Tel Aviv, Israel: Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel: 2022-2023 Fact Sheet

The Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel (WBAIS) The Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel (WBAIS) is a private, co-educational Early Years -12 school offering an American college preparatory program leading to a U.S. high school diploma. WBAIS currently enrolls 696 students, and is located in Even Yehuda, a residential district 20 kilometers north of Tel Aviv; The school was established in 1958 and continues to meet the needs of American children whose parents are on government, business, or professional assignments in Israel. The school operates two campuses, WBAIS and JAIS, each of which provides an independent, coeducational day school. JAIS, established in 2010 in Jerusalem, operates under the auspices of WBAIS, and offers an educational program from PK through to grade 8. In August 2007, the Early Years program was relocated from Kfar Shmaryahu to the main Even Yehuda campus. The school year comprises two semesters, extending from August 17 to January 18 and January 18 to June 14.

Opportunities for Boarding: In a dynamic environment like Israel, WBAIS seeks to evolve in response to the needs of Embassy families that are posted here. With the American Embassy now in Jerusalem, and JAIS providing a program through Grade 8, we created a Weekday Boarding Program to enable high school students who live far away from Even Yehuda to attend school at WBAIS. The boarding house is a newly constructed home within walking distance of the school. The Director of Boarding lives in the house with the boarding students during the week and an on-site boarding parent lives in the house next door. Boarding students return to their family homes on weekends and holidays. This allows these students access to the stellar academic and extra-curricular programs that WBAIS has to offer without having to spend hours each day on transportation.

Organization: The WBAIS School Board comprises seven members, designated as Board Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, four members who are U.S. citizens employed by the United States Government, or dependents of U.S. citizens employed by the U.S. Government; and three members representing elements of the school community. The board works to support the school’s mission and vision and focuses on strategic planning to ensure the continued growth and sustenance of the school.

Curriculum: The curriculum is that of U.S. academic, college-preparatory public schools. The school offers 22 AP courses at the high school level. WBAIS is a secular school with no religious instruction. The school’s testing program includes the College Entrance Examination Board tests (PSAT, SAT), ACT and the MAP (Measurement of Academic Progress) tests. Instruction is in English. Hebrew, Spanish and French are taught as modern languages. The school has recently introduced a Mother-Tongue program to encourage bilingualism, with a vision to develop effective multilingual communicators with a global outlook. Special education services provide support for students with mild learning disabilities who are able to fully integrate into mainstream classes without the need for an individualized program. An extensive after-school program, including arts, crafts, sports, and other recreational activities, serves grades 1-12. Most WBAIS graduates go to colleges and universities in the United States. The school was fully re-accredited for the period of 2016-2023, and we have already begun the process of the next MSA re-accreditation.

Faculty: In the 2022-2023 school year, WBAIS has 154 total staff including 90 teachers, 46 of whom are U.S. citizens, 41 host-country nationals, and 3 third-country nationals. Teaching faculty maintain a teaching certificate/credential and hold degrees ranging from BA to PhD from the countries of their origin.

Enrollment: At the start of the 2022 school year, enrollment was 696 in early years to grade 12. The nationalities of the students are the following: 302 U.S. citizens; 145 host-country nationals and 259 third-country nationals.

Facilities: WBAIS is located on a state-of-the-art campus on nineteen acres in the town of Even Yehuda, comprising eight buildings: separate Early Years, Elementary, Middle, and High School buildings, a library and administration building, a double gymnasium, a fine and performing arts center, a cafeteria, and a library media center with 15,000 volumes. Extensive athletic fields, swimming pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, a fitness center, and playgrounds complete the campus. Wireless internet is available in most areas of the campus, and Middle and High School students are required to participate in the 1-to-1 laptop program. JAIS, the AIS branch school in Jerusalem, is housed on the Israel Goldstein Youth Village campus. JAIS has three buildings to serve the PK through grade 8 students and has access to the swimming pool, gymnasium, auditorium and science laboratory facilities of the Youth Village.

Finances: In the 2022-2023 school year approximate annual tuition rates in U.S. Dollars are as follows: early years: $18,635; K-grade 5: $31,695; grades 6-8: $34,315; and grades 9-12: $37,150. The school (K-12) also charges a $2,625 building capital fee and the one-time non-refundable registration fee of $5,963. (The school quotes tuition fees in NIS Shekels. NIS Shekel amounts paid in U.S. $ should be converted at the representative U.S. $ rate on the date of payment.)

Special Needs: Download the Special Needs Profile (2023 Special Needs-Israel, Tel Aviv) for this school to learn more about their capability to support students with exceptionalities.

This Fact Sheet is intended to provide general information. Prospective users of the schools may wish to enquire further of A/OPR/OS or contact the school directly for more specific and up-to-the-minute information. Information and statistics are current as of September 2022 and are provided by the school.