About ISD
Our community leads, inspires and impacts global change with compassion and wisdom.
Founded in 1983, ISD is an independent, co-educational day school offering an enriched international educational program to reflect the diverse international background of the student body and the faculty. Classes are offered for Pre-K3 through Grade 12.
The school year extends from mid-August to mid-June. Our ultimate goal is to develop successful learners who have the courage to tackle complex problems and be of service to others.
Our Mission
We nurture each learner’s growth.
We embrace each other and our local community.
We foster diverse perspectives and global citizenship.
Our Core Values
Respect - Integrity - Empathy - Responsibility - Equity
Our Motto
Challenge - Create - Change
What Sets Us Apart
We offer a challenging curriculum that serves students with a wide range of abilities.
The school has a veteran, expatriate teaching faculty and small class sizes ranging from 12 to 20 students. We believe in excellence in all areas: academics, arts, sports, and service.
ISD has a diverse, multi-cultural community with students coming from over 115 countries.
ISD currently has 97 full-time teachers, 82% of whom have Master's degrees or higher and 88% of whom have 10 years of teaching experience or more.
Technology & Innovation
The Technology Department at ISD supports the use of technology both in and out of classrooms as a tool for learning, innovation, and creativity.
Students in grade 1 & 2 use iPads, grades 3-8 are issued personal Google Chromebooks and grades 9-12 operates with a Bring Your Own Device programme including opportunities to purchase devices through the school.
We recently completed construction on a new Design & Innovation Center which will serve as a centralized space for innovation and design thinking.
Students and teachers also have access to programming, robotics and four 3D printers to aid learning, exploration, creation, and creativity.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at ISD
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are important foundational values at ISD.
We, as a community, are committed to providing quality educational opportunities that challenge the members of our school to learn more about themselves and each other with the aim to unite everyone in peace and understanding.
At ISD, everyone in our community is heard, respected, and valued and this is reflected in our curriculum, events, activities and initiatives. Listening sessions and engagements on how to grow our cultural competency as a group have resulted in equitable and fair practice across the school. We believe that flexibility and compassion can make a world of difference as we try to navigate life together.
ISD is a place to access the collective knowledge of the world through the time and place of 21st-century Africa. ISD as a global school rivals any other international school in scope, perspective, and intentional diversity with over 115 nationalities in our school community. We go far, together.
ISD Facilities
The International School of Dakar is situated on eight acres of green space overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in the Mermoz neighborhood of Dakar. Our buildings include state-of-the-art science and computer labs, bright classrooms, and spacious art and music rooms. All ISD classrooms are air-conditioned. In addition, we have an outdoor playground for our youngest students.
Our facilities include a library, a sports field, playgrounds, a swimming pool, and basketball courts, and a food service area. The campus serves as a school-community center with a wide variety of activities offered after school and on the weekends, including the use of the pool, courts, playgrounds, and fields.
ISD began construction on a new Performing Arts Center (PAC) and Gymnasium in the Spring of 2018. The new PAC and Gymnasium has a 350-seat capacity for events and sports games. It has a black-box theater and a permanent art gallery, displaying student work and local Senegalese pieces. It has two full-sized courts and training facilities.
Accreditation
ISD is accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS) in Europe and the Middle States Association (MSA) in the United States.
These organizations validate the high quality of our school, which is recognized by universities around the world.
IB Curriculum
Based on the ISD Strategic Plan, we strive to become an IB World Continuum School.
ISD is accredited by the IB and is authorized to offer the IB Primary Years Program (PYP), the Middle Years Program (MYP), and Diploma Program (DP).
PYP
MYP
DP
