American International School Abu Dhabi

About American International School Abu Dhabi

American International School Abu Dhabi Review

The American International School in Abu Dhabi (AISA) is one of a small group of schools owned or managed by ESOL, a family-run business based in Cairo, with branches in Nicosia, Cyprus, the Lebanon and the UAE. AISA, although a US curriculum school, was also among the first to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme (IBDP) in Abu Dhabi, subsequently adding the Primary Years programme (PYP). AISA is a truly international school with students of 60 different nationalities.

Overview

School class: Private

School grade: All through

Review rating: Very good

Curricula oriented: IB, IB DP, IB PYP, US HS Diploma, Common Core

Yearly price average: AED 48,000

Yearly costs: AED 31,870–57,940

Price band help: Premium

Status: Open

Gender: Co-educational

Opening year: 1995

School year: Sep to Jul

Headliner: Patrick Rich

Proprietor: Esol Education

District: Al Reehan, Abu Dhabi

Main teacher nationality: United States of America

About

The American International School in Abu Dhabi was established to provide the local and expatriate residents of Abu Dhabi with a high quality American education, based on American standards, as well as an international curriculum via the IB.  The school has two sister schools in Dubai, Fairgreen International School (offering the IB curriculum) and Dunecrest American School (offering US curriculum and IB Diploma).

In its inspection in 2014, the school was rated B4  (Acceptable) by Abu Dhabi's education regulator, which signified an  improving satisfactory school.  This judgement was supported by the subsequent inspection of AISA in 2015-16, where its rating was raised to Very Good under the new UAE-wide inspection framework.  The school retained its Very Good rating (one below the highest Outstanding rating) in the 2017-18 inspection round.

As part of Educational Services Overseas Limited (ESOL), AISA is the group's oldest in the UAE, opening almost 25 years ago, in 1995 with 519 students. By 1998 there were 750 students and in 2006, enrollment jumped to 1100.

Today, the school has approximately 1,400 students from 60 nationalities speaking 30 languages from Pre-K to 12th Grade (aged 3 to 19).  Just under one in three students (28%) is Emirati, one in six (15%) is from the USA and a further 9% each are from Egypt and 7% from Jordan.  Classes are mixed-gender in the Elementary School, before becoming single gender in Middle and High School.  There is almost a 50:50 balance between male and female students.

AISA employs some 145 teachers. This provides a teacher:student ratio of just under 1:10; a low ratio that should ensure individual attention for each student as required. There are generally five classes per grade and average class sizes of between 18 and 22 are on the low side.  Indeed maximum class sizes of 22 are among the lowest in Abu Dhabi. 

Staff turnover, at 22%, is around the UAE average of 20-22%, with the majority of teachers being employed on a two year contract.  Any school that regularly replaces one in five staff on an annual basis will inevitably have to ensure that adequate procedures are in place for training and orientation of new staff - a challenge for any organisation at the start of the academic year.  AISA recruits only professional educators who are in possession of at least a bachelor's degree with a current teaching certificate, plus at least two years' experience as a certified teacher. AISA is an English medium school and complete fluency in written and spoken English is required.  Recruiters from the school attend specialist recruitment fairs in the USA specifically for this purpose.

Curriculum

Students in the Elementary School follow the IB PYP (Primary Years) curriculum with content based around the US Common Core standards. AISA offers a range of support for students with additional learning needs.  In Elementary School, the learning support specialists assist students in grades K1-5 in reaching their academic goals through individual or small group support in and out of the classroom. A counselor also supports students and addresses behavioural and emotional concerns that affect learning by meeting with students one on one or in a small group setting. The counselor also conducts parent groups and workshops, and meets with parents one on one to provide support and strategies. The English Language Learning Program (ELL) supports students who are new to the language. They attend classes of formal instruction with a qualified ELL Specialist or those students with basic English structures are supported in small groups within the classroom.

The Middle and High school operates three routes for students as they work towards achieving their High School Diploma(s).

• In Middle School, AISA offers an American curriculum, tied to the Common Core State Standards in English and Maths and the AERO (American Education Reaching Out) standards in other subjects. 

• In grade 10, students can choose to start working towards the IB Diploma, with an IB Prep year in grade 10 followed by the IBDP itself in grades 11 and 12.

• A third option allows students who choose not to do the IBDP to work towards a regular US High School Diploma accredited by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges.

In addition, as part of their preparation, AISA students take the MAP® tests (Measures of Academic Progress) which are personalised, adaptive evaluations in reading, language and Maths. They allow the school's teachers to evaluate students’ individual learning needs. The ADEK inspection report from 2015-16 notes that "students from KG2 to Grade 11 take part in Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments. Attainment levels overall in reading and language are good, with higher than average performance by students in KG, grades 1, 4 and 10. Performance in mathematics is very good overall and outstanding in grades 1, 2, 9 and 10".

The Secondary Learning Support department supports students with mild or moderate learning difficulties. The Learning Support department also accepts some students who are struggling academically as evidenced by MAP and CAT-4 scores and student grades. Students receive differentiated support in several ways: in small groups, divided by gender and grade; individually with one on one sessions during the school day; and suitable assessment accommodations if necessary. Secondary School Counselors provide emotional and academic guidance counseling to all middle and high school students. The counselors work with students to support academic decision-making, provide curriculum information and assess student interest and needs. In addition, they advise students on course selection and offer a number of programmes to support students transition throughout high school to life beyond high school. College and career counseling is offered to the students in 11th and 12th grades.

Facilities

The campus is on a large site in the Educational Zone, approximately 20 kilometers outside the city centre of Abu Dhabi city which accomodates two schools. The KG and Elementary sections serve some 710 students, whilst the Middle and High School sections, serve some 680 students. The school is coeducational in KG and Elementary and gender-segregated in for Middle and High School in line with Abu Dhabi Education and Knowledge Department regulations.

School facilities include a library, art rooms, computer labs, a medium sized swimming pool and six science labs. AISA also has gymnasiums, outdoor basketball courts and an adjoining soccer field. The ADEK inspection report notes that "despite their age, the premises are bright and colourful, and enhanced by informative displays and celebrations of students’ work, including high-quality artwork. Facilities are well maintained and provide attractive learning environments. The school provides a wide range of engaging resources, particularly learning technology, and stimulating materials in KG, all well matched to curriculum needs and effectively used by teachers and students". 

In order to ensure that students are prepared for today's interconnected world, AISA is a BYOD school in Secondary, where all students bring a device (Laptop or iPad) to school each day. Elementary students have access to laptop carts and and all students from K-12 have access to the library with over 20,000 books and ebooks.

Costs

Fees for the school are mid-range for a US curriculum school in Abu Dhabi. For the 2020-21 academic year they are: KG 1: AED 31870 rising to Grades 9-12:AED 57,940.

Note: ESOL opened two new schools in Dubai in September 2018, one US curriculum - Dunecrest American School - and the other, an IB curriculum school with a strong focus on sustainability - Fairgreen International School.

Ranking

American International School Abu Dhabi is a Best of school, a ranking determined by parent surveys on the site. It can be found in the following Best of rankings:

#101 in Best Schools in the UAE

#20 in Best Schools in Abu Dhabi

#4 in Best American Schools in Abu Dhabi

#3 in Best IB Schools in Abu Dhabi

American International School Abu Dhabi Information

• Type		Private
  Language(s)		English
  Grades		K-12

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How do I contact American International School Abu Dhabi

• Website: : www.aisa.sch.ae

• Email: : [email protected]