Now more than ever, families and schools are seeking educational experiences that can best prepare young people for future college and career pathways. American Schools provide rigorous standards-based, high-quality American-style education to students outside of the U.S., supporting their transition into university and careers within highly competitive international markets.

Cognia, the premier school evaluation and improvement organization, has launched Cognia American School Certification, a selective recognition that identifies international schools that meet a defined American-style education profile.

An increasing number of schools outside of the United States seek Cognia Accreditation to demonstrate their commitment to improvement and educational excellence. Certification provides an added evaluative framework for improvement for schools providing an American-style education in countries around the world.

This new certification, based on eight requirements, offers international American Schools a new way to strengthen their credibility and global appeal. Through the certification process, schools will demonstrate their alignment and compliance with U.S. standards and curriculum and validate the quality of their English-language instruction.

Cognia American School Certification helps schools focus on what matters most—student learning. The certification signifies to parents, educators, and the public that a school meets the requirements to provide a high-quality, rigorous American education to students outside of the U.S.

“Over the past decade, the international education sector has experienced one of the fastest periods of expansion in its history. This growth reflects not only demographic shifts but also broader social and economic transformations,” explains Cognia President & CEO, Dr. Mark Elgart, “A majority of international schools now deliver hybrid curricula that integrate international frameworks such as U.S. standards with national requirements, reflecting growing demand for both global recognition and local relevance. In a global educational landscape, our new American school certification helps schools clearly communicate their commitment to excellence and opens doors for students seeking future opportunities aligned with American academic pathways.”

“The American School certification provides schools a transparent, rigorous framework to show that ‘American education’ is more than a label, it’s a lived experience that empowers students to define their own future,” says Andrew Sherman, a former superintendent who serves as Cognia’s Vice President of International Accreditation Services. Sherman, who works with many Cognia network schools and systems outside of the U.S., also notes that this certification can “go a long way in positioning a school in highly competitive international markets and shaping the long-term trajectory of its students.”

Four key quality characteristics

Four key characteristics are evident when institutions effectively meet Cognia American School Certification Requirements and engage in Cognia’s peer review process.

The characteristics evident in high-quality American Schools outside the U.S. include:

  • Culture of Learning: Leaders, learners, parents, and educators feel connected to the purpose and work of the institution and behave in alignment with the stated values and norms of their American School.
  • Leadership for Learning: Leaders of the American School engage in their own learning, support learning for others, communicate consistently and meaningfully, and have a positive impact on their school and community.
  • Engagement of Learning: Learners are engaged in the American School learning environment, participate with confidence, and display agency over their learning.
  • Growth in Learning: Learners are positively impacted, reflected in their engagement in learning, preparedness for their future, and their ability to meet expectations against U.S.-aligned standards, curriculum, and assessment.

Framework for improvement

The certification provides a rigorous and effective framework for evaluating schools, with certification requirements that emphasize the distinctive elements of the American educational experience.

As a part of the certification process, experts from Cognia will examine a broad range of evidence, conduct an engagement review, and write an official report identifying whether the school meets the American School Certification Requirements. Only Cognia-accredited member institutions are eligible to pursue certification.

For more information about how your school can pursue Cognia American School Certification, contact us.

About Cognia

Cognia is a forward-thinking nonprofit improvement organization committed to serving schools and other education providers. We offer accreditation and certification, assessment, improvement services, and professional learning within an evaluation and continuous improvement framework. Serving over 40,000 public and private institutions from early learning through high school in more than 100 countries and territories, Cognia brings a universally recognized perspective to advancing teaching and learning.