Email: iso@iso.bf
Web: www.iso.bf
2011-2012
The International School of Ouagadougou (ISO) is a nonprofit, independent, coeducational day school that offers an English language educational program to children between the ages of 3 and 19 in grades prekindergarten through grade 12. The School was established in 1976, and its mission is to provide an education to the children of diplomats, businesses, missionaries, and international development organizations. The school year is comprised of 180 days of instruction, organized into two semesters extending from August through January and from February into June.
Organization: The School is governed by an Association, which elects a 7-member Board of Directors. Membership in the Association is automatically conferred on the parents or guardians of the children enrolled in the school and upon teachers, teaching assistants, and administrative and auxiliary staff who work at the school.
Curriculum: The School follows an American curriculum which is supplemented to emphasize the international composition of its student population and faculty. Pre-school is a blend of social and academic development. Grades K-5 are in self-contained classrooms. Grades 6-8 follow the middle school philosophy, while grades 9-12 are high school. Both follow the approach found in typical secondary schools with different teachers for different subjects during the day. All students, K-12, have instruction in French, our host country language. Most students take four credits of English, history, science, mathematics, and French. Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered in 2011-2012 are: biology, calculus, English language, English literature, French language and world history. Based on course rotation and student needs, ISO also offers the following courses at the AP level: biology, economics, English literature, world history, and United States history. ISO is fully accredited through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Faculty: In the 2011-2012 school year, there are 23 full-time and 7 part-time faculty members, plus a director, elementary principal/curriculum coordinator, upper school principal, K-12 guidance counselor, librarian and 7 instructional assistants who reflect the diverse culture of the school. 8 different nationalities are represented. The student/teacher ratio is 7.5:1.
Enrollment: At the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year enrollment was 232.
Facilities: The school is located on a seven acre purpose-built campus located adjacent to the city’s main residential section. The facility is walled and secured. ISO has a large grassed playing field, dressing rooms, a multi-sport court, a swimming pool, 2 lighted tennis courts and a performing arts classroom. There are 10 major buildings housing the classrooms, administration, and resource areas, including a library of 11,000 volumes, IT classroom, science laboratory, student center, and snack bar. The school has a dedicated service line for internet and is completely networked. There are 77 computers for student use in the computer lab, library, and classrooms. Construction on a new secondary building was completed in the summer. This building houses a 300 seat auditorium, 2 science labs, 2 computer labs, 7 regular classrooms and a student study area.
Finances: In the 2011-2012 school year, the annual tuition rates are as follows: PS: €4,038 kdg.: €10,215; grades 1-5: €12,193; grades 6-8: €13,362; grades 9-12: €13,792. There is a one-time nonrefundable registration fee of €205 kdg.-12 as well as an annual €50 facility fee. Fees of €2,182 per student, per year are charged for classes in English-as-a-Second-Language (English for speakers of other languages). There is also an annual capital levy fee of €1,000 per student per year for five years or €5,000 for companies upon registration. (All fees are quoted in euros.)
