King's Academy (Arabic transliteration: "كينغز أكاديمي") is an independent,

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

boarding and day

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

for students in grades 7 to 12 in

Madaba Madaba (; Biblical Hebrew: ''Mēḏəḇāʾ''; ) is the capital city of Madaba Governorate in central Jordan, with a population of about 60,000. It is best known for its Byzantine art, Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, especially a large Byz ...

-Manja,

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

. It is named in honor of King

Abdullah II of Jordan Abdullah II (Abdullah bin Hussein; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of the Hashemites, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is traditionally reg ...

and seeks to fulfill His Majesty's vision of producing "a new generation of enlightened and creative minds." King Abdullah attended high school at

Deerfield Academy Deerfield Academy (often called Deerfield or DA) is an Independent school, independent College-preparatory school, college-preparatory boarding and day school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1797, it is one of the oldest secondary schoo ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

as there was no school of comparable standing in Jordan when he was a boy, but his son Crown Prince Hussein enrolled in the new school's second incoming class (2008). The school's first headmaster, Dr. Eric Widmer, was a past headmaster of Deerfield. The primary language of instruction at King's Academy is English. Both Arabic-speaking and non-Arabic-speaking students are required to study Arabic. The academy is a member of the

G30 Schools G30 Schools, formerly G20 Schools, is an association of secondary schools founded by David Wylde of St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown, South Africa and Anthony Seldon of Wellington College, Berkshire, United Kingdom in 2006. The G30 Schools ha ...

group. The school is included in

The Schools Index The Schools Index is an annual publication that lists internationally notable private schools and international schools. Published by Carfax Education, it is often considered a global list of the most prestigious schools of the world. In 2025 Time ...

as one of the 150 best private schools in the world and among top 15 schools in the Middle East.

Location and campus

The King's Academy campus was designed by an Egyptian architect and Director of the Prince's School of Traditional Arts in London Khaled Azzam. The campus and buildings are constructed on a 575-dunum (144-acre) site and comprise some 35 major buildings.

Athletic facilities

The athletic facilities include a semi-Olympic swimming pool,

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

court, squash court,

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

, and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

courts, and cardio and weight training facilities. There is also an outdoor sports stadium that includes a full-size

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

field, two additional football fields, and a track.

King Abdullah II Spiritual Center

The

King Abdullah II Abdullah II (Abdullah bin Hussein; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of the Hashemites, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is traditionally reg ...

Spiritual Center is a multi-faith spiritual center that is available for use to all members of the school community, regardless of their faith. Both the indoor prayer room and the open-air courtyard are available for use at all times by students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors.

The Abdul Majeed Shoman Auditorium

The Abdul Majeed Shoman Auditorium holds around 200 people and is the location of both school and community events including concerts, student recitals, plays, and dance performances. Students and faculty members gather here for weekly school meetings.

The Sheikh Jabir Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Building

The building has a total area of 2,200 square meters and houses the Middle School, the Office of the Headmaster, and the Office of Admissions. The Middle School comprises 10 classrooms, two fully equipped science labs, an art wing, a study lounge, and a large multipurpose room, in addition to the dean's office and the school counselor's office. The building is fully accessible with an elevator and additional ramps.

The HRH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library

For use by students, faculty, staff and guests of King's Academy, the HRH Sheikh

Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; born 15 July 1949) is an Emirati politician and royal who is the current ruler of Dubai, and serves as the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, vice president and Prime Minister of the United Arab ...

Library holds 50,000 volumes. The building is outfitted with wireless internet, reading tables, and study spaces, including a circular reading room (a rotunda) that overlooks the campus.

Student body

The King's Academy campus was built to accommodate both day and boarding students, the latter comprising about 70 percent of the student body. For the 2022–2023 academic year, 570 students were enrolled at the school, representing some 40 countries in 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. Of these students, 45 percent are female, and 55 percent are male. Approximately 43% of students receive financial aid.

Academics

The school's curriculum is based on the American

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere ...

(AP) program, and the Middle School curriculum is based on the

College Board The College Board, styled as CollegeBoard, is an American not-for-profit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an asso ...

’s QUEST framework for teaching and learning. Students intending to attend a Jordanian university or gain certain professional licenses in Jordan can obtain a certificate of Tawjihi equivalency in lieu of taking the nationa
Tawjihi
examination. The primary language of instruction at King's Academy is English, but the study of Arabic is required of all students. King's Academy is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
NEASC
. It is a founding member of Global Online Academy
GOA
, a member of the G30 Schools group, and
Round Square
school.

References

External links

King's Academy Website

Arabic Year at King's Academy Website

Jordan Times, July 23, 2004 {{Authority control International schools in Jordan Boarding schools in Jordan Private schools in Jordan High schools and secondary schools in Jordan Educational institutions established in 2007 Gifted education 2007 establishments in Jordan Bahrain–Jordan relations Round Square schools