Istanbul International Community School (also known as IICS) is one of the oldest international schools in the world and the first established in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. It was one of the first schools in the world authorized to offer all three

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), more commonly known as the International Baccalaureate (IB), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the I ...

programs. Founded in 1911, the

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

non-sectarian Nonsectarian institutions are secular institutions or other organizations not affiliated with or restricted to a particular religious group. Academic sphere Many North American universities identify themselves as being nonsectarian, such as B ...

school offers

co-ed Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

K–12 K–12, from kindergarten to 12th grade, is an English language expression that indicates the range of years of publicly supported primary and secondary education found in the United States and Canada, which is similar to publicly supported sch ...

education. As of August 2018, the school's total enrollment was 525, with more than 60 nationalities represented. Due to legal requirements, only holders of non-

Turkish passport Turkish passport () are issued to Turkish citizens for travel outside Turkey as per the Passport Act dated July 15, 1950. Citizens of the ''de facto'' state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are also eligible to apply for a Turkish pass ...

s are eligible to apply to the school.

History

IICS was founded in 1911 during the reign of Sultan

Mehmed V Mehmed V Reşâd (; or ; 2 November 1844 – 3 July 1918) was the penultimate List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1909 to 1918. Mehmed V reigned as a Constitutional monarchy, constitutional monarch. He had ...

in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. The school was initially named ''Robert College Community School'' (RCCS) and served as the sister school to

Robert College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( or ), often abbreviated as Robert or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational, Education in Turkey#Private schools, private Second ...

(RC) for the education of RC faculty members' children. Initially, the school was located in Anderson Hall, which was then part of Robert College and is now part of

Boğaziçi University Boğaziçi University (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Boğaziçi Üniversitesi''), also known as Bosphorus University, is a Public university, public research university in Istanbul, Turkey, historically tied to a former American educational insti ...

. The land was bought by Robert College founder

Cyrus Hamlin Cyrus Hamlin (January 5, 1811 – August 8, 1900) was an American Congregational missionary, co-founder of Robert College, and the father of A. D. F. Hamlin. Biography Hamlin was born in Waterford, Maine and grew up on his family's far ...

from

Ahmed Vefik Pasha Ahmed Vefik Pasha () (3 July 1823 2 April 1891) was an Ottoman statesman, diplomat, scholar, playwright, and translator during the Tanzimat and First Constitutional Era periods. He was commissioned with top-rank governmental duties, including pr ...

in 1861. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and II, RCCS was temporarily closed on multiple occasions. RCCS student body in 1928

In 1958, RCCS moved to the Grosvenor House near the present-day Hisar Campus. The house was named after

Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor ( ; October 28, 1875 – February 4, 1966) was an American magazine editor who was the first full-time editor of the ''National Geographic'' magazine from 1899 to 1954, and is credited with having consolidated the nascent ...

, who was born in the house, and whose father

Edwin The name Edwin means "wealth-friend". It comes from (wealth, good fortune) and (friend). Thus the Old English form is Ēadwine, a name widely attested in early medieval England. Edwina is the feminine form of the name. Notable people and char ...

taught at Robert College. The school remained primarily in the Grosvenor House until it burned down on 18 December 1985. RCCS was renamed Istanbul International Community School in 1979 to reflect that it was now open to all

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

students. The primary building at the Hisar Campus, known as the White House, was originally built for an English

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

family in the early 20th century. The house had first been used in the 1969–70 academic year. The ginkgo tree still found at the Early Years playground here is believed to be the first ginkgo tree in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, and originally arrived from London's

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1759, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...

Campuses

Hisar Campus

The school features two campuses, including the smaller Hisar Campus, which is part of the school's original grounds and is situated closer to the city center. The 2048 m² wooded campus overlooks the Rumelian Castle ( Turkish: ''Rumeli Hisarı'') in the city's

Sarıyer Sarıyer () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 177 km2 and its population is 350,454 (2022). It is on the northeastern part of Istanbul's European side. Sarıyer al ...

district and serves students from

preschool A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an school, educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they ...

to grade 3. Facilities include a library, PE and music room, rubberized basketball court, football pitch, climbing wall, and two playgrounds.

Marmara Campus

The school's primary, purpose-built campus is located 25 miles (40 km) west of the city center in Karaağaç,

Büyükçekmece Büyükçekmece, historically Athyras (Greek: Αθύρας) is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 173 km2, and its population is 277,181 (2022). It is on the Sea of Marmara coast of the European side, west o ...

. The 16

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

(40

acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

) campus which opened in 1999 caters to approximately 75% of the student body and is home to 30+ classrooms and a separate Early Years building. An automated library & media center, music rooms with practice studios, a purpose-built art atelier, a theater and outdoor amphitheater, 2 gymnasiums, outdoor basketball & tennis courts, and a regulation-sized sports pitch are available for use.

Curriculum

As the school is authorized and accredited by the

, the three years of Early Years (3, 4, 5) and grades 1-6 are taught through the

IB Primary Years Programme The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) is an educational programme managed by the International Baccalaureate (IB) for students aged 3 to 12. While the programme prepares students for the IB Middle Years Programme, it is ...

. Grades 7-10 follow the

IB Middle Years Programme The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) is an educational programme for students between the ages of 11 and 16 around the world as part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum. The Middle Years Programme is intended ...

, and grades 11-12 follow the

IB Diploma Programme 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 int ...

. English is the language of instruction and the overall curriculum is international in nature.

Turkish language Turkish ( , , also known as 'Turkish of Turkey') is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, a member of Oghuz languages, Oghuz branch with around 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and one of two official languag ...

and

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

is taught, while students can choose either French, Spanish, or German to study as a foreign language. For students who have not yet achieved satisfactory English fluency, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) is offered instead of French/Spanish/German. Technology is widely integrated into the curriculum with

iPad The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The IPad (1st generation), first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. ...

s being used through grade 1 and

MacBook MacBook is a type of Mac laptop computer that is developed and marketed by Apple that use Apple's macOS operating system since 2006. The MacBook brand replaced the PowerBook and iBook brands during the Mac transition to Intel processors, ann ...

s being used from grade 2. All classrooms feature

interactive whiteboard An interactive whiteboard (IWB), also known as interactive board, interactive display, interactive digital board or smart board, is a large interactive display board in the form factor of a whiteboard. It can either be a standalone touchscre ...

Accreditations and affiliations

IICS has been globally

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the Council of International Schools since 1997, the

New England Association of Schools and Colleges The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC ) is an American educational organization that accredits private and public secondary schools (high schools and technical/career institutions), primarily in New England. It also ...

since 2002, and the International Baccalaureate since 1996. The school was last re-accredited through a joint evaluation by CIS and NEASC in May 2018. IICS is also a member of the

Central and Eastern European Schools Association CEESA (Central and Eastern European Schools Association) is an association of international schools in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The member schools are all sponsored by the United States Department of State Office of Overseas Schoo ...

, the

College Board The College Board, styled as CollegeBoard, is an American not-for-profit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an asso ...

, the European Council of International Schools and the

Educational Records Bureau Educational Records Bureau (ERB) is a private, American educational nonprofit organization that provides standardized tests for both admissions (entrance exams) and annual assessments for 2,000 private and selective public schools during pre-K ...

Organization

IICS is a U.S. registered

501(c)(3) nonprofit organization A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 5 ...

and is governed by an elected

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

. The school is partially sponsored by the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

's Office of Overseas Schools.

References

External links

International Baccalaureate Organization

Council of International Schools

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

US State Department Office of Overseas SchoolsHarvard Student from IICS Discusses IB Diploma Program

IICS: Conceptually Speaking
{{coord missing, Turkey Educational institutions established in 1911 High schools in Istanbul Private schools in Turkey International schools in Turkey American international schools in Turkey International Baccalaureate schools in Turkey 1911 establishments in the Ottoman Empire