Shoreline, Washington, a northern suburb of Seattle, Washington, United States. Evergreen is an elementary-middle school that serve ...

, Shoreline, Washington * Explorer West Middle School, Seattle

F

* Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, Bellevue *

Franciscan Montessori Earth School & Saint Francis Academy The Franciscan Montessori Earth School & Saint Francis Academy (FMES/SFA) is located in Portland, Oregon, United States. FMES/SFA offers Montessori education in Portland OR. Private Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle. It is operated by t ...

, Portland * French American International School, Portland *

French American School of Puget Sound French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

Mercer Island, Washington Mercer Island is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located on an island of the same name in the southern portion of Lake Washington. Mercer Island is in the Seattle metropolitan area, with Seattle to its west and Bellevue to it ...

G

* Giddens School, Seattle

H

* Hamlin Robinson School, Seattle * Holy Names Academy, Seattle * Hyla Middle School, Bainbridge Island, Washington

I

The Island School The Island School is located 1 mile (1.6 km) from Powell Point near the southwesternmost tip of Eleuthera, Bahamas. Semester programs The Island School offers two 14-week semester programs each year and a 6-week summer term. The fall ...

, Bainbridge Island

J

Jackson Hole Community School Jackson Hole Community School is a small, college preparatory high school in Jackson, Wyoming, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily ...

Jackson, Wyoming Jackson is a town in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 10,760 at the 2020 census, up from 9,577 in 2010. It is the largest town in Teton County and its county seat. Jackson is the principal town of the Jackson, WY-ID Micro ...

* The Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle, Bellevue * The Journeys School of Teton Science Schools, Jackson

L

* Lake Tahoe School,

Incline Village, Nevada Incline Village is a census-designated place (CDP) on the north shore of Lake Tahoe in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The population was 8,777 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Reno− Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Until the ...

Lake Washington Girls Middle School A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

, Seattle * Lakeside School, Seattle * The Little School, Bellevue

M

* McGillis School,

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

The Meadows School The Meadows School is a non-profit, coeducational, nonsectarian, independent college preparatory day school located in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas, Nevada. The campus serves just under 900 students in grades pre-k through 12 spread among four ...

, Las Vegas * The Meridian School, Seattle * Missoula International School,

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ; fla, label= Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County. It is located along the Clark Fork ...

N

The Northwest Academy Northwest Academy is an independent, arts-focused middle and high school (grades 6–12) in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The school is accredited by the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS). Teachers include former coll ...

, Portland * The Northwest School, Seattle * NOVA School,

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. Europea ...

O

* Oak Hill School, Eugene, Oregon * Open Window School, Bellevue *

Oregon Episcopal School Oregon Episcopal School (OES) is an American private, coeducational, college preparatory, day and boarding school in the Raleigh Hills area of Portland, Oregon. It was preceded by St. Helen's Hall, a day and boarding school for girls establish ...

, Portland *

The Overlake School The Overlake School is a 5-12 private, non-sectarian, co-educational, college preparatory school in Redmond, Washington, United States that was founded in 1967 by Charles Clarke. History The original campus was located at the Redwood Manor ...

, Redmond

P

* Park City Day School,

Park City, Utah Park City is a city in Utah, United States. The vast majority is in Summit County, and it extends into Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake Cit ...

* The Perkins School, Seattle * Portland Jewish Academy

R

Riverstone International School Riverstone International School is a private, independent school for preschool through high school students in Boise, Idaho that offers day and boarding programs. Riverstone was the first International Baccalaureate World School in Idaho and is ...

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown ar ...

* Rowland Hall, Salt Lake City

S

Sage Ridge School Sage Ridge is the only non-sectarian college preparatory school in the metropolitan area of the U.S. city of Reno, Nevada. It offers a diverse academic environment for grades 3 through 12 through the teaching of various mathematics, science, En ...

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

* Saint George's School,

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...

Seabury School Seabury School is an independent school for gifted children in Tacoma, Washington. Founded in 1989, Seabury is the only independent school in the South Puget Sound marketed towards intellectually advanced children. Seabury is a member of the Pa ...

, Tacoma *

Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences (commonly referred to as Seattle Academy or SAAS) is a coed independent middle and high school located on Seattle, Washington's urban Capitol Hill. As of 2020, school review website Niche ranks Seattle Acade ...

Seattle Country Day School Seattle Country Day School (SCDS) is a private/independent kindergarten–grade 8 school in Seattle, Washington. Created for gifted children, the school was founded in 1962 by a small group of parents dedicated to seeking a unique educational prog ...

Seattle Girls' School Seattle Girls' School is an all-girls middle school located in the central district of Seattle, Washington, Seattle at South Jackson Street and MLK Way S. between 26th AVE S and 28th AVE S. Seattle Girls' School (also known as SGS) is an accredit ...

* Seattle Hebrew Academy *

Seattle Jewish Community School Seattle Jewish Community School, (SJCS), is an independent, egalitarian Jewish day school from kindergarten through 5th grade, located in North Seattle, Washington, USA. The school is accredited by NWAIS (Northwest Association of Independent Scho ...

* Spruce Street School, Seattle * St. Mary's School,

Medford, Oregon Medford is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Oregon, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census on April 1, 2020, the city had a total population of 85,824 and a metropolitan area population of 223,259, making the M ...

St. Michaels University School St. Michaels University School (abbreviated SMUS) is an independent day and boarding school in the municipality of Saanich, the largest and most populous municipality in the Capital Regional District and on Vancouver Island. Previous headmasters i ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Canada * St. Thomas School,

Medina, Washington Medina () is a mostly residential city in Eastside, King County, Washington, United States. The city is on a peninsula in Lake Washington, on the opposite shore from Seattle, bordered by Clyde Hill and Hunts Point to the east and water on a ...

T

The Sage School
Hailey, Idaho

U

University Child Development School A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, Seattle * University Prep, Seattle

V

Villa Academy Villa Academy is a Catholic independent PreK-8th grade school located in the Laurelhurst, Seattle, Laurelhurst neighborhood of Seattle, Washington on a tract of land near Lake Washington. The school has a preschool, Lower School and Middle Schoo ...

, Seattle

W

Wasatch Academy Wasatch Academy is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school for grades 7-12 located in Mount Pleasant, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by Reverend Duncan McMillan, a Presbyterian minister who had come to ...

Mount Pleasant, Utah Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Utah. Located in Sanpete County, Mt. Pleasant is known for its 19th-century main street buildings, for being home to Wasatch Academy, and for being the largest city in the northern half of the count ...

* The Waterford School,

Sandy, Utah Sandy is a city in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, located in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. The population of Sandy was 87,461 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth-largest city in Utah. The population is currently estimated ...

* Westside School, Seattle * Woodinville Montessori School,

Woodinville, Washington Woodinville is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is a part of the Seattle metropolitan area. There is also a much larger population with Woodinville mailing addresses in adjacent unincorporated areas of King ( Cottage Lake) an ...

References

External links

Northwest Association of Independent Schools
(official website) Private and independent school organizations in the United States School accreditors {{US-edu-stub