120 CSI Member Schools Earn Initial or Renewed Accreditation Status

In July, 120 CSI member schools located in 28 states, as well as Washington, DC and the Dominican Republic, earned CSI accreditation or reaccreditation, the gold standard for measuring mission excellence and committing to continual school improvement.

On July 12–13, 2021, members of the CSI Accreditation Commission and members of the CSI Accreditation team met together over Zoom to renew and initially approve the accreditation status of 120 CSI member schools (see the entire list of schools below). There are also sixteen schools who have been granted accreditation candidacy. The COVID-19 pandemic definitely impacted the scheduling of schools’ accreditation site visits, but fourteen schools were still able to host site visit teams during the 2020–2021 school year. Five of those site visits were held virtually, and four schools hosted site visits for their very first time.

“I highly commend our accredited schools and their leadership for committing to the accreditation process and recognizing the high value that CSI accreditation brings to their school communities,” said Sheryl Jo, CSI director of accreditation. “Accreditation is a powerful tool that provides schools an assurance that they are being true to their missions by celebrating strengths, identifying priorities for growth and improvement, setting measurable goals, and establishing a specific plan for strategic school improvement.”

Oskaloosa Christian School, located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, was one of the 120 schools who received a renewal of its CSI accreditation this July. Principal Don Mitchell explains his school’s decision to partner with CSI for their accreditation:

“Accreditation is a process in which a school is looked at from an objective viewpoint to see if it is fulfilling its lawful and missional responsibilities. . . . We choose to be accountable to CSI for our accreditation for two main reasons. First, as a Christian school, we want to show ourselves as truly being a Christ-centered organization, with which state accreditation would be unconcerned. Oskaloosa Christian School has been a part of CSI since its inception, and CSI has our best interest in mind when examining us as a school. They will be gracious, but honest, in their assessments. Secondly, accreditation brings a level of credence and confidence to our school. If an independent body is assessing our progress as a Christian school, we show transparency and a willingness to grow. CSI’s findings allow us to improve as a school to better serve our students and families, which we pray strengthens prospective families’ and current stakeholders’ confidence in us.”

Please join us in congratulating Oskaloosa Christian School and all the other 119 schools who have demonstrated their commitment to working toward excellence in fulfilling the missions of their schools.