Area trustee Karim Abu-Haydar Grades Nursery-12 Founded 1905 Color Blue & Yellow | Established 1905 Headmaster Greg MacGilpin, Jr. Age range 3-18 Phone +961 1 374 370 Number of students 1,130 | |
Motto Educating for a Lifetime (Building for the Future) Similar Lebanese American University, American University of Beirut, Rawdah High School Profiles | ||
The American Community School Beirut, (Arabic: مدرسة الجالية الأميركية في بيروت), also known as ACS Beirut, is a private school located in Beirut, Lebanon, founded in 1905, traditionally attached to the American University of Beirut. As an independent coeducational institution, it offers education to students of all nationalities, ranging from preschool, students aged from 3 years, to high school grade 12 of the type K-12. It offers the International Baccalaureate and the Lebanese Baccalaureate programs as well as its own college prep program.
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History
The school was founded by a small group of American parents from the American University of Beirut, then known as the Syrian Protestant College, who wanted a school where their children could receive preparation for entrance into American universities. The small faculty school thrived and by 1920 had expanded from its original home on rue Bliss to a red-roofed house on rue Sidani. At this point, the American Presbyterian Mission joined the AUB in sponsorship of the school. It was at this point that the school was renamed to the American Community School. By the 1940s, the student body had grown to more than 900 primarily Western children; the present building was built in 1949 with funds provided by ARAMCO. Today, students are primarily Lebanese, as with the university.
The school celebrated its Centennial on June 24, 2005, and in June 2011, ACS Beirut celebrated the graduation of its 100th graduating class. Dr. George H. Damon, Jr. remained headmaster of the school from 2003 till his retirement in 2013.
ACS's history is described by Wade Morris, Jr. in A History of ACS; The American Community School at Beirut 1905-2012. The book is a must-read for every member of the ACS community.