Membership Inquiry Form  |  Why Join?  |  Services | Dues
Requirements  |  Provisional Membership  |  Accreditation

WHY JOIN TABS?

TABS members receive year-round access to great marketing and online support, professional development resources, and much more.

• TABS is the only US-based organization exclusively serving boarding schools.
• BoardingSchools.com reaches parents, students and consultants all over the world.
• The TABS Annual Conference is the premier gathering of boarding school professionals, offering timely sessions and prestigious speakers.
• The Boarding Schools Directory, NowBoarding is published annually and distributed to families, schools, libraries, consultants, and embassies free-of-charge.
• School Search - Online Information Request Service delivers informed inquiries to your admission office.
• TABS researches and expands boarding school markets through its international recruitment fairs.
• TABS professional development workshops provide specific programs to implement on your campus.
• TABS events and online community allow boarding school professionals to network with their colleagues all over the world.

Interested in joining?  Complete our membership inquiry form, and we will be happy to contact you.
MEMBERSHIP INQUIRY FORM

TABS SERVICES

The Boarding Schools Directory: NowBoarding

TABS signature publication is free to members, families, and educational consultants all over the world.

BoardingSchools.com | TABS.org
The website serves nearly 5,000 sessions daily. Each school's Browser Card and School Profile is accessed by an average of 35 users each week. The site is continually expanding to better serve both families and TABS member schools.

For Prospective Families, Students and Consultants

• Search the TABS member database with our various interactive tools: search by location, by courses, by activities and more
• Link to member school websites
• Download the Boarding Schools Admission Application Form
• Learn about the admission process, financial aid, and international student issues

For Member Schools

• Market your school using the various School Search tools
• Receive computer-generated inquiries from prospective families
• Promote your school events on the searchable online School Events Calendar
• Post all of your school's employment openings on the TABS Career Center's job bank.
• Register for the TABS conference and workshops
• Update your membership information quickly and easily
• Find important TABS updates and relevant boarding school articles

School Search

This Online service allows families, consultants and others to query the most comprehensive listing of boarding school programs, activities, and courses.

International Student Recruitment

Travel with TABS and fellow schools to collectively market throughout Asia.

Professional Development for Enrollment Management Teams

The Boarding Schools Conference
Receive the member rate for the singular event focusing exclusively on the needs of boarding school administrators specifically addressing leadership, enrollment management, residential life, and multiculturalism and diversity.

TABS Summer Programs
Two concurrent 4-day programs will focus on boarding school issues emphasizing the team approach to achieving and maintaining a healthy enrollment and living environment for students, teachers, and administrators. The two programs are:

The Admission Academy

Prepares new admission professionals for the entire admission cycle from pre-inquiry to post-matriculation.

 

The Residential Life Academy
A four-day event held every summer for heads, deans of students/residential life, dorm parents, and other staff members working in the dorms.

The Midwinter Residential Life Seminar
A two-day midwinter workshop for boarding life professionals.

The Boarding Schools Admission Application Forms
Use these forms to make the admission process easier for parents, students and teachers.

Membership Dues

The 2009-2010 dues for membership in TABS are based on the number of boarding students enrolled in your school on opening day of the school year during which your application is sent.

International Membership

International membership is available for schools located outside the US. Dues for these schools are paid in US dollars. Schools from countries not already represented in TABS must provide detailed accrediting information.

Minimum Full Membership Requirements

1. Schools must have an operating residential life program with adult-staffed dormitory facilities.
2. Schools must be independent, nonprofit, tax exempt, 501(c)(3) organizations if in the U.S. (a nonprofit organization according to the laws of the country if outside of the U.S.).
3. Schools must be accredited by an evaluating agency recognized by TABS (see below).
4. Schools must be nondiscriminatory under the law in admission and employment practices.
5. Schools must be, by mission and by practice, college-preparatory.

TABS reserves the right to exclude any organization that is deemed not to be in keeping with the mission of The Association of Boarding Schools.

The TABS Board Committee on Membership makes membership decisions based on the above requirements.

Provisional Membership Status for Schools New to TABS

Schools new to TABS will be classified as provisional members for the first two years. Full benefits will apply at the start of the third year.

Benefits for Provisional Members:

• Member pricing for annual conference, workshops, seminars and webinars
  • Provisional heads are welcome to attend the Heads' Dinner at the annual conference
• Member pricing for any international recruitment fairs.
• Inclusion in the annual print boarding school directory (coded as a provisional member)
• Inclusion on the TABS website through a non-searchable, text only, static profile
  • A fully searchable online profile (photos/videos/audio) coded as a provisional member - available at at an additional $1500 per year
• All full-member communications (except any research and statistics designated as proprietary)
• Partial access to password-protected areas of TABS

Accreditation

TABS does not accredit schools. Instead, TABS recognizes, for the purpose of membership, the accreditations granted by the following regional, state, and independent school associations. US schools applying for membership must be accredited by on of the associations listed below.

• Association of Colorado Independent Schools (ACIS)
• Association of Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS)
• Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE)
• California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS/CA)
• Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS/CT)
• European Council of International Schools (ECIS)
• Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS)
• Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)
• Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS)
• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSACS)
• New England Association of Colleges and Schools (NEASC)
• New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS)
• North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA-CASI)
• The Northwest Association of Colleges and Universities (ANSCU)
• Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS)
• Pennsylvania Association of Private Academic Schools (PAPAS)
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
• Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS)
• Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools (SAES)
• Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS)
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

Note: TABS requires international schools applying for membership to be accredited in a manner consistent with the policies of the country/region/province in which they are located. AIMO, which stands for Approved International Membership Organization, will be used to designate these schools.