American International School Abu Dhabi Review
Nearby nurseries
The story so far...
The American International School in Abu Dhabi was established in 1995 to provide the local and expatriate residents of Abu Dhabi with a high quality American education, based on American standards, as well as a highly regarded international curriculum enabling worldwide university entry via the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The school has two sister schools in Dubai, Fairgreen International School (offering the IB curriculum) and Dunecrest American School (offering a US curriculum and IB Diploma option).
AISA received its first accreditation in October 1997 from the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (MSA), was accredited in January 2010 by the Council of International Schools (CIS) and subsequently by the International Baccalaureate Organisation.
The school also highly regarded by the local school regulator, ADEK, whose inspectors rated AISA Very Good (the second highest rating in 2015-16. The school retained its Very Good rating in the 2017-18 inspection round and followed this with a further Very Good rating in the first post-Covid 19 inspection of 2021-22.
AISA defines its mission as "Providing an international curriculum in a safe, multicultural environment that inspires globally-minded, critical thinkers to take responsibility for their society". Its vision is defined as "Being global providers of future leaders ready to conquer life's challenges and grasp its opportunities."
As part of Educational Services Overseas Limited (ESOL), AISA is the group's oldest in the UAE, opening almost 30 years ago, with 519 students. By 1998, there were 750 students and in 2006, enrollment jumped to 1,100. This figure has increased to 1,250 at the time of the 2021-22 ADEK inspection.
Today, students from over 70 nationalities speaking 30 languages from Pre-K to Grade 12 (aged 3 to 19). Just over one third of students (33.1%) is Emirati, whilst other leading nationality groups include students from the USA,Egypt and Jordan. Classes are mixed-gender in the Elementary School, before becoming single gender in Middle and High School.
AISA employs some 120 (mainly American) teachers and a further 10+ teaching assistants. This provides a teacher:student ratio of 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.
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.
What about the curriculum?
Students in the Elementary School follow the IB PYP (Primary Years) curriculum with content based around the US Common Core standards.
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 and 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 noted 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".
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.
AISA offers a range of extra-curricular activities and an impressive range of clubs, operating at elementary, middle and senior levels. It claims to have "one of the strongest high school competitive sports programs in the region" with teams competing in a variety of sports, including Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, Track and Field, Cross Country, Tennis, Badminton and Swimming.
The school is a member of two organised leagues: Junior EAC – A collection of EAC schools providing activities for Grade 4 to 6 students in the UAE - and the OASIS Activities Conference, an international league with schools from all over the MENA region.
The school also emphasises its drama productions at high, middle and elementary levels, as well as musical performances. The Visual and Performing Arts department believes art is vital in creating "complete human beings" that are creative, analytical, disciplined, and self-confident individuals. The department offers a diverse set of courses including Ceramics, Drawing and Painting, Art I, IB Art, Computer Assisted Art, Guitar I, Piano I, IB Music, Drama 1 and 2, IB Drama.
The team also offers many after school clubs such at high school and middle school theatre production, rock band, choir, and art classes. Courses are designed to meet the needs of all students and each curriculum is developed with the State Standards in mind.
What about support for Students of Determination and other additional needs?
AISA offers a range of support for students with additional learning needs. In Elementary School, the learning support specialists assist students in Grades KG1-5 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 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.
What about academic achievement?
The school has historically not published details of its academic results, so it not evident how successful AISA is in terms of producing graduates with acceptable academic grades/qualifications. However, an increasing number of students in Grades 11 and 12 follow the IB - arguably the most challenging and academic curriculum of offer.
The 2017-18 ADEK inspection report noted that "the very good results in the IB Diploma at the previous inspection, have been raised further in English, mathematics and physics".
WhichSchoolAdvisor.com had previously encouraged AISA to publish its IB results, and we were delighted in July 2021, that the school was willing to share these with us - results, indeed, about which the school and its students can be justifiably proud.
With a cohort of 28 students, the average point score was 35.6 - well above the world and global averages. The overall pass rate was 96.5% with 86% of students achieving 30+ points, 64.2% achieving 35+ points and 28.5% achieving over 40 points - placing them among the top students globally. One student achieved the highest possible score of 45 points.
Ultimately, parents and students will measure a school by its results to some extent, and we believe that transparency in this aspect is a key part of a school's responsibility.
AISA does provide some information on university destinations in the news on its web site.
According to the school, AISA "has more students accepted at NYU-AD than any other school in the world". Other destinations for have senior students have included NYU, New York City, Boston University, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, London University (Kings College, Queen Mary College, Royal Holloway College), Manchester University (UK), McGill, University of British Columbia, Carleton, McMaster and the University of Toronto. The school has recently started to build its Alumni Association, noting that since 1995, over 1,500 students have graduated from the school.
What about facilities and resources?
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 can serve some 700 students, whilst the Middle and High School sections, can serve some 680 students.
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 2017-18 ADEK inspection report noted 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.
What the inspectors say
The 2017-18 report published by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), was based on an inspection that took place in March 2018. The school was rated Very Good; one grade away from the highest of the six performance levels of Outstanding. Importantly, AISA has clearly solidified its performance, having been rated Very Good across all six key performance standards.
Following an interruption to inspections during the Covid 19 pandemic, AISA received its first visit from the ADEK inspection team in October 2021. The school was again awarded the Very Good rating.
For reasons that have not been explained (we assume to enable inspections to take place at all schools that had not been inspected in 2019 and 2020), the inspection team reviewed only four of the six key performance standards and issued abbreviated reports without commentary.
Based on the inspection report, all those performance standards that were evaluated achieved a Very Good rating.
If you would like to read the inspection reports - and we strongly recommend that you do so in order to understand the reasons behind the ratings, and the strengths and areas of improvement identified - you will find them here.
The Buzz
The limited number of less than 20 responses that we have received to our Parent Survey for AISA. Those respondents have given an overall rating of 3.7/5 - a positivity rating of 74%. 78% of parents would recommend the school to others.
Given that there have been a limited number of responses, we would very much welcome wider participation in the survey by members of the AISA community. If you are a parent, teacher or senior student at AISA, please share your opinions and experience with other potential members of your community - please go here to share your views .
What about the fees?
Fees for the school are mid-range for a US curriculum school in Abu Dhabi starting at AED 31,870 in KG 1, AED 33,320 in KG2, AED 44,910 for Grades 1 to 4, AED 49,250 for Grades 5 to 8, and rising in Grades 9-12 to AED 57,940.
There is a registration fee for new students of AED 2,000 for KG to Grade 4, AED 2,400 for Grades 5 to 8, and AED 2,800 for Grades 9 to 12. The fee is credited towards the first term tuition fees.
Bus fees and uniforms are additional to the above.
Note: ESOL opened two schools in Dubai in September 2018, one US curriculum offering the IB Diploma option for Grades 11 and 12 - Dunecrest American School - and the other, an IB curriculum school with a strong focus on sustainability - Fairgreen International School.
This school is in a Best School by parents 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:
- #102 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
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