QSI - Almaty International School
Almaty International School, as seen from above
Address
Baiken Ashimov Street 185 Kalkaman Village , Almaty 050006 Kazakhstan
Information
Type	Private, non-profit
Motto	Success For All
Established	August 1993
School district	Nauryzbai District
Oversight	Quality Schools International
Directors	Mr. Jon Routh
Directors of Instruction	Travis Moore Natalie Mahon
Grades	K-12
Years offered	Pre-K to 12th Grade
Enrollment	469 (as of February 2023)
Education system	American/QSI
Language	English (Kazakh, Russian, Spanish and French in the case of World Languages)
Hours in school day	8:00-3:30 (normal school day) 3:30-5:00 (athletics/after-school activities) 8:00-11:16 (half days)
Campus size	7 hectares
Campus type	suburb
Color(s)	Blue and White
Athletics	Yes
Athletics conference	COASH/CAFA
Sports	Football, Basketball, Cross Country, Volleyball, Track and Field, Badminton
Mascot	Snow Leopard
Nickname	AIS
Teams	Varsity Boys, Varsity Girls, JV Boys, JV Girls (varies by sport)
Team name	Snow Leopards
Accreditation	MSA/CEESA
Annual tuition	Pre-K (half-day): $7,300, Pre-K (full-day): $8,800, grades K-12: $22,000
Website	www.qsi.org/almaty/

Almaty International School (AIS) is a private school located in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Founded by QSI (Quality Schools International) in 1993, it is the third largest school out of all the QSI schools. The school offers an American-based Pre-K and K-12 programs. School facilities include: an elementary building, secondary building, annex (music building), small gym, big gym, library, cafeteria, birch room, birch tree area, field with an Olympic size track, 3 playgrounds, and the teachers apartments. The school hosts international events and participates in many sports events such as the CAXC (Central Asian Cross Country Classic), CASC (Central Asian Soccer Classic), CABC (Central Asian Basketball Classic), and CAVC (Central Asian Volleyball Classic). The school is also used as a site for SAT, PSAT and AP testing. The school is operated with the authorization of the Kazakhstani Government.

Elementary students learn Literacy, Math, Cultural Studies, Science, World Languages, Music, Technology, Art, and PE (physical education). Middle and Secondary Students get to choose electives which include PE/Wellness, Technology, Music (Band/Orchestra/Choir/Guitar), Drama or Art. Students that can not go yet into the appropriate age program go to IE (Intensive English) classes for Literacy and World Languages. They move up when they can go to the appropriate program of their age. The school has 7 Success Orientations to follow:

• Responsibility
• Kindness & Politeness
• Trustworthiness
• Aesthetic Appreciation
• Concern for Others
• Group Interaction
• Independent Endeavor

The school is funded partially by the U.S. Department of State.^[1] The school is accredited by CEESA^[2] and MSA.^[3]

Founded by QSI (Quality Schools International) in 1993, it is the third largest school out of all the QSI schools. The school offers an American-based Pre-K and K-12 programs. The school is fully accredited through Middle States Association (MSA) and affiliated with the U.S. Department of State Office of Overseas Schools (AOS).

The QSI education system differs from the traditional American system in several aspects. The naming of the key stages in the QSI curricular system diverges from typical naming. Additionally, the different stages cover different age groups. The table below represents all the changes:

A variety of AP Courses is offered, ranging from AP World History to AP Chemistry. Spanish, French, Russian and Kazakh languages are offered in QSI Almaty. The school, being located in Kazakhstan, is obligated to abide by Kazakhstan's Ministry of Education's regulations.^[1] To meet the regulations, QSI Astana, QSI Aktau, QSI Atyrau, and Almaty International School (QSI Almaty) made Kazakh History, Kazakh Language, and Military Preparation classes mandatory for all Kazakh nationals.^[4] Intensive English class is compulsory for ESL (English as a Second Language) students who have struggles effectively communicating in English. A university counselor is also offered to the senior class. An AP Lab/Study Hall is offered to high school students with tight schedules and/or numerous AP subjects.

The QSI grading system also differs from that of traditional American schools:

TSW ("The Student Will") are a set of guiding points that illustrate what the student should learn in the unit/subject. A TSW sheet is created by a group of teachers with expertise in that particular subject. Every unit in every subject has a TSW sheet.

All QSI schools are based on the course credit system. Each whole-year subject contains 10 units. Each semester-long subject contains 5 units. A single completed unit with a grade of B or above will earn a student 1 credit. A pupil must earn 220 credits throughout his secondary (high school) years and complete all mandatory subjects such as Algebra I and Biology to earn a Standard Diploma. If a student wishes to receive an Academic Diploma, they must earn 240 credits and embark on additional English and Social Science classes. With a student wishes to receive an Academic Diploma with Honors, he/she must complete 2 AP subjects between Secondary 1 and Secondary 4 as well as meeting the requirements of both the Standard and Academic Diploma. The student must complete the subject's AP exam with a score of 3 or above.^[4] The mandatory courses for the 3 diplomas are as listed:

The school offers 18 AP Courses^[5] which include:

• AP Art
• AP Calculus AB
• AP Statistics
• AP Biology
• AP Chemistry
• AP Environmental Science
• AP Physics 1
• AP Capstone/Research
• AP Music Theory
• AP Seminar
• AP Language/AP Literature
• AP Human Geography
• AP World History
• AP Micro/Macro Economics
• AP Spanish Language
• AP French Language
• AP Computer Science Principles
• Pre-AP English

• List of international schools
• List of schools in Almaty
• Kazakhstan International School
• Quality Schools International

• Official site
• Official AIS School Website