American Community School at Beirut

Founded in 1905, the American Community School at Beirut is situated on the Eastern Mediterranean. It is an independent, not-for-profit, non-sectarian, coeducational institution that was established to serve the families of the faculty of the Syrian Protestant College (now the American University of Beirut). Chartered under the New York State Board of Regents, registered with the Lebanese Ministry of Education and accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the American Community School offers a nursery through secondary program for a 1,000 students, serving both the international and Lebanese communities.

The grounds of American Community School at Beirut (ACS) adjoin the campus of the American University of Beirut, one block from the Mediterranean. A compact 16,000 square meter campus houses the pre-school, elementary, middle and high schools, their libraries and the administration, as well as an indoor gymnasium and outdoor playing grounds. The recent post-war period brought with it much crucial refurbishment, including a campus-wide renovation project.

American-style curricula and teaching methods enrich the international diploma programs. The core curriculum, taught in English, is American College Preparatory, with an emphasis on mathematics, science, language skills (English, Arabic and French), the arts and four-year integrated world history program. Advanced Placement courses are available in five subject areas. Additionally, the Lebanese Baccalaureate and the International Baccalaureate (IB) are offered in the upper-level high school years. Since 1994, 100% of ACS graduates have been accepted into colleges and universities in Lebanon, Europe, the United States and Canada.

While the majority of students at American Community School at Beirut (ACS) are Lebanese, among the diverse student body there are representatives of some 48 different nationalities.

The American Community School at Beirut (ACS) faculty consists of 145 highly-qualified teachers and administrators. Since the US travel ban was lifted in 1997, the school has hired 43 Americans to rejoin the already international faculty. In the lower school, class size ranges from 17 to 24 students; in the upper school, the average size is 15. Across the entire school, the student teacher ratio is 7:1.

The American-based Alumni Association has over 2,500 registered members, offering a world-wide network of ACS graduates. The Beirut chapter of the Alumni Association is active locally.