Cognia (education)
Cognia, formerly known as AdvancED, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that accredits primary and secondary schools throughout the United States and internationally. AdvancED was formed in 2006 by the consolidation of the pre-college divisions of two of the U.S. regional accreditation organizations: the Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Council on Accreditation and School Improvement of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 2012 the Northwest Accreditation Commission joined AdvancED. In November 2018, the company merged with Measured Progress and was known as AdvancEd | Measured Progress before announcing in August 2019 that the organization would be rebranded as Cognia.
At the end of the 20102011 AdvancED reported that it served more than 27,000 institutions including 3,000 that were engaged in school improvement but not yet accredited.
The organization has headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia and Tempe, Arizona.