Section 3.01 of the TAIS bylaws states that "any independent (non-public) elementary and/or secondary school incorporated as not for profit and operating as such in the state of Tennessee which complies with the Association’s standards for membership and subscribes to the purposes of the Association shall be eligible for Institutional membership.

Standards for Membership Requirements for institutional membership in the Association are:

• A school must have been in operation for three academic years.
• A school must be accredited by one of the following*:
• a regional accrediting agency approved by the Tennessee Board of Education,
• any accrediting association recognized by the International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation (ICAISA) such as SAIS,
• the Tennessee Department of Education.
• A school must be classified as a non-profit organization under section 501(c) (3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and laws of Tennessee.
• A school must maintain non-discriminatory policies."

*If you are accredited by another accrediting organization that follows a similarly rigorous process to those listed above, please contact us for special consideration. 

Membership is awarded to schools, thereby enabling all administrators and teachers at that school to take advantage of the benefits of membership. To apply for membership, the Head of School or member of the leadership team completes a membership application form for the TAIS office. A TAIS staff member will reach out to the school to schedule a conversation about membership. After the initial conversation, the next step in the process is to schedule a tour of your school and conversations with the Head of School and other key leaders with the TAIS Executive Director and a TAIS Board Member. After this visit, the TAIS Board will vote on the school's membership at their next scheduled meeting. 

Application for Membership