Accrediting Microschools

Hoops, hurdles, and quality control

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(This post is authored by our newest EdChoice Research team member Alex Wolf)

One of the most important innovations in primary education of late is the rise of the American microschool. One way to understand microschools is to think of them as a 21^st century reimagining of the one-room schoolhouse.

We at EdChoice have taken note of their popularity, and the recent polling we’ve done in partnership with the KaiPod Learning microschool network shows that it’s filling an important niche for parents and children.

For example, some microschool leaders employ creative learning philosophies, like Acton Academy Fort Lauderdale’s “student led” approach. While microschools can be more affordable than area private schools, some still cost around $6,500 per year.

Could ESA programs step in and help?

ESAs allow families to spend a pre-set amount of money on education-related expenses over the year. A few programs are tuition-first, but many offer the flexibility to purchase a wide variety of items that contribute to a child’s education. Those who want to participate in an ESA program on the supply side usually have to be approved as a provider. Depending on the kind of services being offered, more than just proof of business registration might be required. You can usually find a guide to becoming an approved provider at either a state department of education’s website or a third-party administrator’s.

As ESAs (and tax-credit ESAs) have grown dramatically across the country, microschool networks are beginning to advertise their participation as program vendors. Take Prenda, a network founded by education entrepreneur Kelly Smith in Arizona in 2018, that now consists of over 1,000 different microschool founders and educates over 10,000 kids in the U.S. It operates several schools in ESA states like Arkansas, Florida, and New Hampshire, to name a few. Iman Alleyne started the Kind Academy microschool in Coral Springs, Florida, and now offers a ten-week course in order to become a microschool leader within their network.

One potential obstacle for ESA inclusion is whether accreditation is required under the state law. According to a sector analysis published by the National Microschooling Center in May 2025, only 22% of the microschools surveyed are state-accredited. That’s a big problem, where state accreditation is necessary for most schools to participate in most ESA programs. My colleague Michael McShane has explained in a Forbes column that new private schools and microschools tend to face an uphill climb coming up with the money to cover all of the costs needed to secure accreditation (never mind the forms and paperwork that must be handled, often by the founder alone).

When you meet these founders, you quickly learn that they are a determined lot – but what exactly are they up against? And, perhaps more importantly, what does it take to get a microschool, or any private school for that matter, accredited?

Let’s walk through it.

Cognia, based in suburban Atlanta, accredits K-12 schools across the country. It works with nonpublic parochial schools, as well as charter schools and state education agencies. According to its 2023 Research Brief, “Cognia’s approach to accreditation is that of continuous improvement and includes leveraging the knowledge, skills, and expertise of external evaluators in the review of evidence and self-assessments.”

Any school seeking Cognia’s accreditation must adhere to all of its policies and standards, by reporting all of the information required and paying required fees within their prescribed timeframes.[1]

Some basic information that a school must provide early in the process is:

· Evidence of physical location

· Alignment with state educational standards

· Non-discriminatory admissions practices

· Proper records retention

· Proper policies for grade placement and advancement for students.

Cognia may require further evidence of both financial stability and appropriate licensure for local and/or state operation, after which it conducts a Candidacy Review. After a successful Candidacy Review, Engagement Review, and Certification Review, the school is then recommended for accreditation. This process appears to take about six months, on the shorter end. A school that doesn’t succeed at the Engagement Review step gets an explanation from Cognia for why it wasn’t approved, and a timeline to fix their deficiencies.

As you can see, accreditation for the typical private school takes a good deal of time, effort, and money. Costs can vary, and one national accreditor advertises a $3,195 sum total (and that’s not including accreditor visits months or years afterwards, to maintain status). Microschools, who have to be cost-conscious from the jump, would benefit from a more affordable option.

The exciting news is that Cognia recently partnered with KaiPod Learning to assist microschool operators with a faster accreditation process (called ‘synchronized’ accreditation) that ensures quality and the ability to improve the academic environment. The press release emphasizes that Cognia will provide consistent support and feedback for microschool leaders who are in the accreditation process.

Middle States Association is an accreditor based in Philadelphia that has operated for 139 years. With that long track record, they’ve stayed current by creating a streamlined process called the Next Generation Accreditation (NGA) protocol in partnership with Stand Together Trust.

As NGA works now, a microschool can become a candidate for accreditation about three months after launch, and can receive a final decision on accreditation at the six-month point. The entire cost is $1,200. And microschool founders across the country have taken note – fifteen got accredited just in November 2025.

The microschool is one of several alternative modes of teaching and learning that have gained notice and support from the public. Pairing their rise with the continued expansion of ESA programs in nineteen states (and counting) presents a golden opportunity for students to access higher quality education, supported by edupreneurs and state legislatures. Don’t be surprised to see the microschool trend continue in 2026 and beyond.

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[1] For complete details, check out their Policies and Standards document, which also includes Cognia’s obligations to itself, as well as criteria for how one loses accreditation status and how to appeal that decision.