The American Cooperative School of Tunis or ACST ( ar, المدرسة التعاونية الأمريكية بتونس) is a comprehensive American, international, non-profit, private

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...

located in El Aouina,

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

The school enrolls more than 450 students in grades

Pre-school A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary scho ...

- 12. The school is widely known for its

International Baccalaureate Diploma Program The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...

which it has used since 2000. It is currently the only IB World School in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

History

The American Cooperative School of Tunis was founded in 1959, originally as an American Elementary School only teaching Grades PreK-8. A ninth grade was added in 1982 and a

tenth grade Tenth grade or grade 10 (called Year Eleven in England and Wales, and sophomore year in the US) is the tenth year of school post-kindergarten or the tenth year after the first introductory year upon entering compulsory schooling. In many parts of ...

in 1993. Eleventh and twelfth grade were added in 1995 and 1996 respectively with the first graduating class being the class of June 1997. The school's enrolment increased dramatically following the temporary relocation of the

African Development Bank The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) or (BAD) is a multilateral development finance institution headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and private companies ...

from its headquarters in

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, making it the sixth most populous city p ...

, Côte d'Ivoire to

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

in 2003. Following attacks on the nearby US Embassy, protesters torched the school building containing the Elementary School Library on September 14, 2012. Fire and smoke damage spread to 12 adjoining classrooms rendering them unsafe. The entire block was condemned. The remainder of the campus was ransacked and looted for several hours resulting in over $5.5 million in estimated damages and loss. However, the school commenced within a few days and is now back and flourishing better than ever, thanks to rebuilding efforts from the many countries and persons involved.

Facilities

ACST is located on a campus with completely new or renovated building dedicated to

pre-school A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary scho ...

elementary Elementary may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001 * ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007 * ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977 Other uses in arts, entertainment, a ...

, middle and

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

. A three-year expansion project was completed in May 2006 and includes a new elementary playground space with new equipment, an

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

and green space. A new facility in currently in the works and should be finished in 2016/17. The admin/preschool building contains an

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

with an amphitheater and elementary

computer lab A computer lab is a space where computer services are provided to a defined community. These are typically public libraries and academic institution Academic institution is an educational institution dedicated to education and research, which ...

. For the secondary school there are two science labs, two computer labs, two art rooms and the main

with more than 12,000 volumes and a computer research area. Other buildings house a large music classroom, school store,

copy center A photocopier (also called copier or copy machine, and formerly Xerox machine, the generic trademark) is a machine that makes copies of documents and other visual images onto paper or plastic film quickly and cheaply. Most modern photocopiers u ...

and

warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...

. The

has a full

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational i ...

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...

(with three

classrooms A classroom or schoolroom is a learning space in which both children and adults learn. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, ranging from preschools to universities, and may also be found in other places where education ...

), a second newly constructed

, a cafeteria and a regulation sized grass-covered soccer/

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

field with a 300-meter track being renovated this year. An on-campus parking garage for 74

vehicles A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles (motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles (trains, trams), ...

was constructed last school year. ACST shares use of a newly constructed 25-meter swimming pool located at the nearby

United States Embassy The United States has the second most diplomatic missions of any country in the world after Mainland China, including 166 of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, as well as observer state Vatican City and non-member countries Kosovo a ...

to Tunisia. Bus transportation is available to and from the school from most residential areas of

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

La Marsa La Marsa ( aeb, المرسى ') is a coastal town in far north eastern Tunisia near the capital Tunis. The population is estimated as 92,987, as of 2014. The old summer capital of pre-colonial Tunisia, it is today a popular vacation spot for many ...

, Gammarth, El Manar and

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the cla ...

Secondary school

The American Cooperative School of Tunis has American-style high school graduation requirements offering their own "ACST Diploma" in addition to the

International Baccalaureate Diploma The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year Curriculum, educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification fo ...

. The ACST Diploma can be obtained by earning credits. These credits consist of four credits of English, Social Studies, and Mathematics as well as three credits of Science. In addition, two credits of Foreign Language, two credits of Physical Education, one course of Art, Music, Technology, and Health are also required. An additional four credits must be obtained by taking other courses to earn the required total of 24. Earning the

constitutes automatic fulfilment of the ACST Diploma requirements.

Initial years

The initial years of the ACST high school also known as grades 9 and 10 or Freshman and Sophomore years consist of American style high school courses designed for 14- to 16-year-olds created and regulated solely by ACST. The school offers

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, Math,

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

, Chemistry,

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

, and ESS as core subjects. ACST also offers

electives In higher education a course is a unit of teaching that typically lasts one academic term, is led by one or more instructors (teachers or professors), and has a fixed roster of students. A course usually covers an individual subject. Courses gener ...

that students may take in addition to the core subject. The high school electives for the 2007–2008 school year include: Music, Art, Advanced Art, Modern Standard Arabic, Technology, Model United Nations, Drama, Introduction to Research, 20th Century African History, and German.

IB Diploma Program

A basic

IB Diploma Program The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...

is offered to all students in Grades 11 and 12 (or junior and senior) years as well as American style high school electives for non-IB Diploma students who only seek the ACST Diploma. The school grades student using both their own American style grading scale as well as having their students take the IB Exams which are externally marked by the International Baccalaureat Organization.

References

External links

*http://www.acst.net - Official Website {{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1959 American international schools in Tunisia International Baccalaureate schools in Tunisia 1959 establishments in Tunisia