St Andrew's International School is an international IB primary and secondary school in

Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...

. The school enrolls approximately 400 students from Preschool to Grade 12, of whom around 75% are Bahamian. St Andrew's International School has high academic standards and holds internationally accredited status with both the

Council of International Schools The Council of International Schools (CIS) is a membership organization aimed at international education. CIS was formed in 2003. It has over 1,500 institutional members consisting of over 800 schools and 600 colleges/universities, located in ...

and 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 ...

. St Andrew's was the first school in the Bahamas to be authorized to offer the

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 ...

Organization's Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the Pre-University IB Diploma curriculum.

History

St Andrew's School first opened its doors in 1948 with an enrollment of 24 students. Its first headmaster was Reverend J. H. Poole, the Minister then in charge of St. Andrews Presbyterian Kirk. For the next two years, the students were accommodated in the Kirk Hall, and the name St Andrew's was permanently adopted. The School was founded by a group of parents who wanted their children prepared for admission into private boarding schools in Britain by the age of 13. At the time, the subjects taught in local Primary School did not include those necessary for entry into private

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

schools. Candidates for entrance were required to sit examinations in

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and/or

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, Algebra, Geometry, History, and Geography, in addition to the usual papers in

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, Arithmetic and Religious Knowledge. By 1950, the number of students had increased to 70 and the Kirk Hall was no longer an adequate location for the school. In that same year, a group of enthusiastic and far-sighted parents negotiated the purchase of the Collins property that borders both Shirley Street and Collins Avenue. The school grew to 160 pupils by 1954. As St Andrew's School enlarged, so did the number of parents who wished for their children to complete their secondary education either in

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or the

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. To meet these needs, it was necessary to widen the educational horizons of the School. Thus, in addition to offering the London University

GCE 'O' Level GCE can mean: * Galactic Center GeV excess * Gas Control Equipment, GCE Group, Sweden * General Certificate of Education * Global citizenship education * Google Compute Engine * Ground combat element in the United States Marine Corps * Guthrie Corri ...

courses and examinations, the School became a PSAT and

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and Test score, scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test ...

Examination Centre. Over the next 15 years, the School's population grew to 590 students and it was evident that new premises had to be sought. The existing School property at Yamacraw was acquired and a major fund raising effort then ensued, championed by students, teachers, parents, and the energetic and devoted Headmaster, Mr. John Chaplin. In early 1970, the ground was broken and by November 1971, the school had moved to the campus it occupies today.

Notable alumni

Debbie Ferguson Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie (born 16 January 1976) is a former Bahamian sprinter who specialised in the 100 and 200 metres. Ferguson-McKenzie participated in five Olympics. Ferguson-McKenzie is assistant coach of track and field at University of ...

- Olympic Gold Medalist * Jerome Fitzgerald - former Bahamian Education Minister * Chas W. Freeman, Jr. - American (US) diplomat, government official * David Morris - British politician * Connor Sheehan - Bahamian international soccer playerUniversity of North Florida Athletics - Connor Sheehan
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References

External links

St Andrew's International School Website
{{International schools in the Bahamas Educational institutions established in 1948 Nassau, Bahamas International Baccalaureate schools in the Bahamas 1948 establishments in the Bahamas International schools in the Bahamas