Five Stars
The only school in Florida with all five
The First Academy in Orlando is the only school in Florida to hold all five of these distinctions: accreditation from ACSI, Cognia, SAIS, and FCIS, and membership in CESA.
What is accreditation?
Accreditation means outside experts review a school against demanding, published standards. It is not a school grading itself. We examine our mission, governance, finances, academics, safety, and spiritual formation, and we document the evidence. Then a team of experienced educators visits campus to test it.
What does this mean for my child?
It means The First Academy is checked from every angle by people outside it: how teachers teach, how faith shapes every subject, how the school is led, and how tuition is stewarded. Each review sets goals, and we keep reporting our progress, so the school keeps getting better while your child is here.
Explore the Five Stars
Five Stars. One Christ-Centered Mission.
Choose any Star, in any order.
Star 1 of 5 · Formation
Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)
The distinction Authentic Evangelical Christian Worldview
ACSI is the premier accrediting body dedicated to evangelical Christian education worldwide. ACSI accredits and registers over 150 schools in Florida alone, ensuring schools remain steadfast in biblical truth, spiritual formation, and Christian curriculum integrity.
We form the whole child in mind, body, and spirit. ACSI reviews how faith, relationships, and well-being come together in every classroom, not just in Bible class.
Value to students and families
- Guarantees that every subject, program, and culture at TFA is deeply rooted in an authentic, uncompromising Christian worldview.
- Mandates specific Christian philosophy credentials and continuing education units (CEUs) for instructional staff, ensuring teachers are not only qualified in their subject areas but also equipped and vetted to mentor students spiritually and model Christian character.
- Directly inspects how well the school’s statement of faith, culture, and core values govern its daily operations and student outcomes.
At TFA, faith is foundational to the educational mission.
Visit the ACSI website
Star 2 of 5 · Excellence
Council on Educational Standards and Accountability (CESA)
The distinction Elite College-Preparatory and Biblical Excellence
CESA is an invite-only membership organization reserved for top-tier Christian college-preparatory schools nationwide. With 60+ member schools nationwide, CESA requires rigorous academic outcomes, exemplary Christian worldview integration, and peer-reviewed excellence.
Faith and academic excellence belong together. CESA holds its member schools to high standards for both.
Value to students and families
- Assures that TFA’s academic programming meets the premier standards of elite Christian institutions nationally, preparing students for both acceptance to and success at top universities.
- Evaluates the purposeful integration of a biblical worldview across curriculum, culture, and institutional practices, specifically measuring how well the school maintains a rigorous Christian identity alongside academic excellence.
- Places significant emphasis on institutional governance, board best practices, long-term sustainability models, and financial health to protect independent Christian schools from common governance failures that can lead to institutional instability.
TFA seeks to integrate deep faith with serious academic preparation.
Visit the CESA website
Star 3 of 5 · Learning
Cognia
The distinction Global and National Educational Rigor
Cognia is a regional and global accrediting agency, accrediting public school districts, private schools, and international networks alike.
What does learning look like at TFA? Cognia reviewers step into our classrooms, listen to our families, and see how students progress over time.
Value to students and families
- Validates TFA’s educational quality against nationwide public and private standards, offering national and global recognition for college admissions.
- Requires schools to participate in a continuous improvement cycle, showing year-over-year progress in instructional practices and institutional effectiveness.
- Evaluates the school against global academic benchmarks, inspecting instructional quality, curriculum relevance, and student engagement.
Excellence isn’t a destination; it’s a process.
Visit the Cognia website
Star 4 of 5 · Independence
Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS)
The distinction Premier Florida Independent School Operations
FCIS evaluates and accredits elite independent private schools strictly within the state of Florida. It sets demanding benchmarks for governance, teacher quality, operational integrity, and campus life.
TFA is guided by its own mission and board, not a one-size-fits-all model. FCIS makes sure that independence comes with sound governance, careful stewardship, and a safe campus.
Value to students and families
- Safeguards the school’s legal right to operate independently, ensuring that curriculum choices, admissions standards, and campus culture are governed by the school’s own mission rather than state-mandated public school testing or educational mandates.
- Enforces some of the strictest financial benchmarks in private education through required asset-to-liability ratios, operating surplus histories, and audited fiscal reporting, fostering confidence that tuition investments are managed with transparency and institutional stability.
Independence and accountability can work together.
Visit the FCIS website
Star 5 of 5 · Vision
Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS)
The distinction Regional Independent School Prestige
SAIS is the premier accrediting body for private independent schools across the Southeastern United States, focusing on systemic quality, school climate, and continuous improvement.
Where is TFA headed? Through SAIS, we set mission-driven goals for the years ahead, and experienced school leaders help us sharpen them.
Value to students and families
- Provides regional prestige and ensures seamless credit transfers and high recognition by colleges across the South and across the nation.
- Assures families that the school delivers on the specific promise of its mission, whether college-preparatory rigor, differentiated learning, or faith integration, backed by objective external verification rather than just internal claims.
- Mandates multi-year audits covering campus safety, child protection, student wellness, and educational resources to ensure learning environments are safe and up to date.
TFA continually evaluates how well it delivers on its mission.
Visit the SAIS websiteThe value of all five
More than a list of credentials
Five distinctions don’t mean five times the quality. They mean five respected organizations look at our school from different angles, and each makes its own decision against its own standards.
Breadth
Every part of the school
Faith, academics, and operations are each reviewed by people who specialize in them.
Balance
Faith and academics together
Deep faith and serious academics are never reviewed apart. Our accreditors expect both.
Accountability
Again and again, not once
Self-study, campus visits, and follow-up reports keep us honest about where we are strong and where we must grow.
How it works
Accreditation never really ends
Self-study
We assess ourselves against each organization’s standards.
Evidence
We document how we meet every standard.
Campus visit
A team of peer educators reviews our work in person.
Ongoing reports
Between visits, we report our progress on the goals each review sets.
Renewal
Each organization renews on its own cycle, and the work of improving starts again.
From Florida to the world
Measured close to home and far beyond it
TFA is reviewed alongside respected schools across Florida, the Southeast, the nation, and the world.
-
Reviewed alongside independent schools across our state, from Pensacola to Key Largo.
-
Held to the standards of independent schools across the South.
-
One of 60+ top-tier Christian college-preparatory schools in an invite-only national organization, and one of three in Florida.
-
Held to standards shared by Christian and independent schools in more than 100 countries.
The map couldn’t load here. The four levels are listed alongside it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What other awards and distinctions does TFA hold?
Beyond our Five Stars, TFA is an Apple Distinguished School and has been recognized by Niche and by local publications. Our students also earn honors such as National Merit recognition and AP Scholar awards. See the full list of recognitions, academic awards, and affiliations on our Media page.
What is the difference between accreditation and membership?
Accreditation is a formal review against published standards that ends in an accredited status. ACSI, Cognia, SAIS, and FCIS accredit TFA. CESA is a membership: an invite-only organization of Christian college-preparatory schools that reviews members against its own Standards of Accountability and requires every member to be accredited already. TFA meets both bars.
How often is TFA reviewed?
Continually. Each of the five organizations runs its own cycle: a self-study, a campus visit by a team of peer educators, progress reports between visits, and renewal. Because those cycles overlap, outside review is an ongoing part of life at TFA. See how it works.
How can I see this for myself?
Come visit. Schedule a tour, read our Admissions FAQs, review the admissions process, or contact our Admissions team.
Accreditation reflects institutional quality and accountability. It does not guarantee any individual student’s college admission or academic outcome.