American International School of Monrovia (AISM), re-opened in 2007, as a private, coeducational day school. Originally the school was founded as the American Cooperative School in 1960. Due to civil unrest in the country, the school had to close its doors in 1990. The school reopened under its current name AISM in 2007 with great enthusiasm and support of the American Embassy and the Liberian Government. AISM has a long and rich tradition of educational excellence. The partnership that exists between the American Embassy and the Liberian Government is evident in the school’s governance, leadership, and diversity of students. The school offers a rigorous American curriculum with an eye to international and global citizenship. The educational programming includes Pre-K through the 10th grade, with plans to expand in 2021- 2022 to a fully accredited and completed high school program.
Organization: A nine-member Board of Trustees governs the School. Four of the nine voting members are appointed by the U.S. Mission to Liberia, one member is from the U.S. expatriate community and is not affiliated with the school or the U.S. Mission. The remaining four members to the Board of Trustees are elected by the parent community. The School is administered by an American Director.
Curriculum: The school offers a rigorous American Curriculum under the framework/standards from AERO- American Educators Reaching Out. AERO is a project supported by the U.S. State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools and the Overseas Schools Advisory Council to assist schools in developing and implementing standards-based curricula in alignment with the Common Core and many other top tier international schools. AERO’s resources, workshops, and professional development/consultation services assist overseas schools to implement and sustain standards-based curricula. AISM incorporates standardized testing (MAP) to measure student mastery of skills and curriculum along with other formative and summative assessments to ensure students are achieving educational milestones.
Faculty: For the 2020 – 2021 school year, the school has 11 faculty members.
Enrollment: As of August 2020, 88 students are enrolled for this academic year.
Facilities: The school is located in a residential area, approximately 5 miles from downtown Monrovia, in a section called Congo Town, Old Road. The large physical plant is situated on a 6-acre beautiful site. Nineteen classrooms have been renovated, including the recent construction of a science lab, art room, and library. The campus is wireless and uses fiber-optic technology; the school has Google Chromebooks for students to borrow on a first come basis. However, there is a BYOD – Bring Your Own Device program in the wake of COVID 19 that we highly recommend. There are playground areas in front of and adjacent to the school, for Early Childhood and Lower school students. There is a large gymnasium and a regulation-size soccer field. The school has a canteen that features healthy snacks and lunches. Throughout the campus, there are beautiful flower gardens, with seating areas, to read, study, and gather for upper school students.
Finances: For the 2020 – 2021 school year, the annual tuition rates are as follows, with all fees required to be paid in U.S. Dollars: EYP (3/4-year-old): $11,445; ECE III (Kdg.–5 year old)–grade 5: $18,775; grades 6-8: $19,615; and grades 9–10: $20,875. There is also a one-time capital levy fee of $5,000 ($2,500 per year for EYP) (All fees are quoted in U.S. dollars.)
Information and statistics are current as of October 2019 and are provided by the school.