The American School of Doha (ASD) is an independent, coeducational, nonprofit day school, which offers an educational program for children of all nationalities from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. The school was founded in 1988. The school year comprises four quarters extending from late August to mid-June.
Organization: The school is governed by an appointed board of trustees and a 12-member board of directors. The U.S. Ambassador serves as chair of the board of trustees (membership includes representatives from both U.S. and Qatari businesses). Nine of ASD’s board members are appointed by the U.S. Ambassador and three are elected by ASD parents. The school’s director is accountable to the board of directors for the overall management of the school. The school is licensed by the Qatari Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Office of Private Schools.
Curriculum: ASD is one school with four divisions: lower elementary, PK-grade 2; upper elementary, grades 3-5; middle school, grades 6-8; and high school, grades 9-12. ASD provides a standards-based curriculum aligned with practices found in the United States. The U.S. Department Office of Overseas additionally provides ASD assistance through programs designed to support schools with an American-style curricular program. One such support is the American Education Reaches Out (AERO) standards and frameworks. These have a direct correlation to standards used across the United States. Mathematics aligns with the AERO framework, which is the Common Core standards. English Language Arts is anchored in the AERO standards, which closely align with Common Core State Standards. Science is also guided by the AERO framework which is the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Social Studies uses the AERO Framework which combines AERO content standards with the C3 Framework (College, Career and Civic Life). The National Core Arts Standards are used for performing arts courses. Standards from the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) are used to guide Health and Physical Education. English is the language of instruction. ASD offers a U.S. accredited diploma to all high school students meeting requirements. In addition, an array of Advanced Placement (AP) courses is offered, as well as the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP). World Languages, following AERO World Language standards, are provided. Students in grades 1-5 choose from Arabic or Spanish. French is introduced as an option starting from grade 6. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is a heritage language program available from K-12. MSA aligns with the National Qatari Standards. The school week is Sunday-Thursday from 8am to 3pm. ASD is fully accredited by an American nonprofit organization: the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
Faculty: In the 2022-2023 school year, ASD has 375 total staff including 220 teachers, 125 of whom are U.S. citizens, 0 host-country nationals, and 95 third-country nationals representing 38 different countries. Faculty members retain their teaching certificates.
Enrollment: At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, enrollment was 2,298. Of the total, 989 are U.S. citizens, 317 are host-country nationals, and 982 are third-country nationals. Of the U.S. enrollment, 75 are dependents of U.S. government direct-hire or contract employees.
Facilities: The school is located on a 26-acre site. The high school and middle school facilities include a library, dining hall, robotics lab, two presentation rooms, eight science labs, common areas for each grade level, two gymnasiums, a fitness center, an indoor 25-meter pool, a theater that seats 630 students, two art studios, band and chorus room, a softball/baseball field, a 400-meter track, and a full-sized soccer field. The elementary facility has 42 classrooms, two science labs, four music rooms, four art rooms, a library and cafeteria, multipurpose room, a playground for early childhood, a small playing field for younger children, a soccer pitch, two covered playgrounds, two gymnasiums, and an outdoor swimming pool and learner’s pool. Classrooms are equipped with digital projectors, interactive whiteboards and document viewers. Elementary students have access to laptops, iPads, and iPod Touches. Students in grades 5 – 12 participate in a 1:1 device program and are issued school-provided laptops or iPads. Wireless networks and internet access are available throughout the school.
Finances: Annual tuition rates are as follows: prekindergarten: $9,452; kindergarten-grade 5: $15,761; and grades 6-12: $20,497. There is a capital fee of $3,400 per year for kindergarten-grade 12 and a prekindergarten capital fee of $2,550 per year. The school also charges a one-time registration fee of $1,040. These fees are payable in Qatari riyals. Note: all fees quoted are in U.S. dollars.
Special Needs: Download the Special Needs Profile (2023 Special Needs- Qatar, Doha) for this school to learn more about their capability to support students with exceptionalities.
This Fact Sheet is intended to provide general information. Prospective users of the schools may wish to inquire further of A/OPR/OS or contact the school directly for more specific and up-to-the-minute information. Information and statistics are current as of September 2022 and are provided by the school.