American International School, Abu Dhabi

The American International School, Abu Dhabi is a private, for profit international Preschool-12th grade school offering an American curriculum. The college-preparatory IB Diploma Program (IBDP)[1] is offered in grades 11 and 12, and the IB Primary Years Program (IBPYP)[2] is offered from KG to Grade 5. The school is coeducational in elementary, and gender-segregated in secondary (except for students taking the IB Diploma Program, where it remains coeducational).

The American International School of Abu Dhabi (AISA)
School in 2015
Location
Map
29th Street, Airport Road, Abu Dhabi

Emirate of Abu Dhabi

Coordinates24°25′47″N 54°25′51″E / 24.42972°N 54.43083°E / 24.42972; 54.43083
Information
School typePrivate international school
MottoEmpowering Tomorrow's Leaders, Today
Established1995; 29 years ago (1995)
FounderESOL Education
Sister school
  • American School Hong Kong
  • Dunecrest American School
  • Fairgreen International School
  • The American International School in Egypt
  • Cairo English School
  • American International School in Cyprus
  • Universal College
School boardInternational Baccalaureate (IB), American Curriculum
School number117
DirectorAndrew Torris
Secondary School PrincipalBrian Kelley
Elementary School PrincipalDr. Kevin Fosburgh
GradesK-12
Gender
Student to teacher ratio10:1 (Student-to-teacher)
LanguageEnglish
Hours in school day7 hours
Student Union/AssociationElementary StuCo, Middle School StuCo, High School StuCo
Athletics conferenceNear East Schools Activities Conference (NESAC)
School fees$8,386 (AED 30800) to $15,247 (AED 56000)
AffiliationsIB-PYP, IBDP, American Diploma
AlumniKhalid Al Ameri
Websiteaisa.sch.ae

History of AISA

edit

The American International School of Abu Dhabi was founded in 1995 by ESOL Education. It was officially founded to serve American and other expatriate communities residing in Abu Dhabi, however, it also serves members of the local community.

Campus details

edit

The school is located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The school has two libraries, a prayer mosque, a drama room, an art room, a music room, a swimming pool, six science laboratories, 2 AstroTurf pitches, two gymnasiums, two outdoor basketball courts, and a sports field used for soccer tournaments and major outdoor events.

The campus accommodates three levels of schooling. The elementary level consists of 700 students, the middle school level consists of 395 students, and the high school level consists of 650 students. The school is coeducational in elementary, and gender-segregated in secondary. The total number of students is approximately 1,380 students, and the students come from around 75 countries.

The American International School, Abu Dhabi's campus is located in proximity to the Embassy of the United States to the United Arab Emirates, however, the school has no affiliation with the Embassy.

International and national accreditations

edit

AISA is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools,[3] the Council of International Schools,[4] and the UAE Ministry of Education. It is authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization to offer the Primary Years Programme and the IB Diploma Programs. AISA is a full member of both the Near East South Asian Association of Overseas Schools (NESA) as well as the European Council of International Schools (ECIS).[5]

Curriculum

edit

The school in offers an American high school diploma program and the International Baccalaureate program. Students in Kindergarten to grade 5 follow the U.S. Curriculum within the IB Primary Years Program (IB-PYP). In grades 6–9, students continue to follow the American curriculum. High school students can choose between the U.S. High School Diploma, or the IB Diploma Program. In secondary, student work is graded using Standard Based Grading (SBG).

Arabic and Islamic subjects are maintained by the UAE Ministry of Education, and secondary science subjects follow the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Activities

edit
 
Sports at American International School in Abu Dhabi

AISA is a member of two leagues, the local UAE league that is composed of international schools in the country, called Emirates Athletics Conference (EAC), and the international league that is participated by the schools from all over the MENA region which is the OASIS Activities Conference (OAC).[6] Among the sports offered at AISA are basketball, volleyball, badminton, soccer, swimming, and track and field. Other sports such as softball and handball are only played during P.E., but not after school or in a league.

ADEK Inspection Report

edit

The ADEK Inspection Report has labelled the American International School of Abu Dhabi as a "very good" school. Strengths in academics were outlined; however, the report further published shortcomings of the Arabic language curriculum.[7]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "IB for young pupils offered in capital". The National UAE. 7 January 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  2. ^ "International Baccalaureate®". IBO.org. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Search Our Members". MSA-CESS. 2015-11-18. Archived from the original on 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  4. ^ "Membership Directory". Councils of International Schools.
  5. ^ "American International School in Abu Dhabi". www.aisa.sch.ae. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  6. ^ "OASIS Activities Conference". 2014-11-12. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  7. ^ Abushakra, Bassam. "Re-appointment of Mr. Patrick Rich" (PDF). The American International School of Abu Dhabi. Esol Education. Retrieved 16 October 2018.