Walworth Barbour American International School

WBAIS is situated in Even Yehuda, a residential district roughly 20 kilometers north of Tel Aviv.[1] The current campus spans 19 acres; published descriptions give an equivalent area ranging from 70 to 77 dunams.[6][3] It opened in 2007 after the school relocated from its long-standing home in Kfar Shmaryahu and is roughly three times the size of the former campus.[7]

The 2008–2009 State Department profile described WBAIS as an independent, Delaware-registered nonprofit corporation. Its corporate membership held ultimate authority and delegated policy-making to a seven-member school board, four of whose members were U.S. Embassy employees or dependents; the remaining three came from the Israeli, American, and wider international communities.[8] The school also maintains institutional ties to U.S. government bodies: part of its management has been affiliated with the U.S. Embassy, and it is listed by the State Department's Office of Overseas Schools.[1][6]

The school's admissions policy gives preferential enrollment to eligible dependents of U.S. government employees and priority consideration to certain temporarily relocated expatriate families, reflecting its founding purpose.[9] The curriculum is secular and American.[9]

The school traces its origins to 1957, when several Foreign Service wives in Israel decided to establish a child-friendly educational program for their children.[2] In the autumn of 1958, the founders received approval to hire an American teacher, ordered books from the United States, and rented a room behind a kindergarten in Kfar Shmaryahu for eight children.[2] The school subsequently moved to the Kfar Shmaryahu Community Center; by the following year it had 22 students, with 50 enrolled for fall 1959.[2]

In 1963, with the assistance of then U.S. Ambassador Walworth Barbour—after whom the school is named—the institution purchased property in Kfar Shmaryahu and constructed a permanent campus.[3] By 1967, it offered a full kindergarten-through-Grade-12 program.[3] A 1983 advertisement listed pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, self-contained classes for grades 1–6, a departmentalized junior high for grades 7–8, and a fully accredited American academic curriculum for grades 9–12 designed to support admission to American, European, and Israeli universities.[10] A 1984 recruitment advertisement identified Kfar Shmaryahu as the school's location and listed openings in physics, computers, mathematics, history, music, and primary education, with dollar-based salaries and benefits.[11]

In 1978, as Iran approached the Islamic Revolution, nearly 200 Iranian students arrived at WBAIS. They included Ardy Khazaei, who came at age twelve after fleeing Iran with his family.[2] The school says the influx of Iranian refugees caused its student population to almost double nearly overnight and made the institution a place of safety and shelter for abruptly uprooted families.[2]

During the Gulf War, WBAIS closed as a precaution on January 15, 1991, after many students had already left Israel with their families, often under orders from employers or embassies.[2] The school reopened on February 4 with only 100 students, compared with 470 the previous December; students and teachers carried gas masks throughout the school day.[2]

A similar disruption occurred in February 2003, during the buildup to the Iraq War, when 300 of the school's 525 students indicated plans to leave Israel.[4] Superintendent Robert Sills told parents that the administration expected many students to depart because of the security situation. The school prepared online coursework, planned a shortened schedule for those who remained, and sought Israeli teachers to replace foreign staff expected to leave. It intended to resume a normal schedule in late March and extend the school year to compensate for missed lessons.[4]

In August 2001, at the request of the U.S. State Department and U.S. Embassy, WBAIS opened a Jerusalem branch that became the Jerusalem American International School, beginning with eight elementary students.[3] A JAIS high school program started with a small cohort in August 2011 and held its last graduation in June 2019.[3]

After operating in Kfar Shmaryahu for approximately 50 years, the school relocated to a purpose-built campus in Even Yehuda, which opened in 2007 following roughly two years of construction.[12][13] The former property was subsequently marketed as a single parcel for $23 million. A plan for 19 houses had been approved in January 2004, and the school paid a $2 million betterment tax after the land was rezoned for housing.[14] Six dunams were designated for public use and roads, with the local council receiving two additional one-dunam plots.[14]

For the Even Yehuda campus, the school's owners purchased 39 dunams from private owners and leased another 34 dunams from the municipality. The site was acquired in June 2002.[12]

WBAIS has long served an international student body. At the beginning of the 2008–2009 school year, enrollment stood at 531 students: 195 in kindergarten through grade 5, 152 in grades 6–8, and 184 in grades 9–12.[8] Of those students, 165 were U.S. citizens, 84 were host-country nationals, and 282 were third-country nationals.[8]

A 2007 Globes report described approximately 500 students from 49 nationalities, most of them children of ambassadors and diplomats.[12] Reports from 2014 described roughly 550 to 600 students aged 3–18, with nearly 40% American and approximately 20% Israeli.[6][15] Students represented countries including France, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Russia, Canada, and India.[6]

The school's About page reports approximately 450 students representing more than 40 nationalities, with a composition of roughly 40% American, 40% from other countries, and 20% Israeli.[5] Other WBAIS publications report totals of approximately 500 and 600 students, and the sources do not explain whether the variation reflects different dates, campuses, or counting methods.[16][17]

The admissions policy identifies the school's primary constituency as expatriate families whose children need English-language education and for whom other schools are not viable because of limited local-language acquisition.[9] WBAIS says children from diplomatic families in more than twenty countries and from several dozen multinational corporations make up the expatriate segment, approximately 80% of enrollment.[5] Some Israeli families enroll children who have returned from English-speaking countries or are expected to relocate to one.[6]

Frequent student turnover has been identified as a social challenge because diplomat families often remain in Israel for only two or three years before rotating to another posting.[15] An account adapted from a 1993 State Department report described Israeli students as a small minority, many of them recent immigrants from South Africa, the United States, and other English-speaking countries.[18]

WBAIS offers an American college-preparatory program conducted in English and leading to a U.S. high school diploma.[1] The curriculum covers language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, visual and performing arts, and physical education, with Advanced Placement options at the high-school level.[19] The 2008–2009 State Department profile listed 13 Advanced Placement courses.[7]

Foreign-language instruction has included Hebrew, Spanish, and French.[7] A historical account adapted from a 1993 State Department report described Hebrew instruction as mandatory in third grade and optional thereafter, with French available from seventh grade. It also said supplementary language instruction and electives were offered when demand was sufficient.[18]

The school's stated learning outcomes emphasize self-directed and curious learning, responsibility, compassion, resilience, persistence, critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and effective communication.[19] The 2008–2009 profile listed College Board entrance-examination tests and the MAP assessment as parts of the testing program.[7] Current school materials describe support for students with mild learning disabilities and identify WBAIS as a secular school.[16][17] Admissions decisions consider academic records, English-language proficiency, and social-emotional criteria.[9]

The four-year high-school program is oriented toward college preparation, and the 2008–2009 State Department profile said most graduates went on to colleges and universities in the United States.[8] A 1983 school advertisement also described the program as supporting admission to European and Israeli universities.[10] The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools accredited WBAIS in 1998 for a third consecutive ten-year period, according to the historical 2008–2009 profile.[8]

The 2008–2009 profile described an after-school program in arts, crafts, sports, and recreation for students in grades 1–12.[7] The school's longstanding Hockey Marathon began in 1973 under physical education teacher Ran Gonen and was later expanded by Elise Hakimi and Ed Tatko; earlier versions ran for 36 consecutive hours.[2]

In the 2008–2009 school year, WBAIS employed 74 teachers—62 full-time and 12 part-time—along with 11 instructional assistants.[8] A historical account adapted from a 1993 State Department report described the teaching staff, chiefly U.S. immigrants, as strong across departments.[18] Recruitment advertisements from the early 1980s show that the school offered dollar-denominated salaries and benefits, reflecting its ties to the American diplomatic and expatriate community.[11]

The 2008–2009 State Department profile described WBAIS as a nonprofit corporation governed by a seven-member board.[8] Four members were U.S. Embassy employees or dependents, while three came from the Israeli, American, and wider international communities. This structure reflected the school's founding identity as an American Embassy-associated institution serving a multinational community.[8]

WBAIS was funded primarily through tuition, with approximately 95% of its income coming from that source in the 2008–2009 school year.[7] The State Department profile listed annual tuition of 67,000 NIS for kindergarten through grade 5, 71,400 NIS for grades 6–8, and 77,200 NIS for grades 9–12, excluding an annual 8,800 NIS building-fund levy. It also listed a one-time registration fee of 17,700 NIS per child and annual transportation fees of approximately 8,000–11,000 NIS, depending on distance.[7]

A 2007 report placed annual tuition at approximately $17,000 and said most students' home governments paid tuition.[12] Reports published in 2014 gave figures of approximately NIS 100,000 annually or between $20,000 and $30,000 per year.[6][13] Israeli families generally paid the cost themselves rather than receiving government tuition support.[15]

The 2008–2009 State Department profile identified WBAIS as a nonprofit organization registered in Delaware.[8] A 2012 philanthropy report listed “Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel Inc.” under its “Education-Secular” category but did not provide financial or operational details about the school.[20]

The Even Yehuda campus was built at a reported cost of approximately NIS 150 million and opened in 2007.[21][12] Its design was credited to Haim Dotan and Plesner Architects, with the educational program planned in collaboration with H2L2 Architects.[6] The campus consists of separate, cabin-like buildings connected by covered walkways, with roof extensions and continuous covered routes intended to protect students from winter rain and summer sun.[6]

Published accounts give approximately 14,000–18,000 square meters of built space.[12][6] The school describes four divisions on the campus.[3] Its performing-arts facilities include a 380- to 400-seat auditorium, music rooms, art studios, and a black-box theater.[7][3]

Xnet described the library and media center as a cone-shaped, 2,591-square-meter space containing approximately 17,000 English-language books arranged around a naturally lit patio.[6] The archived State Department profile listed seven science laboratories and five computer laboratories.[7]

Athletic facilities include an Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts, soccer fields, facilities for baseball and football, a gymnasium, a fitness center, and a covered sports hall.[12][6] An amphitheater, cafeteria, and extensive green spaces round out the campus.[12][6] The school has made its auditorium and pool available for selected community uses and maintains ties with the local council, Magen David Adom, and the local fire service.[6]

At the request of the U.S. State Department and U.S. Embassy, WBAIS opened a Jerusalem branch in August 2001, beginning with eight elementary students.[3] The branch became the Jerusalem American International School, serving the diplomatic community and other groups.[3] A high-school program launched with a small cohort in August 2011, and the campus held its last high-school graduation in June 2019.[3]

The State Department describes JAIS as a private, secular, coeducational school for international and local students from preschool through grade 8.[8] Students in grades 9–12 may use a weekly boarding program at the main WBAIS campus in Even Yehuda.[1][8] The JAIS program is described as student-centered and emphasizes supportive relationships, academic potential, creative thinking, initiative, responsibility, lifelong learning, and contributing to society.[8]

WBAIS's history and the State Department's JAIS fact sheet identify 2001 as the Jerusalem branch's founding year.[8][3] The State Department's WBAIS fact sheet instead gives 2010 as the year JAIS was established, without explaining whether that date refers to another institutional milestone.[1]

In February 2008, WBAIS hosted the Israel Middle East Model United Nations, co-sponsored by Merrill Lynch and Global Classrooms. Students debated while diplomats, some of them parents at the school, represented member countries, and U.S. Ambassador Richard Jones delivered introductory remarks.[22]

Later in 2008, six WBAIS students joined six students from other Israeli schools on a three-day Model UN trip to Qatar. History teacher Sara Jane Shapira organized the delegation, and WBAIS senior Daniele De Bernardin received an honorable mention. Students from the school won five of roughly 30 awards at the event.[23]

The school's community presence in Even Yehuda extends beyond its student body. Its auditorium and swimming pool have been made available for selected public uses, and the institution maintains relationships with the local council, Magen David Adom, and the local fire service.[6] When the school relocated from Kfar Shmaryahu, its owners undertook to build sports fields for local residents in Even Yehuda.[14]

Shira and Merav, daughters of U.S. Ambassador Daniel B. Shapiro and Julie Fisher, attended WBAIS. Their parents chose to remain in Israel through the conclusion of the 2016–2017 school year so the girls could finish their studies without disruption when Shapiro's ambassadorship ended.[24]

Published campus-area figures vary. Xnet reported 70 dunams, while WBAIS states 77 dunams.[6][3] Globes reported 73 dunams and Calcalist reported 74.[21][12]

WBAIS pages also give different enrollment totals. The About page reports approximately 450 students, while the FAQ webpage reports approximately 500.[5][16] A separate FAQ PDF reports approximately 600 students, without explaining whether the totals reflect different dates or counting methods.[17]

The founding date of the Jerusalem campus presents a more specific inconsistency. WBAIS and the State Department's JAIS fact sheet identify 2001 as the founding year.[8][3] The State Department's WBAIS fact sheet gives 2010, but does not explain the difference.[1]

Information about WBAIS in the cited Encyclopedia.com reference was adapted from a U.S. Department of State Post Report dated April 1993 and reflects historical conditions rather than current practice.[18]