Collegiate American: New Name, New Curriculum
Innoventures Education, owners of two branches of Dubai International Academy in Emirates Hills and Al Barsha, Raffles International School and Raffles World Academy, together with a chain of nurseries carrying the Raffles brand, has announced the rebirth of Collegiate American School as Collegiate International School (CIS) from September 2021.
Founded in 2011, CIS has never managed to achieve the success in terms of student numbers of the other schools within the Innoventures Group. Student numbers dropped significantly from around 600 in 2017-18 to under 400 in 2018-19. For 2020/2021 that number had fallen further to just 247 students according to KHDA open data - a fraction of the school's capacity.
As part of the relaunch, the school will follow the two Dubai International Academies and Raffles World Academy in offering the International Baccalaureate programmes from KG to Grade 12. Dubai International Academy Emirates Hills was the first IB continuum school (offering all four IB programmes) in the UAE.
Collegiate International School will provide Senior students with a choice of pathways – the US High School Diploma from Grade 9 (age 14), and the more rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) courses, alongside the IB Diploma Programme. This option is not available in any other IB continuum school in Dubai.
According to Dr. Bruce Major, Superintendent of Collegiate International School, through the AP, students will get an opportunity to take a wide variety of college-level courses while still in school. The choice of pathway, while guided by the school counselling team, will depend on the student’s individual attributes, skills and passions. A large part of the decision will also be based on where the student expects to continue their post-school education and the specialisation they choose.
Poonam Bhojani, CEO of Innoventures Education, said: “The future of education lies in flexible and individualised learning pathways. Recognising a gap in Dubai for a school that offers such flexibility, we launched Collegiate International School. It offers multiple learning pathways under one school, yet remains affordable. This will expand and multiply future opportunities for our global community of students who will graduate and move to different parts of the world for higher studies.”
The school currently has a Good rating from the KHDA, while its classrooms are equipped with the latest audio-visual facilities. It offers a STEM laboratory, computer laboratories, a library, art rooms, a dance studio, music rooms, two swimming pools, a sports hall, gymnasium, basketball courts, badminton courts, a football pitch, a multipurpose outdoor playground for students, a cafeteria and prayer rooms. In common with all Innoventures schools, CIS also offers an extensive range of after-school programmes, clubs and societies for the holistic development of every student.
Previously published fees for 2021-22 range from AED 40,000 to AED 70,000. As part of the relaunch, fees have been reduced to a more competitive AED 33,000 in KG1 to AED 60,000 in Grade 12.
