The American Collegiate Institute / Özel İzmir Amerikan Koleji is one of the Health and Education Foundation’s / Sağlık ve Eğitim Vakfı schools along with its sister schools - Üsküdar American High School, Tarsus American College, SEV American College, İzmir SEV Schools, Üsküdar SEV Schools and Tarsus SEV Schools.
One of the main characteristics that makes American Collegiate Institute /Özel İzmir Amerikan Koleji different; is its progressive educational approach while protecting its long lasting traditions. In our school where no concessions of national values are made; the students are requested to be aware of their culture and language while at the same time an international approach and understanding is fostered. Our school witnessed the creation of the Turkish Republic in 1923 and has always proceeded with determination and ambition along Atatürk’s enlightened path.
The educational staff includes both Turkish and foreign teachers who are experts in their fields. ACI is located on a green campus of 31 decares in the Göztepe neighborhood of Izmir, Turkey. The Naomi Foster library and media center with its unique architecture; is equiped with over 70,000 books, electronic databases, computer labs and a video conference room. The Shepard Sports hall with its sports courts, exercise areas and fitness rooms; has been serving as a wide, modern and multifunctional gymnasium. In addition to these facilities; there is the Hill Science building that has many purpose-built laboratories, the Blake Auditorium which can seat 550 people, a fine arts building known as Bristol Hall, an outdoor amphitheater for 1200 people, a girls dorm, open sports areas and Taner,Parsons and Beacon buildings with modern classrooms. ACI boys dorm is located across the street from the main campus.
ACI was the first and only school in Aegean region to be accredited by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) since the school year of 2006-2007. The IB Program has been accepted as the leading educational standard worldwide. This program is a challenging pre-university educational process for highly motivated high school students. The students who earn an IB diploma have opportunities to be accepted to the best universities worldwide.
ACI has both a Turkish university counseling and an international college counseling office. The aim of the university counseling departments is to specify the future targets for students. The targets are made clear by looking at their interests, values, character traits and career necessities. For the previous five years, the university placement ratio for ACI graduates is 99%. Along with graduates who have enrolled in distinguished public and private universities (on scholarship) in Turkey, there are also graduates who have been accepted to overseas universities including Harvard, Yale, UPENN, Oxford, University College of London, Georgetown, Cornell, Brandeis, McGill, Pomona and Tufts.
As well as the perfect English that has been taught since the prep class; there are also secondary foreign language options such as French, German and Spanish which opens our students to new perspectives and understandings as flexible life-long learners. The students who participate in social service clubs in ACI, serve as ambassadors under the school motto “ Enter to learn, Depart to serve.” ACI students have the chance to choose the desired extracurricular activity from a variety of over 100 choices that increase their selfconfidence and improve their leadership traits. The TÜBİTAK club students are considered worthy of many awards every year with their successful project. Also every year, the ACI students represent our school and our country successfully among the international arena via MUN, Junior Achievement and Robotics teams.