“We are a dynamic IB World School for over 900 students and 150 expert faculty and staff from over 70 countries”.

ACS Doha International School has established itself as one of the leading educational establishments in Qatar over the past seven years. Part of the ACS International Schools group, ACS Doha provides a world class international education to boys and girls aged 3-18 (pre-K to Grade 12).

Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence 

Founded in 1967 by Gordon E Speed and Emmanuel J Poularas to meet the needs of local and global families; the first ACS school opened in Hampstead, London with one division and 35 students. ACS Currently educates over 2,600 day and boarding students aged 2–18 in the UK representing more than 100 nationalities along with over 900 students at its campus in Doha, Qatar.

Discovering the School

The school offers a globally-recognized international and American curriculum. In Early Childhood (Pre-K3 to Kindergarten) and in Lower School (Grades 1-5) it follows the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IBPYP).  In Middle School (Grades 6-10) the school also offers the prestigious International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) in High School (Grades 11–12). Students can also choose an American High School Diploma.

ACS Doha is an IB World School accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, with membership of the European Council for International Schools and licensed by the Ministry of Education in Qatar.

Introducing the new ACS school in North Doha – Opening August 2020 

After opening our first school in Doha in 2011 and rapidly growing our student numbers due to strong parent demand for places, ACS Doha enters an exciting new phase in 2018 as we start to build a new state-of-the-art campus for 2470 students in partnership with Al Jaber Group.

The new 60,000sq meter campus, located in Al Kheesa, north Doha will open in August 2020, which is almost three times the size of the current campus, will feature world-class academic, outdoor and recreational facilities, from future-ready science labs and libraries to dedicated buildings for Lower, Middle and High Schools, and ample parking.

Mr. Ajay Sharma, British Ambassador to the State of Qatar, was present to witness the official signing of the partnership at a special ceremony at Four Seasons Hotel Doha. Mr. Tim Cagney, Chief Executive of ACS International Schools, and Mr. Mohammed Sultan Al Jaber, Chairman of Al Jaber Group, acted as signatories for the partnership agreement.

The new campus will be just 10 kilometers – or a 15-minute drive – from ACS Doha’s current Al Gharrafa campus. In addition, the new campus will benefit from a metro stop that will be built close by as a part of Doha’s growing public transport network. It will also provide an opportunity for ACS Doha to serve the educational needs of a significant number of growing neighborhoods including Lusail, the Pearl and Um Salal.

At ACS we define learning as growth and development, in knowledge and understanding, skills and dispositions.  

In defining our Vision we have distilled the many ideas, feelings and voices that make up our international community. ‘Through learning’ captures our endeavour to encourage lifelong learning in everything we do, and remain curious and motivated by the world we live in. To ‘inspire all to make a difference’ expresses our collective desire to see and enable achievement as a personal goal. It embodies the energy we feel to enrich and contribute positively to the people around us, both near and far.

Through Learning, Inspire All to Make Difference 

Torchbearer of the School

“Hospitality and kindness are characteristics of the Qatari community and we try to instill them in everything we do as a school.” Robert Cody, Head of ACS Doha International school 

American national Robert Cody was born in New York and grew up on Long Island, famous for its white sand beaches. Besides New York, he has also lived in other locations such as New Hampshire, Colorado, Cambodia and Hawaii. This educator holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Keene State in New Hampshire and a Bachelors of Arts from Molloy College in Rockville Center, New York. 

With more than 20 years of experience as an educator, administrator, and community collaborator, Robert began his career teaching Middle and High School in New York and New Hampshire, before serving as a High School Assistant Principal in Vermont. He was appointed as the principal of Manitou Springs High School in Manitou Springs, Colorado in 2002.

At ACS Doha, Robert led a successful WASC accreditation visit, resulting in an award of six years, the longest term possible for schools.

 “Our strong educational approach embraces the fact that every child comes to us with his or her own hopes and aspirations”. To meet these needs we believe it is important to encourage the pursuit of academic endeavor within a caring environment that finds and focuses on each student’s specific ability and learning style. We are proud of our vibrant and diverse international community, which is represented by our 900 students from more than 70 different countries. We are a truly international environment where the world comes to study and to develop a respect and affinity for the rich and varied cultures reflected in our families and staff”. – asserts Robert.

Student Support Programs

ACS Doha accepts students representing a wide range of nationalities, and different academic abilities. The school offers various programs to ensure all students are able to flourish.

The school’s Learning Support program is designed to help students with mild learning difficulties advance in a mainstream school environment. The goal of the program is to build students’ self-awareness, confidence, and independent study habits so that they can succeed in their coursework. The key support services are delivered via a combination of in-class inclusion for core academic classes, specialized small group instructional sessions in mathematics and literacy fundamentals.

English as an additional language at ACS Doha serves the need of non-English speaking students from beginners to advanced levels, enabling them to reach a sufficient degree of proficiency in the English language to participate fully in the school’s mainstream classes.

ACS Doha Learning support team consists of an EAL teacher, Learning Support teacher and counsellor in Early Childhood section.  In Lower School we have an EAL teacher, and Learning Support teacher for each grade level (1-5), as well as counsellor. In Middle and High School there are two Learning Support teachers, guide counsellor and college counsellor. The Learning support team works closely with other departments and the librarians to ensure an all-around program for our students. 

Maintaining Student Diversity

ACS Doha currently offers fully funded bursaries equivalent to approximately 5% of students enrolled at the school to faculty staff.   These bursaries help support our recruitment and retention of quality teachers. With ACS achieving charitable status in the UK, a number of new charitable programs have been initiated in the UK, including financial support and scholarships for eligible students. Similar programs may be rolled out in Doha in the future.

ACS Doha International School is proud to serve a diverse population of international families not in their home countries by working on the following:

• We engage in community; strong partnerships between students, parents and staff create a genuine feeling of family
• We drive positive change; our approach of learning and inquiry-based style of teaching position our learners as ambassadors to the national, international and global communities
• We promote excellence through learning; inspire all to be the best they can be through varied programmes across our divisions; Students Voice in Lower School and Counselling Programmes in Middle & High School ensure students leave with more than good grades
• We enrich the international experience; through providing students with international educational opportunities and delivering an optimal environment for teaching and learning.

Beyond the Classroom

ACS Doha’s strong core academics are coupled with extensive co- and extra-curricular program including arts, sport, cultural activities, clubs, social activities, local and international trips – all of which deliver a balanced, student-centered philosophy and ethos. Students need opportunities to socialize, learn new skills, and have fun together. The school offers various clubs and activities at differing times of the week and school year. They always welcome parent volunteers to further supplement their program. After-school activities are normally held after school day 2.30pm and onward.

• Outdoor Education Program

The program offers a range of camping trips for students of all ages. Getting students out into nature is not just fun, but also vital to their educational development. Things to do at camp differ and depend on the age of the participating students. Our approach is to first introduce the children to the basic skills and then build on these gradually.

• Clubs

The school offers clubs to students as well as parents during and after school day. Club sessions vary depending on interests and demand. This year; parents and staff came together to start an ACS community book club with an objective to read, discuss, explore, learn, and grow together as a community. Another new club that was introduced this year is the Drama club that achieved great success with more than 70 students from all ages. Music is another integral club and one of the most popular, bands perform in national competition as well as in events taking place in the school. Reading with your child club is open for all our parents after school day with a support from our librarians. ACS Doha Morning broadcast club in is forth year is a collaboration work among teachers and students. Aquatic club this year is expanded to include Mother-Baby swimming classes.

• Social Activities

A variety of social activities are planned for students and parents after and during school hours with the help of the PSO (Parent-School Organization) and the entire school community.

A wide range of outdoor events with several performances and shows presented by the students like “Picnic in the Park” Musical show, ACS Doha Got Talent Show, Family Fun Day, sports competitions.

Workshops with various subjects; parenting, mindfulness offered by parents with specialty in their fields.

Celebrating all together universal and national days; National Day of Qatar, Peace Day, Reading Day, International Mindedness day through a series of activities.

Career Fair week is an annual event inviting parents from different backgrounds to offer grade10 students advice for their future career journey.

The students at ACS Doha obtain as many different academic and positive experiential learning opportunities as possible. The school promotes the expansion of the curriculum into the community. In addition to the trips offered as a part of the curriculum, ACS Doha also offers optional trips that are sports, culture, science and language-related.

Traditional Platform of Success

Having a history of brilliance and exceptional performance, ACS Doha has been nurturing its students for the ever-changing competitive world.  With just three graduating classes since its inception, the students of the school, who are still in college, are choosing vibrant career paths.  Starting from business, engineering, medicine and psychology, these students are grasping every opportunity lying ahead of them. The willingness of the students in choosing non-traditional careers like in art shows the poise with which these students are fostered.  Adding another success story under its wing, ACS Doha proudly boasts about a student who wants to study a major in animation (art).

Words of trust:

“We have built our confidence, achieved many goals, reached important milestones and had a lot of fun along the way. My children have showed enthusiasm in all activities including the Creative Day, International Day and Sports Day.”

-Pre-K3 parent

“This year was an incredible long run, jumping over hurdles; I made it! I feel I have met a new me, met incredible friends and learnt amazing things!

-Aleethia, Grade 4C

 “ACS Doha is committed to making a significant contribution to the growth of Qatar. We are honored that this expansion resonates strongly with the human development goals of Qatar’s 2030 National Vision, and our own goal to make an ACS education available to more students around the world.

– Tim Cagney, Chief Excustives,ACS International Schools