Mission:
Together we inspire a love of learning, empowering all students with the courage, confidence, creativity and compassion to make their unique contribution in a diverse and dynamic world.

Our Core Values:
We believe that…

• Each person has equal intrinsic value, worthy of dignity and respect.
• We are responsible for our choices and their effect on ourselves, others and the environment.
• Being open to new ideas and challenging experiences enriches our lives.
• Mutual respect, trust and caring foster healthy interpersonal relationships.
• Embracing our diversity makes us a stronger community.
• In an interconnected world, our positive contributions to the community and the environment are essential.
• Individuals thrive in a nurturing environment that provides for their physical and emotional safety.

Strategic Objectives
Learning
We will align expected outcomes, assessment, teaching, learning and reflection on practice in order to support our mission and student learning objectives.
Talent
The school will hire, develop and retain staff members who embody the school mission and core values.
Community
We will actively communicate, support, and contribute to our core values, mission and student learning objectives so that our community lives the shared vision.
Resources
We will strategically use all possible resources* to create a learning community aligned with our core values and mission.

Q. When should I submit an application for admission?

AISC accepts applications for admission throughout the year on a rolling basis. While there are no set application deadlines, it is always best to get in touch with the Office of Admission as early as possible, especially for those planning a relocation to Chennai. The AISC school year runs from early August through early June.

Q. When do new students begin at AISC? Is it possible to enroll my child right away?

AISC has a rolling admissions policy. Students apply and are accepted continuously throughout the year and their start dates are scheduled accordingly. While our largest cohorts of new students begin in August and January, many new students begin at different times throughout the school year.

Q. When does AISC begin processing and admitting new students desiring to start at the beginning of the school year in August?

Once the re-enrollment process for our current students is complete, we start admitting new students. This generally begins in March/April for an August start. Ideally, families wanting to be considered for an August start will have their applications complete no later than the first week of May. But the earlier the better!

Q. What is the class size at AISC?

This can vary across classrooms and grade levels, but generally there are no more than 20 students in a classroom, with the typical number of students ranging from 12 to 20.

Q. Is my child allowed to leave the school campus during the day?

AISC operates as a closed campus. Students may not come and go from campus during the school day. If a student needs to leave the campus for any reason during the school day, the sectional office (ES, MS, or HS) needs to be made aware.

Q. Are meals available for purchase at school?

The school cafeteria is open throughout the school day. The cafeteria offers full meals and a la carte lunch options along with drinks and snacks. There are both veg and non-veg and Indian and Continental options. Student ID cards serve as debit cards for food purchases. Parents can top up their student’s card online.

Q. Do you have boarding facilities?

AISC is a school for day students only. There are no boarding facilities or provisions for students whose parents/guardians live and work outside of Chennai.

Q. What are the school hours?

The regular school day starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. On Wednesdays, students are dismissed at 2:30 to allow for faculty and staff professional development. Most students participate in co-currricular activities including sports and clubs that meet after school and sometimes before school.

Q. Are there school uniforms?

There are no school uniforms. Students are expected to present themselves neatly and appropriately while at school and at school sponsored events. 

Elementary School Curriculum Guide

Middle School Curriculum Guide

High School Curriculum Guide

Student and Family Handbook

Indian Nationals

The American International School Chennai (AISC) is authorized by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as an American Embassy School in India. With reference to Indian nationals, the School’s admissions policy is required to enforce regulations issued by the MEA of the Government of India. An Indian national applicant/passport holder seeking admission to AISC must meet all three of the following criteria, as set forth by the MEA, to be eligible to apply for admission.

• The student should have come from an American/international system of education and has to return to the American/international system of education.
• The parents of the student are likely to stay in India for a period of only two or three years.
• The student is in a critical stage of education and studying at AISC is important for the student’s education. AISC’s intent is not to restrict admission but to assure that we are working appropriately within regulatory expectations. We expect that parents of all Indian applicants provide a signed corporate letter indicating duration of their stay in Chennai for a period of 2-3 years, and a signed AISC Indian National Declaration validating all three MEA criteria. We will periodically review the transient status of Indian parents whenever it is deemed necessary.

Step 1: Complete a Registration of Interest


This brief inquiry form will help the Admission Team respond to you in a timely and relevant manner. Eligible applicants will receive the link to the online application checklist.

Step 2: Review the items that will be required to complete the Application Checklist

To facilitate the application process and ensure that all necessary forms and documents are received by AISC in a timely manner, we have posted the Application Checklist on our website for your convenience and so that you can prepare the necessary documents. This checklist is embedded within the online application and will be available to you via your Openapply account as needed to to complete all checklist items.

Step 3: Complete the Online Application Form and Upload All Required Documents


AISC only accepts applications submitted online.  Only applications with ALL of the required checklist items complete will be submitted to the Admission Committee for review.  An incomplete application will not be reviewed. A complete application does not guarantee admission. 

Step 4: Process and Review of Application by the Admission Committee
It generally takes two to four weeks for the Office of Admission to process a completed application. The office is closed during school holidays, including the summer (June and July).  We do our best to provide families with information and guidance during this time, but in most cases official review and admission decisions only happen when AISC is open. Applicants for admission are strongly encouraged to apply as early as possible, as certain grade levels may fill up. If the Admissions Office has additional questions or concerns about an applicant, the family will be contacted to provide additional information. In such cases, a review team will be formed with appropriate personnel, which may include the divisional principal, counselor, Learning Resource Specialist and teacher(s). In all other cases, the application moves to step four.

Step 5: Notification of Application Status
Offer of Placement
An admission decision will be made by the Admissions Committee after reviewing all documents. If your child meets all Admissions criteria, you will receive a formal 'Letter of Offer' from the Admissions Director (email from Open Apply).  
Wait Pool
If an applicant meets admissions requirements but is applying for enrollment in a grade level or program that is at capacity, then that applicant will be placed in a wait pool. If a place becomes available, based on the applicant's priority category in the wait pool at that time, parents are notified and will receive an offer of placement (please see previous section). 
Deny
An applicant may be denied admission when there are concerns that AISC will not be able to offer a program to adequately meet an individual applicant's needs. 
Step 6: Payment
To accept an offer of admission, a family must confirm within 7 days of receiving the offer. Upon confirmation of acceptance of the offer, the Finance Office will issue the invoice for school fees.

ADMISSIONS POLICY

Student eligibility shall be determined based on Board policies and in compliance with host country regulations. In addition, the school reserves the right to exclude students or to require special supplementary measures at the parents’ expense, if the student’s goals or abilities differ significantly from the School’s objectives.

Residency

Students enrolled at the American International School (AISC) must temporarily reside with their parents or legal guardians in the country of India. AISC is a school for day students. There are no boarding facilities for students whose parents live and work outside of Chennai.

Non-discrimination

The American International School - Chennai celebrates the diversity in our community. The School ensures that each student is treated with dignity and respect and protected from intimidation, discrimination, physical harm and/or harassment from other students and/or school staff. The School treats all students equally regardless of gender, race, national or ethnic identity, sexual orientation or religion in allowing them access to courses of study, career guidance, preparation and qualifying examinations for further study, athletics and extracurricular activities. School regulations, communications and staff development opportunities shall reinforce these expectations.

No student, who is otherwise eligible (as stated in this policy), shall be denied admission to, the School on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, national or ethnic origin. Nor shall race, color, gender, religion, national or ethnic origin affect in any way the treatment, evaluation or any other consideration of the students of the School.

Within the limits defined by Board policy or by host government directive, the School shall accept for admission students with disabilities, provided that such disabilities can be accommodated within available school resources, including physical space, trained faculty, and impact of student’s enrollment on the learning of other students.

Admissions standards

Admission in all cases is contingent upon a determination by the Admissions Director and/or Head of School that:

• The student will be able to meet the school’s academic standards;
• The student has exhibited acceptable behaviour in his/her previous school;
• The School will be able to meet any special needs of the student;
• The student will embrace the school’s mission

Together we inspire a love of learning, empowering all students with the courage, confidence, creativity and compassion to make their unique contribution in a diverse and dynamic world.

Priority system

In keeping with its Mission, American International School Chennai (AISC) will ensure that a seat is available for all Priority Category 1 applicants that satisfy the general eligibility criteria for admissions. As space becomes available, AISC will release seats for other eligible students in the order specified by the priority categories listed below, by completed date of application within each category:

1. Dependents of U.S. Government employees, dependents of eligible AISC faculty and administration
2. U.S. citizens
3. Siblings of students currently attending AISC (NOTE: If a sibling requires EAL services and the appropriate services are at capacity the seat will be offered to the next eligible applicant. The sibling will maintain his or her position in the wait pool until both a grade level seat and EAL seat are available.)
4. Non-U.S. and non-Indian passport holders who are native English speakers or have mainstream-level proficiency, as demonstrated through academic records and the AISC English language proficiency assessment
5. Non-U.S. and non-Indian passport holders that require English as an Additional Language services (EAL). NOTE: If the appropriate EAL services are at capacity, the seat will be offered to the next eligible applicant. The sibling will maintain his or her position in the wait pool until both a grade-level seat and appropriate EAL seat are available
6. Eligible citizens of India (See Indian Applicants for eligibility criteria)

Age requirement and grade placement

We understand that enrolling families are coming from and going onto a variety of educational systems that may or may not be similar to the grade name, curriculum and instruction they will encounter at AISC. Some parents initially wonder if age-appropriate grade placement beyond a student’s chronological age might be necessary to insure sufficient academic rigor for their student. In fact, in choosing AISC, you have chosen to enroll your student in a program explicitly committed to providing children with both a challenging academic curriculum and many comprehensive opportunities for social, emotional, musical and athletic development. Regardless of the month of enrollment, the student must have reached the required age for his or her intended entry grade on or before August 31st of the school calendar year.

The minimum age requirements for School enrollment are as follows:

For Child Enrolling In	Age Guidelines	On or Before *
Preschool 3*	3 years	August 31st
Preschool 4	4 years	August 31st
Kindergarten	5 years	August 31st
Grade 1	6 years	August 31st

*To enter the Preschool program, a child must not only meet the minimum age requirement above but also be toilet trained and not reliant upon a feeding bottle throughout the day

The criteria for enrollment into all other grades shall be based not only on age, but also on school records, academic achievement, grade level completion and sequential studies in an American-based curriculum school. High School placement shall be determined by both the student’s age at the time of enrollment, and the number of high school credits that may have been previously earned. Students, whose age at high school graduation would exceed by two years the normal age for graduation, would not normally be enrolled in the School.

Applicants applying from schools using calendar year school years, from January/February until November/December (as in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America, Singapore, Japan, Korea), need to apply to the grade level that extends their current school year. In other words, applicants applying for August enrollment should apply for the grade level they are currently attending; applicants applying for January enrollment should apply to join the grade level they have just completed.

All exceptions to the minimum age requirements above shall be decided by the Principal, based on a recommendation from the counselor. In all cases, the final decision regarding admission and placement rests with the Administration.

English as an Additional Language (EAL) Admissions Policy

AISC supports English language acquisition consistent with our demographic situation through, but not limited to, human resources and the highest ratio of credentialed EAL teachers to students in the Near East South Asia (NESA) region. EAL specialists and classroom teachers work together to support additional language acquisition and academic achievement as part of the mainstream environment.

AISC is a multi-cultural institution with an education program based on an American curriculum. English is the primary language of instruction and communication. AISC serves the educational needs of the expatriate population in Chennai.

• The Head of School is responsible for establishing benchmarks of English language proficiency for use in admissions and class placement throughout the School.
• English language proficiency is measured as part of the admission process for students entering Grades 9 – 12.
• In order for students to be adequately prepared for the academic rigor of Grades 11 and 12, they should be independent of EAL support before entering Grade 11.
• In order to ensure student success in a demanding academic environment, EAL students are accepted in Grades 9-12 depending upon their level of academic English and their academic records. Grade 9 applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency at the intermediate level or above in order to be considered for admission. Grade 10 applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency at the advanced level in order to be considered for admission.
• For students entering Grade 1 through Grade 8, their English language proficiency is measured once they have been admitted to the School. This data is used in a variety of ways, dependent upon the division the student is entering.

Indian applicants

The American International School Chennai (AISC) is authorized by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as an American Embassy School in India. With reference to Indian nationals, the School’s admissions policy is required to enforce regulations issued by the MEA of the Government of India. An Indian national applicant/passport holder seeking admission to AISC must meet all three of the following criteria, as set forth by the MEA, to be eligible to apply for admission.

• The student should have come from an American/international system of education and has to return to the American/international system of education.
• The parents of the student are likely to stay in India for a period of only two or three years.
• The student is in a critical stage of education and studying at AISC is important for the student’s education. AISC’s intent is not to restrict admission but to assure that we are working appropriately within regulatory expectations. We expect that parents of all Indian applicants provide a signed corporate letter indicating duration of their stay in Chennai for a period of 2-3 years, and a signed AISC Indian National Declaration validating all three MEA criteria. We will periodically review the transient status of Indian parents whenever it is deemed necessary.

Admissions Policy - French (Français) Translation

Admissions Policy - Korean (한국인) Translation

Admissions Policy - Japanese (日本語) Translation