High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC), founded in 1885, is the oldest regional accrediting association in the United States whose stated mission is the establishment and maintenance of high standards for all levels of education, from pre-K to the doctoral level. NEASC serves more than 2000 public and independent schools, colleges and universities in the six states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont and 138 American/International schools around the globe. The NEASC is headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts.