Welcome to the American Community School Beirut! Whether you are visiting our website for the first time as a prospective parent, an alumnus looking to reengage with the school, a current parent looking for the latest news, or a friend wanting to learn more about who we are, I hope that you find this site informative and helpful.
We were founded way back in 1905 as the Faculty School, to serve families of the American University of Beirut (AUB). Today, we are an accredited and secular, not-for-profit, independent American college preparatory school. We serve a multi-cultural international student body and provide an internationally enriched, standard-based American curriculum. We enroll 1080 students, and our campus is in the heart of Ras Beirut, with the Mediterranean Sea on one side of us, and AUB, the preeminent University in the Middle East on the other.
ACS is the one school in this region that is truly both American and international. We teach all our classes in English save our foreign language classes that are conducted in Arabic and French. We are chartered in New York, and our Board of Trustees Chairs and Heads of School have always come from the States. We prepare all our students for the American High School Diploma, but our high school students can also elect to take either the International Baccalaureate or the Lebanese Baccalaureate. Currently, our students hold passports from 64 different countries. While over 50% of our students are of Lebanese origin, we have several faculty children from AUB and LAU, and we have several children whose parents are in Lebanon as aid workers with different NGOs.
Our mission reads “ACS empowers students to solve problems with creativity and integrity, to lead well-balanced lives, and to serve Lebanon and the world community with compassion and understanding.”
We are focused on helping our students to become critical thinkers, develop their voices, and fulfill their academic potential. We challenge our students to be their best, but also provide them with a great deal of support. Students at ACS find balance through a wealth of opportunities in the arts and athletics, and we have an extensive community service program. Our students from all grade levels have access to the ACS Nature and Outdoor Education Center located in Deir El Qamar - a thoughtfully designed off-campus site that fosters and supports an appreciation for the natural beauty that exists in Lebanon and adds depth to an already excellent academic education. There are numerous opportunities to travel throughout the region with teams, on service trips, and our week without walls.
The heart of the ACS education is not, however, our programs or the campus it is the relationship between our faculty and students and the bond they establish as they engage in learning. While our website captures this through vivid imagery and a clear overview of what we do, I encourage you to visit our campus and get in contact with us firsthand. Discover what learning should be like everywhere. Discover the unique excellence that is the American Community School Beirut.
ACS empowers students to solve problems with creativity and integrity, to lead well-balanced lives, and to serve Lebanon and the world community with understanding and compassion. Students learn at different rates and in different ways. Setting high expectations for ourselves and our students. Empowering students to be critical thinkers and independent learners. Working collaboratively with all members of our community. Understanding and utilizing innovative teaching and learning. Creating a safe environment for students to take risks and learn from their mistakes. Facilitating students’ intellectual, social, emotional, and physical growth. Engaging students in relevant and reflective learning.
Encouraging students to explore different forms of personal expression. Providing opportunities for students to make choices, to lead, and to demonstrate responsibility. Supporting students to be caring, empathetic, respectful, and tolerant Students achieve success by being active participants in their learning. Students develop character through engagement with others from different backgrounds and through interaction within the community.
Health services at ACS are provided through two infirmaries. The upper school infirmary is located in the upper school building and the lower school infirmary is in the administration building (BD). Both are fully equipped with over-the-counter medications, beds to rest in, medical equipment, physical screening tools, and first aid supplies. The goal of the school nurse is to promote a healthy environment for the students, prevent and control the occurrence and spread of infectious and/or communicable diseases, and maintain and supervise the provision of food services at school in a healthy nutritious no-junk plan.
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