International School of Indiana

The International School of Indiana (ISI) is one of twelve independent private schools in the Indianapolis, IN area and the only one that offers a language immersion program. According to the school website [http://www.isind.org] , ISI is the only school in the midwestern United States with a trilingual program and in which all its high school students, not merely a select few, participate in the full International Baccalaureate Diploma program. The introduction of the Primary Years (PYP) and Middle Years (MYP) programs of the IB in the 2008–2009 academic year will provide ISI students with academic continuity from preK through 12th grade.

The school was established by a group of Indianapolis business leaders and pioneering parents. Establishment of the school had been recommended by a Task Force on International Issues formed in 1990 by the Indiana Humanities Council and funded by the Lilly Endowment. The task force was charged with determining how to make Indianapolis and the state more attractive to the international business community. A task force subcommittee advanced the idea that establishing an international school in metropolitan Indianapolis would help Indiana better prepare for its role in a global economy. The school was founded in 1994 and has had as headmasters Alain Weber (1994–2007) and David Garner (2007– ). In the years since the school opened, enrollment has grown to approximately 600 students in the three-year-old preschool program through grade 12. Students represent more than 40 nationalities, though 70% are US nationals or citizens. The school has approximately 100 teaching and administrative staff, representing more than 20 countries.