Membership
Now is a great time to join NAIS! NAIS school members have access to a wealth of online resources, including StatsOnline, the Career Center, and Demographic Center. In addition, schools receive substantial discounts on all NAIS publications, the NAIS Annual Conference, People of Color Conference, and NAIS Institutes. Click on the categories of affiliation listed below to learn more about the products and services available through school membership and subscription. Want to learn more? Contact Vivian Dandridge-Charles at membership@nais.org or (202) 973-9700.  | Click on the virtual NAIS Member Benefits Brochure to learn about all the great benefits of joining NAIS. |
Click here to view a video on why NAIS membership is so valuable to Drew Smith, head of school at Friends School Mullica Hill (New Jersey). As head of a small school, Smith has valuable insight on how small schools can take advantage of NAIS membership and many of these same insights carry over into medium to large schools as well. NAIS Membership
School Membership is open to pre-collegiate, independent, nonprofit schools located in the United States. Independent schools in Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands may choose to apply for membership, or become an International School Subscriber. Membership is also open to independent, nonprofit schools chartered by indigenous nations (sovereign nations).* *The nonprofit status for these schools must be authorized by their Nation to be eligible for membership.  School Membership Benefits and Application
Read why you should join NAIS and view examples of valuable member resources.
Current Full Members: Read about benefits available to you and download the Proud Member logo.
Full School Membership
This voting category of membership is for independent, nonprofit schools that have been in operation for at least five years. Schools must be accredited by an accrediting program approved by NAIS for membership purposes. Dues are pro-rated by quarter, and based on student enrollment. Effective July 1, 2010, the dues rate per student is $12.35 per student. The rate for preschool students is $6.17 per student. The minimum dues amount a school will pay is $950. The maximum dues amount will not exceed $9,800. Provisional School Membership
This is a non-voting category of membership for independent, nonprofit schools located in the United States. Newly founded schools may also apply for this category. The minimum dues amount a school will pay is $950 (unless this amount has been pro-rated). Effective July 1, 2010, the dues rate per student is $12.35 per student. The rate for preschool students is $6.17 per student. The maximum dues rate will not exceed $9,800. Your school may apply for provisional membership if you are temporarily unable to submit ONE of the following: A full-opinion financial audit not older than three years, or Proof of accreditation by an NAIS-recognized organization. Schools must already be in operation to be eligible for this category and may apply for full school membership once they have fulfilled the requirements. NAIS provisional membership will last no longer than five years. Please note that provisional members are NOT listed on NAIS's online school search engine. Association Membership
NAIS has several associations that are members. These associations are local, state, and regional associations of independent schools, and other associations, in and out of the U.S., that are operated for charitable and educational purposes. The aims of member associations are consistent with those of NAIS: to serve and strengthen independent schools. All current and future member associations will be expected to comply with the following list of criteria: Applicant association must be a nonprofit association with 501(c)(3) status serving the independent school community. Applicant association must have a mission that is connected in a critical way to the mission of NAIS. Consistent with NAIS’s expectations of free marketplace and open competition, applicant association must agree not to engage in or encourage anti-trust behavior. Applicant association must provide the most recent opinion-level audit of association’s finances (not older than three years) demonstrating sound financial practices. Applicant association must be governed by independent board of trustees. Applicant association shall have either 30 percent of its independent school members or 25 independent school members, whichever number is greater, that are already full NAIS member schools. All associations that are NAIS members as of July 1, 2006, must comply with this criteria by July 1, 2011.
For information about association membership, please contact the Member Relations team at (202) 973-9700 or membership@nais.org. NAIS Subscription
Other schools and organizations that cannot be members of NAIS may subscribe to NAIS for an annual fee. A School Subscriber may refer to itself as a Subscriber of NAIS in its promotional materials, but may not state that it is a member of NAIS. Dues for all subscriber categories are pro-rated by quarter (July 1 through June 30).
Premium Independent School Subscription Premium subscription (not membership) is a new category of school subscription for independent, proprietary (for-profit) schools in the United States. Independent schools located outside of the United States may also apply for premium subscription. This category is available to pre-collegiate schools that do not meet the requirements for membership, but would benefit from using the majority of NAIS products and services. These schools hold no vote in the association, and will not receive access to NAIS’s advocacy initiatives or legal services. Effective July 1, 2010, the dues rate per student is $12.35 per student. The rate for preschool students is $6.17 per student. The minimum dues amount a school will pay is $950. The maximum dues rate will not exceed $9,800. For more information contact Vivian Dandridge-Charles at membership@nais.org.
Premium Independent School Subscription Application International Independent School Subscription
NAIS International School Subscriber affiliation (not membership) is open to any independent school located outside of the United States that would benefit from information and services NAIS provides. (Schools in Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have a choice of becoming Subscriber Schools or applying for membership.) Annual Subscription fee: $1,420. To become an International School Subscriber, please complete this application. International School Subscriber Benefits and Application NAIS New Independent School Subscription NAIS New Independent School Subscriber affiliation (not membership) is open to independent, non-profit schools located in the United States that have been in operation for five years or less. The benefits of New Independent School Subscription include limited access to NAIS’s website. Specialized online services include NAIS’s Career Center, which allows free job postings and resume browsing for schools. Annual Subscription fee: $1,420. To become a New Independent School Subscriber, please complete this application and provide a copy of your school's federal exemption letter for proof of non profit status. A copy of your school's completed IRS 1021 Tax Form will also suffice for proof of non profit status. Please note that schools must have students enrolled at the time of applying for this subscription. New Independent School Subscriber Benefits and Application School Subscription
NAIS School Subscriber affiliation (not membership) is open to public, charter, and other non-independent, pre-collegiate schools. Annual Subscription fee: $1,420. To become a School Subscriber, please complete this application. School Subscriber Benefits and Application Corporate Subscription Any company that serves independent schools can become an NAIS Corporate Subscriber. This affiliation allows companies to gain visibility within NAIS's influential membership. Annual Fee: $1,420. Read more or subscribe by downloading these documents. Contact Michael Rease at rease@nais.org. Corporate Application 2010-11 Nonprofit Subscribers
Nonprofit organizations that wish to gain visibility and genuine contact with NAIS's nearly 1,400 member schools can do so by joining NAIS as a Nonprofit Subscriber. Annual Fee: $1,420. Contact Michael Rease at rease@nais.org for more information. Please download the application to learn more and to join today! Nonprofit Application 2009-10 NAIS has the right to deny applications in its sole discretion for any reason or no reason including the unsuitability of the applicant or its products/services, the competitive nature of the firm or its products/services with those of NAIS or firms sponsored by NAIS.
Use of NAIS Logo
As an NAIS Subscriber, NAIS provides your company with a specifically designed logo that states "2010 Subscriber of NAIS." You may use this logo on your website and in your communications to prospective customers. This logo may not be used in Independent School magazine advertisements or other NAIS publication advertisements. Use of any NAIS logo other than the one provided is not permitted and may result in the termination of your subscription agreement with NAIS. | 
