EF Academy receives prestigious accreditation at their US campuses

EF academy is proud to announce that its US campuses have both been awarded a full seven-year accreditation term with the well-known Middle States Association (MSA) based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA.

What is Middle States Association?

Middle States Association and Commissions of Elementary and Secondary Schools (otherwise known as MSA–CESS or MSA), is one of the highest accreditations a school in the United States can receive and stands by a mission of continuous school improvement. MSA accreditation is a worldly title and is offered to schools not only throughout the US, but in over 100 countries around the globe.

The association awards accreditation to applicable schools in the categories of public, private and faith-based schools. For 134 years, MSA has strived to advance academic programs across the world and supports more than just a school’s curriculum.

How does a school receive accreditation?

The process of MSA accreditation is a lengthy, yet rewarding, one. By proceeding with the process of accreditation, a school shows that it is truly dedicated to the education it provides its students. A school’s accreditation process can last anywhere from 2 to 5 years, starting with an application and representative visit, leading into a self-study and committee visit.

To get accredited, a school must prove that it uses its mission, vision, and goals at the foundation of all decision-making, operates in ethical practice, acts responsibly and collaborates with important school stakeholders – such as students, parents, and staff, and continually commits to curriculum and community improvement.

What does this accreditation mean for EF Academy?

EF Academy New York and EF Academy Pasadena were honored to accept this accreditation in April 2022. This accreditation means that, alongside MSA, we believe –

• “Education is important to the quality of life in our global society.”
• “All children deserve access to a quality education.”
• “All schools can achieve excellence in both teaching and learning through innovation.”

Accreditation is a partnership, and we are excited to further our school’s excellence and collectively promote the common ideologies of educational improvement, diversity, stakeholder collaboration, and ‘sustained effort.’

As an international school with the whole world in our classrooms and a mission of opening the world through education, the MSA accreditation aligns with EF Academy’s goals and inspires us to continue guiding our students to success.

We’re eager to see how this accreditation will contribute to evolving our community for the better and support our educational endeavors.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Our community would like to express tremendous gratitude to our two Accreditation Co-chairs at the New York campus who helped lead this process: Deputy Head of School for Academics, Matt Sipple, and Deputy Head of School for Residential and Community Life, Daryl Hitchcock.  We thank them both for their dedication to this project, ensuring all our resources were in order, organizing the self-study, and being the school’s biggest supporters throughout it all. From your colleagues and students all around the world – thank you Matt and Daryl!

A ‘thank you’ is also in order to all our New York staff, especially all the committee chairs, who worked hard during the self-study to make sure our school’s admirable identity was accurately represented. We could not have achieved this accreditation without your commitment to not only the students, but each other.  We appreciate you!