Qatar Academy

From Alhannah

Qatar Academy is a preschool 3 - grade 12 private school located on the Education City campus. It is a national school with an international staff that follows the IB curriculum model. Enrollment is well over 1000 students at present (summer 2007).Qatari nationals form the largest group of the student body, and a mixture of other nationalities comprise the remainder. Most students are native Arabic speakers. Expat teaching staff hail from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, and many other locations. The school day runs from 7-2:50 for senior school, 7 - 2:20 for primary and finishing even earlier for the preschool classes. The school offers an impressive variety of after school and extra-curricular activities, including student council, MUN, and many athletic teams. Students wear uniforms. The school's facilities include an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a running track, two football pitches, and three multimedia labs. French and Spanish are offered as foreign languages in the senior school, and all primary students are required to take Arabic. Community service is an important part of the IB curriculum and students from grade 6 on up will be required to participate in several different projects that contribute to charitable efforts. The school offers learning support up to grade 5 only, ESL support through grade 8. Tuition is less than that of the American School of Doha, but still not cheap.