American Community School, Cobham

The American Community School (ACS), founded in London in 1967, now educates more than 2,300 students on three suburban campuses, the largest American-international school system in the UK. The largest ACS school, ACS Cobham, which opened in 1975 and is accredited by NEASC and ISA, is a non-sectarian, co-educational school for Scramblers (three-year olds) - grade 13 with a boarding school division for students in grades 7-13.

The curriculum is designed to promote acceptance at North American, European and other colleges and universities and to facilitate the transition of students from one American-international school to another. Thirteen Advanced Placement courses and 24 International Baccalaureate options allow High School students to augment their core American High School courses and, if they choose, pursue an IB Diploma as well. Recent university acceptances include Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, Stockholm School of Economics, and the University of Tokyo. College Counselling is available.

Teachers at American Community School, Cobham are university graduates with certificates and qualifications in the grade or subject for which they are responsible. Continuing professional development is a high priority and is supported with a Professional Development Allowance for every teacher and school-wide presentations and seminars with renowned educational consultants.

Approximately 55% of the students are US or Canadian, with 50 other nationalities represented. ESL courses are offered up to the 10th grade. Cross-cultural seminars and international events support the international school experience. Extensive extra-curricular and community service programs are offered. The school is a member of the International Sports Tournament (ISST) and fields teams in baseball, softball, track, tennis, golf, volleyball, cross-country, soccer, basketball, and rugby. More than 500 field trips a year in both the UK and on the Continent provided focused support for academic and extracurricular programs.

American Community School, Cobham, which is located on a 138-acre, landscaped campus, comprises three divisions, a lower, middle and high school. Each division has libraries, computer and science laboratories, art rooms, music rooms, and ample classrooms. Facilities include an all-weather running track, a large sports hall, a multi-purpose cafeteria/auditorium complex and a dormitory block. A new gymnasium/swimming pool/sports complex was completed in 2002.