Our School
AISB is a not-for-profit international school in Bucharest, Romania for students aged 2 to 18.
How we learn
We deliver the International Baccalaureate program: Primary Years (PYP), Middle Years (MYP), and Diploma (DP) – as well as the new Global Impact Diploma pathway. Each one builds on what came before, so your child is always ready for what comes next.
Early Learning Center
Ages 2–6. Learning through play and inquiry with a Reggio Emilia influence and the IB PYP.
Elementary School
Grades 1–5. Student-led inquiry through the PYP, culminating in the Grade 5 Exhibition.
Secondary School
Grades 6–12. IB MYP and Diploma Programme, average score 34, world average 30. Plus the Global Impact Diploma.
Learning in community
AISB brings together students from 60+ nationalities. Beyond the classroom, community life is built into the calendar.
Rock in the Park, the annual outdoor concert run by student musicians, is one of the school’s oldest traditions. The Terry Fox Run raises money for cancer research every year. International Day fills the campus with food and stories. The annual Gala, an evening of auctions, raffles, and live entertainment, funds the Scholarship Program that has supported over 50 local students since 1999.
There are so many moments, big and small, that make the AISB community something special.
Learning support and counsellors were extraordinary, he loves school so much he is sad on the weekend.
Where we learn
The Pipera campus is purpose-built and 10 hectares. Large enough that the three sections have their own spaces, and compact enough that students from different grade levels know each other.
Beyond the classrooms, there is a theater, Design Center, science labs, a Makerspace, libraries in each section, gymnasiums, playing fields, tennis courts, and the Central Park green space.
Learning that connects
Our mission
I dare
The skills that definitely improved the most in robotics since I joined were my problem-solving abilities
I show up
I believe art is important because it helps you see things through colors that math and science don't…
I see
Modelling United Nations helps. me understand global issues more deeply as we research current events…
Led by curiosity
In our ELC, children kept crushing leaves and holding them up to their teachers. What’s this one? So the teachers built a garden around that question. Herbs, flowers, and vegetables all grew in the garden, shaped by what the children were already asking.
“In an environment where the children feel safe, they’re willing to take risks.”
– Gillian Stevens
That safety is the foundation of everything here at AISB. Student-led conferences, the PYP Exhibition, the Personal Project, the student-written mission. None of it works unless children have spent years being trusted with their curiosity.
A wide range of opportunities
There is so much to do beyond the classroom. The co-curricular program covers athletics, the arts, student media, robotics, community action, and much more.
Our future design commitments
AISB recently went through a school-wide review in partnership with its accrediting bodies, NEASC and IB. Parents, students, teachers, and board members all took part. It produced three priorities for the years ahead.
We want every person at AISB to feel they belong. That means physical and emotional safety: a place where empathy is taught and practiced every day.
We want students who can direct their own learning by setting their own goals and following through on them. Students who know how to find out for themselves.
AISB is committed to designing learning environments, physical and timetabled, that are joyful, flexible, and built around how people actually learn best. Spaces that invite collaboration. Time that is used well.
What others have to say
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Learning support and counsellors were extraordinary, he loves school so much he is sad on the weekend.
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There’s nothing more comforting than knowing your children are seen, heard, and valued. They come home inspired, and they wake up excited to go back.
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AISB encouraged and nurtured their passions, allowing each of them to grow into unique individuals. All were deeply involved in extracurricular activities, many of which ultimately influenced their future career paths, and gave them a diverse range of experiences to develop their confidence, perseverance and diligence. Their teachers invested in their growth across a wide range of interests and inspired in them a desire to keep learning — fostering a lifelong love of learning.
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We chose AISB because of its reputation. We stayed because of its people. The teachers genuinely know our children — not just their grades, but who they are.
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Watching my daughter transition from ELC to Elementary was seamless. The teachers communicated every step of the way, and she never felt lost.
Our leadership
The school is directed by Rachel Caldwell. The Board of Trustees, made up of current and former AISB parents, oversees strategic planning, budget, and governance.
Since 1962
Our Story
From two rooms and six students in 1962 to a 10-hectare campus and 60+ nationalities today.
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1960s
The beginnings
Two Teachers, Six Children
In September 1962, the American School of Bucharest opened in two rooms on Strada Vasile Conta. Desks and blackboards were purchased in Frankfurt and flown in on US military planes. Textbooks were donated by families.
10+ students | 3+ countries | 2 teachers
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1970s
Growth and diversity
Through Earthquakes and Regimes
The school grew through a turbulent decade. A major earthquake disrupted classes, and life under the authoritarian regime brought constant challenges. The school kept going. Students arrived from around the world, and an English as a Second Language program was added.
100+ students | 20+ countries | 1 building on Popa Chitu St
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1980s
Dramatic changes
Caught in the Revolution
A growing student body from over 30 countries moved to a campus on Nicolae Costinescu Street. The school shared a common wall with the television station. In December 1989, it was caught in the fighting of the revolution. The building was occupied. When staff returned in January 1990, they found bullet holes, shattered windows, and fallen plaster.
120+ students | 30+ countries | 1 building on Costinescu St
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1990s
Expansion and innovation
Three Campuses Across Bucharest
By the end of January 1990, classes had resumed. As enrollment grew, the school expanded to three locations: Costinescu, Laptari, and Calea Dorobanti. A new computer lab, funded with help from the US Embassy, brought Apple machines to the Dorobanti campus.
350+ students | 40+ countries | 3 buildings across Bucharest
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2000s
One campus
Purpose-Built on Pipera Boulevard
As Romania opened to foreign investment and joined the EU, enrollment more than doubled. A purpose-built, 10-hectare campus on Pipera Boulevard opened in 2001 and brought the entire school together for the first time.
700+ students | 50+ countries | 200+ faculty and staff from 13 countries
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2020s
AISB today
Growing Into the Future
The campus has been expanded: a purpose-built Early Learning Center in 2017, a Design Center, and an extended Secondary School. Through COVID, the school moved to distance learning, built on-campus health infrastructure, and returned to in-person teaching.
850+ students | 66 countries | 280+ faculty and staff from 23 countries
Supporting AISB
AISB is a not-for-profit. The Scholarship Program has supported more than 50 local students since 1999, funded largely through the annual Gala and individual donors. Alumni, parents, local businesses, and private citizens all contribute.
If you would like to support the school, get in touch with our Admissions and External Relations team.
Accreditations
AISB is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and is an IB World School, authorized by the International Baccalaureate to offer all of their programs – the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes.
We participate in the Central and Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA), which provides a variety of academic, artistic and athletic competitions and experiences to our Secondary School students.
Accredited by
Authorized by
Affiliated with
Friends of AISB
Visit AISB
Want to see what a day here looks like? Book a visit.