The International School of Latvia
Web: www.isl.edu.lv
Video Clip: www.cspeaking.com/riga2008-2009
The International School of Latvia (ISL) is an independent, coeducational day school, which offers an educational program for children of all nationalities from ages 2 to 18 years. ISL was founded in 1994. The school year begins the 3rd week in August and ends the 3rd week in June.
Organization: A Board of Directors, elected by the International School Association of Latvia’s Parent Association, governs the School. Membership is automatically conferred on the parents or guardians of students enrolled in the School. The School operates as a nonprofit organization in Latvia.
Curriculum: The International School of Latvia is an International Baccalaureate World School. It is authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP) for the lower school (Pk-Grade 5), the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBPYP) for grades 6 through 10 and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) for grades 11 and 12. Instruction is in English. French and German are offered as foreign languages to students from grades 1 through 12 if they meet the English fluency requirement. English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) classes are offered to students whose require additional English language support, such as those whose native language is not English. Other classes in the curriculum include: computer science, music, art, physical education and health, Latvian studies and drama. Various field trips are taken during the school year. Upper level students attend Central and Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA) activities throughout the region. ISL is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the Council of International Schools and registered with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia.
Faculty:In the 2008-2009 school year there are currently 50 staff members at ISL of which 27 are teachers or specialists (15 U.S., 9 host country nationals and 3 third country nationals). Other faculty members include 6 Administrative (Director, Deputy Director, Program Coordinators and Director of Marketing (4 U.S., 1 South Africa and 1 US/Latvian). Office staff consists of 6 host country nationals, Library (2 host country nationals), School Nurse (US/Latvian) and Maintenance staff (6 host country nationals). The school has a new staff member, Buster, a therapeutic emotional support dog. Buster was trained in Kansas and prior to arriving at ISL he worked in elementary classrooms in Iowa.
Enrollment: At the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year, the enrollment was 219 students, representing 27 nationalities. Of the total enrollment 38 were U.S. citizens, 88 were host-country nationals, and 93 were third-country nationals. Of the U.S. enrollment, 15 were dependents of U.S. government direct hire or contract employees and 23 of other private U.S. citizens.
Facilities: The School shares a facility with the Bulduri Horticultural School. ISL has 30 classrooms, including modern science and computer labs, an extensive library collection, media center, administrative offices, and indoor gym, access to a swimming pool and assembly hall. The elementary school playground is fenced in to ensure optimal safety and the school has a security guard on the premises. The School is situated in Jurmala along the Lielupe River in Bulduri, a 20-minute drive from Riga. Bus transportation is provided daily to and from Riga.
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