The American School of Warsaw (ASW) is an independent, coeducational day school that offers an educational program from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 for students of all nationalities. The school was founded in 1953. The school year for the elementary in grades 1-5 is comprised of six reporting periods, while grades pre-K-K have three reporting periods. In all cases, an end-of-year student progress report is issued in June. The upper school (grades 6-12) year comprises two semesters, extending from August to January and from January to June.
Organization: The board of trustees is composed of 12 members: two members are appointed by the U.S. Ambassador; six members selected and appointed by the board, and four members of the school community are elected by ASW parents. Elected members serve for a two-year term, whereas the term of office for appointed members is no more than three years. The school community is the parents or guardians of children enrolled at ASW. The school is not incorporated and is tax-exempt.
Curriculum: The curriculum is college preparatory and is informed by the U.S. ideals of democratic values, analytical thinking, respect, appreciation for others, and the development of responsible world citizenship. Children are generally grouped by age, and teaching is aligned to the adoption of globally recognized subject area standards delivered through the IB inquiry framework. Class sizes averaging below 20 and there is effective differentiation for students needing support or extensions to their learning. Instruction is in English and supported by a one-to-one laptop program for grades three through 12. The school also offers learning support as well as EAL (English as an Additional Language) programs. French and Polish are taught as a foreign language from grade three, and Polish culture and language for all from kindergarten. German, French, Spanish, and Polish are offered in middle and high school. Mother-tongue instruction is also available to native speakers from first grade as an alternative or as a supplement to other language instruction. The school offers a full International Baccalaureate (IB) Program in grades PK-12, including the Primary Years Program, the Middle Years Program, and culminating in the Diploma Program. There is no religious instruction or affiliation. ASW is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the Council of International Schools. The high school diploma is US equivalent and more than 90% of students also complete the full IB Diploma. The school is a member of the IB Organization, the European Council of International Schools, the Central and Eastern European Schools Association, the National Association of International Schools, the Association for the Advancement of International Education, and the Principals’ Training Center.
Faculty: In the 2022-2023 school year, ASW has 260 total staff including 134 teachers, 71 of whom are U.S. citizens, 33 host-country nationals, and 30 third-country nationals from 14 different countries. All teaching faculty maintain a certificate in home country of record or equivalent training and experience.
Enrollment: At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, enrollment was 1,005 (PK-5: 369; 6-8: 245; 9-12: 329). Of the total, 216 were U.S. citizens, 199 were host-country nationals, and 590 were third-country nationals.
Facilities: The school is located in Konstancin-Jeziorna on the outskirts of Warsaw. The facilities include 10 hectares of land, with more than 56 classrooms, including an early childhood wing. There are two computer labs, seven science labs, one design center, five music rooms, five art rooms, a library, three gymnasiums, a full-service cafeteria, a theater-quality auditorium, and a swimming pool. All classrooms have wireless access. There are also multiple playgrounds, a full track, soccer fields, two softball fields, outdoor tennis courts, a multipurpose sports court, and a LEED-certified (silver level) annex building.
Finances: Annual tuition rates for new students can be found here: https://www.aswarsaw.org/admissions/fees.
Special Needs: Download the Special Needs Profile (2023 Special Needs Profile- Warsaw, Poland) 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.