Atlanta International School Revenue and Competitors

1984 AIS was founded by a group of parents, international educators and members of the business community whose aim was to provide the Atlanta area with the kind of international educational opportunities found in major cities throughout the world. Support from major corporations and public figures was obtained because of the school's importance in the development of Atlanta as the premier international city in the southeastern United States. 1985 The school opened in September in a schoolhouse rented from Sardis United Methodist Church in Buckhead with 51 students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade, offering three dual-language programs: English and either French, German or Spanish. 1987 In July AIS moved into facilities located on Long Island Drive, which had been acquired from the Fulton County Board of Education. By September the roll had grown to 193 students in four-year-old kindergarten through eighth grade. Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 were added in subsequent years, with the first graduates receiving their diplomas in June 1992. Enrollment increased throughout, exceeding 900 students in 2008. 1992 AIS received authorization from the International Baccalaureate to deliver the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) to students aged 16 to 19. The IBDP is valued as an honors program leading to advanced standing and college credit at universities worldwide. 1995 Under a long-term agreement with the Atlanta Board of Education, AIS moved its campus to its current location, site of the former North Fulton High School, ensuring its presence and place for future generations. The building was designed by renowned Atlanta architect Philip Shutze, and renovations to the campus have retained the historical and architectural integrity of the buildings. 1996 AIS received authorization from the International Baccalaureate to deliver the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP) in the Primary School. 2001 As part of the school's master plan, AIS secured a 50-year lease of the North Fulton Drive campus and purchased contiguous acreage. 2004 AIS was honored as one of three schools nationwide out of more than 1,000 by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Leading Edge recognition program in the category of Curriculum Innovation. The Leading Edge award announced at the 2004 NAIS Annual Conference recognized the unique, innovative Primary School program at AIS, in which students in four-year-old kindergarten through grade 5 study all their subjects in two languages: English and either French, German or Spanish. This dual-language program was introduced when the school opened its doors in 1985, and it is still one of few four-language primary school curricula in the world. 2005 The Sports and Activities Center featuring sophisticated new sports facilities was completed. 2008 Fundraising began for a state-of-the-art Art, Science and Design Center, which will service secondary school students in grades 6 through 12, providing them with opportunities to connect the disciplines of art, design technology and science. 2009 AIS received authorization from the International Baccalaureate to deliver the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP), becoming the first school in Georgia and one of only a handful of schools worldwide to be authorized for all three IB programs.