Atlanta International School: Language, IB, and Four Different Entry Decisions

The defining program

Language changes by age, track, and entry year

The firmest rule at Atlanta International School catches many families by surprise: beginners in French, German, and Spanish are generally accepted only through about the middle of Grade 1. After that, a child needs existing proficiency and an individual assessment to get in the door.

In the 3K and 4K Early Learning Center, the day is full immersion in Chinese, French, German, or Spanish. No prior language experience is needed at that age.

From 5K through Grade 5, French, German, and Spanish classrooms divide the week roughly half in English and half in the target language. Chinese welcomes Primary beginners.

One page describes Primary as 70% English and 30% Chinese, while another lists 5K at 50% Chinese before tapering to 30% in Grades 1 through 5.

In Grade 6, the beginner door reopens across Chinese, French, German, and Spanish. Secondary students can also pursue a home language through a school-supported self-taught program guided by an AIS faculty member and an outside tutor.

For students learning English, English as an Additional Language provides pull-out instruction before moving to in-class support.

Academics and the week

The IB continuum and daily schedule

Every division starts together at 8:20, but the dismissal bells stagger across the afternoon. Early Learning ends at 2:30, Primary dismisses at 3:00, and Secondary runs until 3:45.

The calendar also schedules several Secondary half-days, which call for their own afternoon care and pickup plan.

In 5K through Grade 5, the Primary Years Programme pairs dual-language academics with foundational literacy and math. The day stays active: children rotate through music, art, physical education, snack, lunch, and two or three recesses across the week.

Grade 6 steps into the Middle Years Programme, bringing departmental schedules, separate subject teachers, and multiple assignment streams. Through Grade 10, students carry arts, design, individuals and societies, language, math, and sciences.

Grade 10 caps the sequence with a yearlong Personal Project: independent research, sustained planning, and building something over time.

In Grades 11 and 12, Upper School branches into two distinct IB routes. Diploma Programme candidates take six subjects—typically three at Standard Level and three at Higher Level—alongside Theory of Knowledge, a 4,000-word Extended Essay, and an 18-month Creativity, Activity, Service commitment.

Alternatively, the Career-related Programme blends IB coursework with career training: SCAD art and design dual enrollment, On The Stage theatre, or Skybound Aviation. AIS also outlines Impact Diploma and AISx options.

Student support

Learning support, EAL, and counseling

AIS sets a clear boundary around Learning Support: it is designed specifically for students with mild learning difficulties. Admissions evaluates testing reports and previous school records during the application review to determine whether a child's needs fit within the school's staffing and program scope.

In 5K through Grade 5, support operates through classroom scaffolding and scheduled small groups focusing on literacy, numeracy, and executive functioning. Younger Primary students can receive small-group help, while learning specialists oversee Individual Learning Plans and testing accommodations.

From Grade 6 through Grade 10, an eligible student with a formal diagnosis may enroll in Resource Class. That help comes with an immediate scheduling tradeoff: Resource Class replaces one elective option block.

In Grades 11 and 12, support transitions toward periodic check-ins, goal coaching, and Road to College workshops, though scheduled classes remain available for students needing sustained assistance. Division counselors across Primary and Secondary provide classroom, small-group, and individual guidance covering social, emotional, and academic development.

On school climate, there is recent history worth knowing. In 2020, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported accounts from Black students and alumni describing racism at AIS, and Black alumni later petitioned for the head’s resignation.

These were reported personal accounts and advocacy, not adjudicated findings. The head apologized and remains in the role, and AIS now publishes Community and Belonging work, restorative practices, and parent affinity groups.

Ask what changed after 2020 and how a family raises a concern today.

Logistics and school life

Campuses, bus routes, and after-school care

Daily school life centers on the 13.5-acre Buckhead campus in Garden Hills. The school also operates a 25-acre Sandy Springs campus that opened in August 2024, hosting the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy Atlanta, outdoor experiential programs, and summer camps.

AIS no longer offers boarding at either location.

AIS offers annual round-trip bus transportation to Buckhead from Brookhaven, Sandy Springs or Dunwoody, and Ansley Park or Virginia-Highland, with fares running $4,860 to $5,400. Bus eligibility starts with rising 5K students.

Seats are sold by semester or year on a first-come basis, and only select routes run a later return.

For younger children, the Kaleidoscope program provides aftercare for 3K through Grade 5 until 6:00 p.m., combining snack, supervised play, and quiet homework time in first-come spaces. Secondary students transition into teacher tutoring, study hall, or activities such as Model UN, robotics, Science Olympiad, and arts spanning W-AIS TV, theatre, strings, and DP Film.

Primary students can register for Junior Eagles sports. Middle School sports are no-cut for any student completing tryouts, whereas Upper School teams use competitive skill-based selection.

If your family plans summer travel, note that some junior-varsity and varsity fall seasons begin practices in late July.

Tuition and affordability

Tuition, worked all-in cost, and financial aid

For 2026–27, published tuition is $32,364 in 5K through Grade 4, $35,442 in Grades 5 through 8, and $36,947 in Grades 9 through 12.

A new family must budget several mandatory fees beyond tuition: a $100 application fee and a one-time matriculation fee of $3,750 for a family's first child ($2,750 for the second, $1,750 for the third or later). Students in 5K through Grade 8 pay a $250 technology fee.

Paying tuition across eight installments adds $800 (the ten-payment plan for aid recipients also adds $800), and optional tuition-refund insurance costs 3.1% of tuition.

Combining tuition, the first-child matriculation fee, and the technology fee gives a known first-year base: $36,364 in 5K, $39,442 in Grade 6, and $40,697 in Grade 9.

That base still excludes everyday extras: optional Buckhead meal plans are $2,306 for Primary and $2,835 for Secondary, round-trip buses add $4,860 to $5,400, and insurance, trips, and aftercare sit outside the total.

AIS reports more than $4.8 million in financial assistance for 2026–27. Clarity estimates a family contribution, but the school explicitly warns that an award may not meet the need Clarity calculates.

Every parent or partner with custody or regular visitation may need to submit financial records. A GOAL scholarship can be part of the total AIS award rather than an additional amount.

The critical date for affordability is March 1, 2027, when complete Clarity financial aid files are due. Applications open October 1, 2026, the school recommends being ready by February 15, and award decisions are emailed on April 3, 2027.

Entry points

Four key transition points: 5K, Grade 6, Grade 9, and Grade 11

AIS accepts applications across all grades and evaluates late candidates if space remains.

Kindergarten, known as 5K, requires children to turn five by September 1. It marks the formal entry into the bilingual Primary Years Programme, making it a natural starting point for families seeking immersion from the beginning of primary school.

Grade 6 opens Middle School, introduces departmental scheduling with multiple teachers, and launches the Middle Years Programme. It also reopens language acquisition classes for beginners across Chinese, French, German, and Spanish.

Grade 9 enters Upper School but remains within the MYP through Grade 10, giving incoming freshmen two full years to adjust to inquiry-based coursework before selecting a senior IB path.

Grade 11 represents the true Diploma Programme or Career-related Programme start; transfer students entering at Grade 11 need an individualized transcript review to confirm course prerequisites and graduation feasibility.

Admissions process

Application requirements and screening days

Families begin by submitting an inquiry to unlock the myAIS portal. The application requires school transcripts from the current and previous academic years along with confidential teacher evaluations from the student's present school.

Applicant Screening Days are required at every grade. Local applicants attend in person, while out-of-state and international families can screen virtually.

Tours, information sessions, and open houses are encouraged.

The admission deadline is the open item. The application page is not a safe Fall 2027 calendar: it mixes a December 15 deadline, a January 2026 screening week, and 2024 and 2025 decision dates.

The most recent coherent cycle used a January 31 application deadline, an April 4 decision, and an April 14 reply, all 2026 dates. Do not move them forward a year on your own; ask Admissions for one written 2027–28 ledger and treat the myAIS portal as controlling.

Standardized testing is optional for Secondary applicants. Students may submit a prior SAT, SSAT (welcomed from native English speakers), or TOEFL score (for non-native English speakers), but none is required.

International applicants receive an I-20 only after admission and enrollment. A student on a visa must live with a relative or guardian, and AIS no longer offers boarding.

AIS: language split, support and the full first-year bill

At AIS the language path and IB stage matter as much as the school, so start with what your child's entry grade would actually look like.