The ICARDA International School of Aleppo (IISA) was founded in 1977 by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), under the terms of an agreement signed with the Syrian Government to serve the needs of its senior staff. The school began with only eight students and until 1987, there was no high school. The school has seen periods of rapid growth and has a present population of 300 students. Local students (Syrian and expatriate) comprise about two-thirds of the total school population. Located at the present site since 1987, the school shares spacious grounds with the residence of ICARDA’s Director General and the ICARDA Sports and Social Club.

ISA is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA), the Mediterranean Association of International Schools (MAIS), the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE) and the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO).

At its present site since 1987, the school shares spacious and attractive grounds in an established Aleppo suburb with the ICARDA Sports and Social Club and with the residence of ICARDA’s Director General.  The ICARDA research facility occupies a 948 - hectare site in the countryside south of the city. The school began with only eight students and until 1987 there was no high school.  The school then saw rapid growth to its present population of around 260 students.  Local students (Syrian and expatriate) currently comprise about half of the total school population, the other students being children of ICARDA scientists, teachers and other senior staff.

The school is one program within the ICARDA organization and ultimate authority for the school is with the ICARDA Director General (DG).  The DG appoints an eight member School Management Committee (SMC) which oversees and advises on school policies, school finances, and other school matters.  The school also has an active Parent Teacher Association (PTA) consisting of elected members from throughout the parent community and teaching staff.

IISA is divided into three individual departments: Elementary School, Middle School and High School. Each of these represents an important facet in educational development and the development of the child.

The school has an international curriculum designed to meet the needs of all children enrolled in the school.  The well-balanced program of studies maintains academic standards equal to those of other international schools and the national schools of Europe and North America. The elementary school offers the IB Primary Years Program.  All High School students work towards a U.S.-style High School Diploma over their four years of enrollment.  Students in grades nine and ten concentrate mainly on courses offered by the International General Certificate Secondary Education (IGCSE), administered by the Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UK).  Students in grades eleven and twelve take courses including those offered by the International Baccalaureate (IB). Students may earn the IB diploma in addition to the regular high school diploma.  Most IISA graduates go on to university, the majority to universities in North America, the Middle East and Europe.

Kindergarten focuses primarily on social progress, preparing the child to enter the more challenging, academic Grade One. Emphasis is put on relationships between students, cooperation and the importance of education. Grade One introduces the student to a more scholastic environment. IISA is now implementing the International Baccalaureate’s Primary Years Programme, a comprehensive curriculum that fully prepares the student for secondary education.

Middle School provides a gradual transition between elementary school and the stresses of High School. Individual subjects and a rotating schedule are introduced, including the four core classes (English, Social Studies, Math and Science) as well as other subjects including Arabic and French.

High School provides a true college preparatory experience. Two major curriculums are taught, the International General Secondary Education Diploma (IGCSE) which covers grades nine and ten; and the International Baccalaureate Diploma for grades eleven and twelve. The IB is a widely accepted, comprehensive curriculum, perfect for any western university.

IISA is located on a five-hectare campus within the perimeter of the city of Aleppo. Its facilities include 26 classrooms, as well as 3 science labs, a music room, an art center, a library, 3 computer labs, an auditorium-gymnasium, an infirmary, 2 athletic fields, a covered basketball court, a volleyball court and 2 tennis courts. The school occupies attractive premises that include some impressive converted residential buildings together with a purpose-built structure, which includes an auditorium and secondary classrooms. The facilities also include three well-equipped computer laboratories, a comprehensive library with good computer facilities for student research purposes, three science laboratories as well as sports facilities that include two sports fields, a covered basketball court, tennis and volleyball courts; squash and badminton courts and a fitness room.  On campus, there is also a large wooded area containing a jogging track. 

The school day for kindergarten classes is from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.  Other Elementary classes finish at 2:30 pm with teachers having joint planning from 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm.  A range of sporting and cultural activities takes place after school hours and on weekends.

Our host city of Aleppo has a growing population of 3,000,000. It is located in northern Syria, near the Turkish border and the Mediterranean Sea. Aleppo is considered by many historians to be the world’s oldest city. It has been continuously inhabited for over 5000 years and boasts a history as fascinating as any city in the Middle East.