Collegiate International School, Umm Suqeim 2 – The Review

This review is in progress.

Background

Founded in 2011, Collegiate International School offers a blended New York state Common Core Standards underpinned American education combining traditional US graduation with the American High School Diploma with a choice of pathways from both the International Baccalaureate and College Board. Students can choose to follow a pureplay US Education culminating in the High School Diploma, a more advanced US education culminating in the awarding of both the American High School Diploma and Advanced Placement qualifications  – or full IB education pathways culminating in the awarding of the International Baccalaureate Diploma or Certificates.

Prior to 2021 the school was a US curriculum school and known as Collegiate American School From September 2021, Collegiate adopted the IB, building on the considerable (and award-winning) experience of Innoventures Education in IB schooling, and changing its name in the process.

The school defines its strengths in the following terms:

“Our small class sizes are central to our unique skills-based, student centric instructional program that addresses the holistic academic and language needs of all learners. Extensive co-curricular activities, college counselling; personalized graduation pathways and a community ethos anchors our school.

CIS is very proud to be a growing, inclusive school set on developing the values of achievement, innovation, integrity, respect, responsibility and collaboration.”

Jonathan Cox, Principal, Collegiate International School Dubai

Collegiate International School is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), and is both College Board (Advanced Placement) and International Baccalaureate approved, the latter for the full continuum of its education from the Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) for Grade EY- Grade 5, through the Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) from Grade 6 to Grade 10, and the Diploma Programme from Grade 11 to Grade 12.

The school aspirationally shares the name of the Ivy League preparatory New York-based Collegiate School, although there are no formal links with its namesake beyond the commitment to New York standards and American education shared by both.

Differentiators

If you are looking for the most affordable US-IB curriculum education in Dubai, Collegiate International  School fits the brief.  But it is not all about affordability. CIS is run by Innoventures Education – and it is arguable that no organisation has done more for the IB in the region. Countless awards have followed – and this expertise is being cascaded through Collegiate. It will inevitably take time, because here we have too a very deeply felt commitment to American education. Prior to 2021, remember, this was a pureplay US curriculum school competing with the top tier of American schools in Dubai. Bringing both together, and building to the strengths of each, is ambitious and complex. Here the approach is very much one of following US standards – but delivering these with all the strengths and techniques of the IB. There is also a concerted attempt to build to all the existing strengths of US Education in scaffolding education around the whole child. Whilst the headline offer here for some will be the IB Diploma, it is better to see Collegiate International School as one offering choice of pathways to meet the needs of individual students. This means that students can choose a pure US education focused on the High School Diploma, or the same with the additionality of Advanced Placement, or choose either Diploma or Courses graduating pathways with the IB. Every child is expected to graduated with the High School Diploma – the recognised standard qualification for access to US universities.

Location

Located in the heart of Umm Suqeim 2, the school’s link roads (Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Wasl Road, Al Manara Road, and Jumeirah Beach Road) provide simplified commuting from  communities across Dubai. A number of students are within walking and/or cycling distance from the school. 

Transport

Pictured: the modern fleet of Arab Falcon Buses used by Collegiate International School

Buses are operated by Arab Falcon Bus Rental LLC which operates 12, 22 and 50-seater buses. All buses include GPS tracking and CCTV camera to ensure the security of every child. Drivers are trained by Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority. Collegiate International School has a dedicated foreman with specific responsibility for managing the safety of all buses.

Every effort is made to ensure that there is availability of a bus option for every child at Collegiate International School, although this is dependent on the viability of the route.

Fees

Fees are affordable by IB standards, and Collegiate International School currently provides one of the best value means of accessing an IB education in the UAE. It is also one of a very limited number of blended IB-US Curriculum schools. Looking at alternative US-IB schools, Dunecrest American School fees, for example, run from AED 39, 799 to AED 86,950 in Year 12 – more than 25% higher than those at CIS. GEMS Dubai American Academy fees begin at AED 63,026 for KG1 and KG2 – and then stabilise at AED 88,848 for all Years between Grade 1 and Grade 12 – these fees more than 50% higher than those at CIS over the lifetime of a child’s education.

Visit the official Collegiate International School web site here.

A full review of Collegiate International School has been conducted by educationalists at our sister site, WhichSchoolAdvisor.com, which can be read here.

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