The International School of Tanganyika (IST), established in 1963, is a private, coeducational, not-for-profit day school for students from age three to grade 12 (pre-university). The school includes two campuses, elementary and secondary, which are separated by about five kilometers. A child must be three years of age before September 1 to be admitted to the early childhood program. The school year begins in mid-August with the first semester ending in January. The second semester begins in January with the school year finishing in mid-June. The school is accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS, www.cois.org) and the Middle States Association (MSA, www.msa-cess.org) in addition to being an International Baccalaureate (IB, www.ibo.org) World School. The school is also an active member of the Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA, www.aisa.or.ke).
Organization: The school is governed by a board of directors comprised of parent volunteers elected for three-year terms by parents of students at the school, all of whom are eligible to vote and to hold office. The director reports to the board. There is one principal and one vice principal for each campus and a director of learning and teaching for the whole school/cross campus.
Curriculum: The elementary campus (early childhood (EC) to grade 5) follows the IB Primary Years Program (PYP). The secondary campus follows the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) for grades 6 to 10 and follows the IB Diploma Program (IBDP) for grades 11 and 12. The IBDP is a college preparation course of study. The school is a center for SAT and PSAT testing with the PSAT open only to students enrolled at IST. IST provides English-as-an-Additional-Language services to students through 10th grade. Learning support services are also available to qualifying students.
Faculty: In the 2022-2023 school year, IST has 266 total staff including 107 teachers, 42 of whom are U.S. citizens, 14 host-country nationals, and 51 third-country nationals. Our faculty and staff represent 17 number of nationalities including America, Australia, UK, Canada, Cuba, Netherland, Ecuador, India, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Serbia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Uruguay, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Most teaching staff have a teaching license from their country of origin and all teaching staff have teaching license obtained from the host country.
Enrollment: At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, enrollment was 770. Of the total, 148 were U.S. citizens, 196 were host-country nationals, and 426 were third-country nationals.
Facilities: The elementary campus consists of 46 classrooms/pull-out spaces for small groups, integrated ICT learning, a maker space, two music rooms, one art room, a multipurpose hall, a library, two covered courts, a swimming pool, a teacher’s resource room, a nurse’s room, a photocopying room, a storeroom for educational supplies, a uniform shop, a community room, and an athletic field. The secondary campus consists of 27 classrooms, eight science laboratories, two design technology laboratories, a library, three art rooms, two computer rooms, an audio-visual theatre, a multipurpose hall/gymnasium, music and drama rooms including a Black Box Theatre, swimming pool, a covered court, and a sports field.
Finances: For the 2022-2023 school year, the annual tuition fees are as follows: early childhood 1-2: $16,100; kindergarten-grade 5: $23,500; grades 6-8: $27,300; grades 9-10: $28,900; and grades 11-12: $33,300. There is also a $1,000 annual capital fee per child. For new students, the current building fee charged to all new parents is $7,000, and the school also charges is also a $100 alumni outreach fee and a $500 returnable family deposit. (All fees are quoted in U.S. dollars.)
Special Needs: Download the Special Needs Profile (2023 Special Needs- Tanzania, Dar es Salaam) 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.