International College () is an independent non-profit international school in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. Its students come from all over Lebanon, as well as the

Middle-East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

and around the world. With two campuses, one in the Lebanese capital Beirut and the other in the urban hillsides ( Ain Aar), the school educates over 3,500 students each year. The school was established in 1891 and is chartered in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, US.

History

The International College was founded in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

(now

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

in 1891, by Alexander MacLachlan, a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

educator, as the American Boys’ School. The first class of five students graduated in 1895, and it was renamed the American Collegiate Institute for Boys. In 1913, IC opened an

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

, and added the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...

Section Secondaire in 1926. In 1936, Dr. Bayard Dodge of the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

invited IC to come to Beirut and affiliate with AUB as its preparatory school. As a result, IC was known for many years as "The Prep." During its first year in

, IC had 901 students from 37 countries representing 16 religious sects. IC had students from all over the Middle East, who came as boarders living in Thomson and Sage Halls. IC separated from AUB in the 1960s, naming a separate

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

and admitted women to become a co-educational institution. During the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

under the leadership of Dr. Alton Reynolds, students and teachers of all religious sects continued to attend classes in

Ras Beirut Ras Beirut () is an upscale residential neighborhood in Beirut, Lebanon. It has a mixed population of Christians, Muslims and Druze, and is associated with nonsectarian relations between members of thee groupings. Ras Beirut is home to some of ...

. It evolved to become a leading institution of education in the Middle East with the inspiration of some exemplary Directors such as Mr. Sadik Umar and Mr. Elie Kurban. In 1988, a satellite campus was constructed in Ain A’ar, far from Beirut, to accommodate the children of

alumni Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...

in that area. The Ain A’ar campus continues to serve students from pre-school through middle school. In 1997, IC achieved dual accreditation by the

Council of International Schools The Council of International Schools (CIS) is a membership organization aimed at international education. CIS was formed in 2003. It has over 1,500 institutional members consisting of over 800 schools and 600 colleges/universities, located in ...

and the

New England Association of Schools and Colleges The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC ) is an American educational organization that accredits private and public secondary schools (high schools and technical/career institutions), primarily in New England. It also ...

Schools

All content is taught using the target languages of Arabic, English and French and works within the PYP curricular framework. The Elementary School covers grades one through five (ages six to eleven). The medium of instruction is either English or French, although Arabic is mandatory for all students. An Arabic program is made available in IC to students who have lived abroad and qualify for exemption from the regular programs. The Middle School is a four-year cycle covering grades 6 through 9. It offers three programs: the Lebanese Program prepares students for the official ''Lebanese Brevet'' examination; the College Preparatory Program is an English medium non-Brevet program; and the French Program is non-Brevet program taught in French that prepares the student for the official

French Baccalaureate French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

examination. All programs require the teaching of

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, English, French,

Mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

Science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

Social Studies In many countries' curricula, social studies is the combined study of humanities, the arts, and social sciences, mainly including history, economics, and civics. The term was coined by American educators around the turn of the twentieth century as ...

Physical Education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

, Arts,

Information Technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

(IT), Music and Theatre Courses. Grades 6,7, and 8 also receive Technology instruction.
1
The Secondary School is a three-year cycle made up of four separate programs: The Lebanese Baccalaureate Program which follows a curriculum set by the Lebanese Ministry of Education; The French Baccalaureate Program which follows a curriculum set by the French Ministry of Education; the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program; and The American College Preparatory Program (CPP), a non-baccalaureate diploma program. IC's Ain Aar campus holds two schools. The Lower School for students from nursery to Grade 3 and the Upper School for students from Grade 4 to Grade 9 inclusive. Both Ain Aar schools follow the same curriculum as applied in the Ras Beirut campus.

Secondary School programs

The Lebanese Baccalaureate Program, which follows a curriculum set by the Lebanese Ministry of Education, is available to all students in either an English or French track for core subjects including

math Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

and

sciences Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

. In the French track, English is taught as a third language and vice versa. In both tracks,

History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

Geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

Civics In the field of political science, civics is the study of the civil and political rights and obligations of citizens in a society. The term ''civics'' derives from the Latin word ''civicus'', meaning "relating to a citizen". In U.S. politics ...

Sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

and

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

, are taught in

with the study of

Arabic literature Arabic literature ( / ALA-LC: ''al-Adab al-‘Arabī'') is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is ''Adab (Islam), Adab'', which comes from a meaning of etiquett ...

and language mandatory. In the second year, students chose a focus in

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

, and specialize in the third year. The French Baccalaureate Program, which follows a curriculum set by the

French Ministry of Education The Ministry of National Education and Youth, or simply Ministry of National Education, as the title has changed several times in the course of the Fifth Republic, is the cabinet member in the Government of France who oversees the country's pu ...

, is designed to meet the needs of foreign and Lebanese students who wish to pursue the

. All core subjects are taught in French. Upon successful completion of the Lebanese or French Baccalaureate program, students are eligible to enter at the

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

level in all Lebanese and many European and North American universities. Some students pursue both the Lebanese and French Baccalaureate simultaneously. ''See

Secondary education in France In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...

''. The International Baccalaureate Program is a two-year curriculum with an assessment component. The IB diploma is recognized by universities around the world. Students admitted to the IB program must hold a second nationality in addition to Lebanese, or must obtain an exemption from the Lebanese official program allowing them to engage in a non-Lebanese program. A good knowledge of English is a prerequisite as it is the language of instruction and also a school average of around a 79. The "College Preparatory Program" is a two-year curriculum designed on the American High school System. Students admitted into this program must hold a foreign passport. Courses taken are extensive and rigorous. Calculus, micro and macroeconomics, and worldwide literature are some of the things taught in courses such as Math, Biology, Economics, Global Issues, English, Arabic, French, Art, Music, Physical Education, and History.

Community Service Program

Participation in the Community Service Program is mandatory for all IC Secondary School students. Students select two community projects per year, ranging from helping to raise awareness of environmental issues, volunteer at orphanages, and centers for the aged, infirmed and disabled.

Notable alumni

Constantin Zureiq Constantin Zureiq (; ; April 18, 1909 – August 11, 2000) was a prominent Syrian intellectual who was one of the first to pioneer and express the importance of Arab nationalism. He stressed the urgent need to transform stagnant Arab society u ...

, "father" of

Arab nationalism Arab nationalism () is a political ideology asserting that Arabs constitute a single nation. As a traditional nationalist ideology, it promotes Arab culture and civilization, celebrates Arab history, the Arabic language and Arabic literatur ...

* Ghassan Tueni, former Lebanese MP, his son was the assassinated politician and journalist Gebran Tueni. * Basil Fuleihan, assassinated Lebanese Minister of Economy *

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

Walid Jumblatt Walid Kamal Jumblatt (; born 7 August 1949) is a Lebanese politician who was the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party from 1977 until 2023. A Druze and former militia commander, Jumblatt led the Lebanese National Resistance Front, allying ...

* Adil Osseiran, Lebanese independence figure and parliament speaker * Salim Hoss, former

Prime Minister of Lebanon The prime minister of Lebanon, officially the president of the Council of Ministers, is the head of government and the head of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon. The prime minister is appointed by the president of Lebanon, with the consen ...

* Sobhi Mahmassani, legal scholar, former Lebanese member of parliament and Minister of National Economy * Saeb Jaroudi, former Lebanese Minister of National Economy, Industry, and Tourism and Founding Chairman of the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development *

Saeb Salam Saeb Salam (17 January 1905 – 21 January 2000) () was a Lebanese politician, who served as Prime Minister six times between 1952 and 1973. Following his death, the Lebanese daily ''As-Safir'' described Salam as "most successful in dealing ...

, former

İhsan Doğramacı İhsan Doğramacı (3 April 1915 – 25 February 2010) was a Turkish people, Turkish paediatrician, entrepreneur, philanthropist, educationalist and college administrator of Iraqi Turkmen descent born in modern Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq ...

, Turkish physician, educationalist, chair of

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

(1968-1970) and founder of

Bilkent University Bilkent University () is a private non-profit research university located in Ankara, Turkey. It was founded by İhsan Doğramacı, the first president of the Council of Higher Education and the head of the prominent Doğramacı family, with th ...

* Yassine Jaber,

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

Lebanese member of parliament, minister of Economy from 1996 to 1998 * David Ramadan, former elected member of the Virginia House of Delegates. *

Nawaf Salam Nawaf Abdallah Salim Salam (; born 15 December 1953) is a Lebanese politician, diplomat, jurist and academic who has been serving as the 53rd prime minister of Lebanon since 8 February 2025. Salam previously sat on the International Court of Ju ...

, current Prime Minister of the Republic of Lebanon, former Lebanese ambassador to the UN and judge in the International Court of Justice. *

Guy Béart Guy Béhart-Hasson (; 16 July 1930 – 16 September 2015), known as Guy Béart, was a French singer and songwriter. Life and career Béart was born Guy Béhart-Hasson (originally spelled Béhar-Hassan) in Cairo, Egypt, to a Sephardic Jewish fa ...

, French singer and songwriter

Honors