The American College of Sofia (ACS) (

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

: ) is a school in Bulgaria, located in the capital city of

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

. The college was founded in 1860 and is regarded as the oldest American educational institution outside the United States.This title is also claimed by

Robert College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( tr, İstanbul Özel Amerikan Robert Lisesi or ), often shortened to Robert, or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational Secondary ...

, founded in 1863, due to the name and constitutional changes in the American College of Sofia's history. American pedagogical methods are used and the primary language of instruction is

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

History

Founded in 1860 in the then-

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, it was initially a boys' school in

Plovdiv Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...

established by American missionaries of the

Congregational Church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

.American College of Sofia website.
History subpage
''. Visited 29 April 2006. By co-operating with a girls' school in

Stara Zagora Stara Zagora ( bg, Стара Загора, ) is the sixth-largest city in Bulgaria, and the administrative capital of the homonymous Stara Zagora Province. Name The name comes from the Slavic root ''star'' ("old") and the name of the medieva ...

founded by the same people, the American College was established and moved to

Samokov Samokov ( bg, Самоков ) is a town in Sofia Province in the southwest of Bulgaria. It is situated in a basin between the mountains Rila and Vitosha, 55 kilometres from the capital Sofia. Due to the suitable winter sports conditions, Sam ...

in 1871. They were the first boarding schools in the country. The teachers were mostly Americans and many of the school's Bulgarian students went on to become ministers and important social figures. As the Mission Boards decided to close the schools at Samokov and leave Bulgaria, a decision met with protests and discontent among Bulgarian alumni and American donors alike, the schools were transferred to another organization, Sofia American Schools, Inc., merged and moved to

in 1926. The construction of a

campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-like se ...

in Simeonovo began the same year to start accommodating 119 girls in 1928, 63 boys in 1929, as well as the remaining 130 a year later. With Bulgaria initially being on the side of the

Axis Powers The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, many of the teachers left and only a handful had remained when Bulgaria declared war on the United States in December 1941. They continued to operate the college until ousted by the pro-

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

authorities in the autumn of 1942. As the war ended and Bulgaria became a

communist state A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Comint ...

, the American College's entire property was confiscated in 1947 and the campus was used as the office of the Bulgarian State Police during the times of socialism. The college was reopened in September 1992, enrolling 50 boys and 50 girls from over 3,000 that signed up to take the specified test. Much of the old campus and many of the pre-

American College buildings have since then been given back to the college, yet parts of the campus are still occupied by the Police Academy. , the American College of Sofia has 606 Bulgarian and 33 foreign students and has enrolled over a thousand, with 848 graduating. Since June 2005, the college also offers the

IB Diploma Programme The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...

, only for the international students. The former president of the American College of Sofia is Thomas Cangiano, former Cleve Housemaster and History Master at the

Lawrenceville School The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational preparatory school for boarding and day students located in the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Lawrenceville is a member of the Eight Schoo ...

. The current president is Dr. Richard T. Ewing Jr. The first class of the reopened school celebrated their 10-year reunion in June 2007.

Campus

The school operates in eight recently renovated classical buildings, including the new America for Bulgaria Campus Center, all located on 52 park-like acres. It includes seven academic buildings, 62 classrooms, four computer labs, three science labs, a Student Computer Innovation and Fabrication Institute (SCIFI), Audio-Video Studio, a 435-seat theater, a 180-seat concert hall, a 28-bed student dormitory, a large 1276-square-meter multi-purpose gymnasium, several small indoor sports facilities that include a dance studio, and a fitness center, as well as outdoor basketball courts and playing fields.

Curriculum

The American College of Sofia integrates the values and best practices of American pedagogy with the rich educational traditions of Bulgaria and Europe. ACS has 5 academic grades: 8th or “prep” grade and the 4 high school grades, 9th-12th.

IB Program

At ACS, the IB program is available only to international students. International members receive an IB diploma, as well as the American High School Diploma. ACSCampus

American High School Diploma

All students at ACS, receive an American High School Diploma. Bulgarian students at ACS also earn a Bulgarian Diploma.

Bulgarian Diploma

Bulgarian students at ACS receive a Bulgarian Diploma and an American High School Diploma.

Innovative Schools Status

In 2017 the Bulgarian Ministry of Education granted ACS with a "innovative school" status.

References

External links

ACS Official website
{{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1860 International Baccalaureate schools in Bulgaria American international schools in Bulgaria 1860 establishments in the Ottoman Empire International schools in Sofia