Atlanta International School Marks 40th Anniversary

As Atlanta International School gears up for this year’s edition of WorldFest, an annual food and cultural festival spotlighting 30-plus countries and cultures, its community has an extra milestone to celebrate. 

The school, which started with 51 students in a converted army barracks on Powers Ferry Road in 1985, celebrated its 40th anniversary Sept. 3, marking a generation dedicated to international education. 

Four decades ago, an emergent city that styled itself as the economic center of the South had never hosted an Olympic Games or a World Cup. And what would become the world’s busiest airport had seen only a few transatlantic flights take off.

Still, many international seeds had been sown, the green chutes of which were beginning to sprout with the arrival of Japanese banks, European manufacturers and consulates and trade offices from countries like South Korea and Canada. 

A few parents and supporters had the foresight to understand that a city looking to welcome expatriates would need a school modeled after what the world was used to.

“The spirit of inclusivity, innovation, and intentionality that defined our founders remains central to AIS today,” said Kevin Glass, head of school, in a news release. “AIS was designed to be a different kind of private school, and we continue to fulfill that mission with our global perspective, our emphasis on critical thinking, and our commitment to supporting students’ passions.”

Now, AIS is the only school in the Southeast U.S. to offer all four international Baccalaureate programs, spanning ages 3 to 19 and covering primary years, middle years, diploma and a career focus. 

It also offers dual-immersion in Chinese, Spanish, French and German, as well as newer offerings like AISx, an innovation program that enables emerging athletes and other students to pursue their disciplines in tandem with a flexible K-12 curriculum. The Atlanta United academy is one partner in the endeavor, while the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy recently opened at the new AIS Sandy Springs campus. 

Speaking at a Global Atlanta event in June, Mr. Glass noted that at the outset, the vision that the AIS founders were casting wasn’t visible to all.

“There’s a wonderful headline in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution from 1985, which was the year that Atlanta International School opened: ‘Foreigners want to start school here,’” Mr. Glass shared with an audience of nearly 100, many of them expats themselves or representing organizations that serve new arrivals. 

But now, it’s taken for granted that much of Atlanta’s dynamism comes from its openness to the world, Mr. Glass said, and AIS has found itself incorporated into the city’s toolkit for growth.

The presence of the school has become part of the pitch as boosters reach out to diplomats, delegations and decision-makers from major companies, he added.

“The city has become ever more vibrant, ever more diverse, ever more embracing, ever more welcoming, and honestly the change in Atlanta just in the short time that our family has been here has just been incredible to see,” said Mr. Glass, a Newcastle, England, native who arrived in 2009 after a stint in Uzbekistan. 

AIS is marking the anniversary throughout the coming year with student-driven retrospectives, future-facing talks with alumni focused on growing global impact, and community gatherings including festivities inspired by the 1980s.

AIS shared the following timeline about its four decades of growth: 

• 1985: AIS first opens its doors on September 3.
• 1988: AIS purchases Long Island campus.
• 1991: First graduates earn the IB Diploma.
• 1995-6: North Fulton Drive Campus opens.
• 2008: AIS becomes an IB Continuum School.
• 2014: UN Global Goals integrated into the curriculum.
• 2023: Launch of AISx with ATLUTD students.
• 2025: Opening of the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy at the new Sandy Springs campus.

Editor’s note: AIS is an annual advertising partner with Global Atlanta.