AAS Moscow Student Admissions

AAS is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school in Moscow that provides a truly international environment, unparalleled learning facilities and programs, highest academic standards, and access to top flight universities across the world.

We offer a challenging academic experience in a warm, supportive, and internationally diverse environment with over 30 nationalities represented within our families.

AAS Moscow is an international IB school where we strive to help all students reach their greatest potential, meet high academic and personal standards, and contribute to the vitality of the School.

Tuition & Fees

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70+ years of Experience

AAS was founded in 1949 by the Embassies of Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States as a diplomatic, non-profit school in Moscow

Purpose-built campus

Located in north-west Moscow, nestling between the Moscow Canal and the Pokrovskoye-Glebevo Park, the AAS campus is unrivalled amongst other international schools in the city.

Highly qualified and experienced teaching staff

AAS demands the highest standards from its international teaching body. All our teachers are fully qualified, have multiple years of classroom experience and are well-versed in international teaching practices.

Sporting Facilities

AAS boasts two indoor swimming pools, three soccer pitches, tennis courts, two indoor gyms, fitness and spinning rooms.

Visual and Performing Arts

Three theaters - including the 650-seat “Bolshoi” - age-appropriate art studios, music rooms, media and robotics labs and makerspaces are just some of the facilities available to AAS students.

International Baccalaureate

AAS is fully accredited for the IB Primary Years Programme and Diploma Programme.

After-school activities

We offer a huge range of after-school activities, sports and clubs, included in tuition.

Student Support Services

AAS offers extensive English language support, as well as social and emotional counselling, learning support and classroom differentiation.

Library

AAS has the largest English-language library in Moscow with over 55,000 items to suit all ages and reading styles from picture books and early readers to adult literature and reference works.

International community

Our diverse and welcoming international community helps our students develop as globally-minded citizens.

AAS Diplomas

AAS HS Diploma
International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP)

While nearly all students take the IBDP, 100% of students will find success through our AAS HS Diploma. These two credentials provide access to top-flight universities across the globe.

Highlights from our IB Class of 2022:

99% of IB candidates received their diploma last year.
Over 20% of our Class of 2022 received 40+ points.
AAS Class of 2022 average grade was 35 (the world average is 32)

AAS is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

diagram showing the IB diploma programme

A map showing university destinations for AAS Class of 2022

AAS Moscow Admissions Criteria

We welcome applicants from all countries and educational backgrounds. Applications to AAS Moscow will be reviewed within the context of each student being successful in our curriculum that is taught in English. The priority of the school is to prepare students for further education in other countries, in which the level of English proficiency is one of the key factors for admission. In addition, the following factors and circumstances are taken into account, in no order of priority, when admitting students to the Anglo-American School of Moscow:

International and mother tongue diversity
Previous international education experience
Support for diplomatic missions and international businesses in Russia
Faculty children and siblings of current students

Places are limited with admission being contingent upon the availability of seats in the relevant grade level or class or course level or students support services resources and programs.

Admissions Timeline

Students can be enrolled at AAS anytime throughout the year.

It is best to submit an i nquiry form as early as possible.

Applications can be submitted as of January for entry into school at the start of the next academic year.
The following is an approximate timeline for the Admissions process.

February	Current families are asked to complete a re-enrollment questionnaire to indicate whether or not they intend to remain with us for the upcoming year
February/March	Re-enrollment data collation
April	Re-enrolment contracts are sent out to all families who expressed an interest in remaining at AAS. After this, we can begin to review new applications, but we may not be able to give you an accurate assessment of your child's chances of being admitted until closer to the end of the academic year.
April – August	Applications are reviewed and approved, contracts sent out and new students enrolled. There may be last-minute changes in enrolment, as families who had planned to stay in Moscow are re-assigned to other postings or new arrivals fail to receive visas. If your child is on the waiting list, we may unfortunately not be able to confirm their place until the very last minute. We do understand that this is very frustrating for incoming families, but we would ask for your patience, as this situation is dependent on factors entirely beyond our control.

Student Support Services

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES (S³)

What are Student Support Services?

As a part of learning at AAS, our school is fortunate to offer a wide range of services to support students based on their age and development needs. The Student Support Services (S3) Department provides learning experiences and opportunities that support students' academic and behavioral needs including English as an Additional Language, Learning Support, Occupational Therapy, and Speech and Language

Who Do We Support?

At AAS we are able to meet mild to moderate needs of students who require additional learning assistance. Any student needing a modification to the program or 1:1 resources in order to function at school is beyond a mild to moderate level and cannot be considered for admission or re-enrollment. Our team of professional educators work together to recognize academic and behavioral differences early in a student’s development. When a student is identified by their teachers as potentially being in need of support services or parents share challenges their children may be having, a referral may be made directly to the grade level counselor. At AAS, we utilize best practices and current research to guide our approaches to assessments and the development of learning plans based on individual student needs. It should be noted, however, that as an independent overseas school, AAS does not offer full special education programming as prescribed by the laws for public schools in some other countries.

LEARN MORE

Student Transportation

How to Choose An International School

Introduction

When families move to new countries and cities around the world, parents are presented with the task of identifying and choosing the best school for their child(ren). How does a family make this choice? Several factors will likely come into play in an educational decision, such as the learning program, housing location, and recommendations from employers, colleagues or relocation companies.

Parents want to make the best choices for their children to thrive but can have difficulty understanding and navigating the options presented to them in a new city. Parents acknowledge that when trying to make this decision they are not expert educators and will not likely know about the latest trends in education or understand the qualities of an international school. Equally as important is whether the school is the right place for their child. We are sharing here what we hope will be helpful information in considering your options and how to understand the information shared by individual schools.

We offer the following for your consideration as a guide for choosing the right international school for your child(ren) and for guiding conversations about school choice within your family as well as with international schools.

Non-Profit vs. For-Profit Schools

One important factor to consider when choosing an international school is the structure of the organization itself. International schools, particularly those that advertise British curriculums, can be for-profit institutions owned by large corporations. For-profit schools can deliver great results, however, it should be noted that an underlying driver for decisions can be based on profitability for their shareholders, financial partners, and Boards of Directors instead of educational goals.

In contrast, non-profit schools are founded on the principle that educational quality is driving decision making. These schools invest all of their revenue back into the student learning, the quality of their staff, the school community, and the ongoing enrichment of the school. Non-profit schools are often governed by a Board of volunteer community members from the local school community who are current or former parents with a personal connection to the school. A non-profit institution’s primary goal is to balance a focus on the very best education with being financially responsible. These schools do not have shareholders and profit margins are not a factor in designing the budget. Student learning is really the primary focus and that includes considering parents as community partners. In our decades of leadership team experience, non-profit international schools often emerge in a city as the top performing schools with the highest student learning results, best teachers, best facilities, and the most collaborative learning environments.

Student Learning First

“Our philosophy of teaching and learning is rooted in the latest educational research and starts with unconditional care for each child to create a truly safe and supportive environment where learning can thrive.” - AAS Moscow

All schools approach student learning differently, and when choosing an international school you should understand the larger philosophies of the school you are choosing. A holistic approach is quite common in top international schools, meaning learning is academic in nature, but also focuses on social, emotional, ethical, and athletic aspects of child development. Will students just learn to read, write and do math or will they also learn to critically think, collaborate, and manage healthy conflicts? Top international schools often stress broader holistic elements without sacrificing the rigor that accompanies a strong academic program.

Inquiry-based learning is another philosophy commonly adopted in international schools. An inquiry approach gives students the opportunity to make real-world connections through self-exploration and are guided by teachers to think deeply on the topics explored.

Want to know more about international school curriculums? The popular International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is one program that has its origin in international school and has been widely used for over 60 years. Read more here.

Teacher Quality Matters

It should come as no surprise to parents that the number one factor in students’ academic success is the quality of their teacher. Research shows that a strong, caring teacher can support a student in achieving expected learning growth well beyond one year of academic growth in math and reading in a school year. By contrast, a weaker teacher can result in less than expected annual growth for their students. (See research link below)

Non-profit international schools often benchmark themselves against other quality schools around the world who provide similar learning experiences for students. This benchmarking includes having highly competitive salaries when compared to local and overseas teacher salary averages. This approach to compensation and benefits creates a highly effective and professional learning environment leading to non-profit schools consistently attracting the best teachers.

In international education, schools are assessed in levels of quality education, sometimes categorized as Tiers by international educators. Tier 1 is used to describe the highest quality schools when considering student learning, teacher quality, and commitment to a Mission, Vision, and Core Values that supports the richest learning environment for students. Subsequent Tiers 2 and 3 and so-on represent schools with varying degrees of quality educational environments and resources. By virtue of their approaches to focus on student learning and not profit, the majority of the highest quality schools worldwide are non-profit schools.

Most Tier 1 schools hire international educators with a minimum of 3-5 years of experience, preferably with a Masters degree, a valid certification from their home country (or a country aligned educationally with their learning expectations), and strong references from previous educational organizations.

For-profit educational organizations can have varying degrees of requirement for the teachers they hire depending upon their internal expectations. Due to their profit status, typically they are not in a position to offer as competitive compensation packages as non-profit organizations.

Ask the international school you are considering about their recruitment of teachers and how you can know that their teachers will support and prepare your child(ren) for what comes next after their experience at their school.

University Admissions - It’s not always what you would expect

At AAS, our students do well in finding the right university that fits their needs after graduation from our school. We publicly share the full list of recent university acceptances with our community. These selections are a mix of well-known universities around the world as well as unique universities that match the personal interests and/or strengths of a student. Each student is individual and being able to support our students in finding where they want to go next is essential. Some good benchmarks for considering international schools is knowing where their students go to university as well as the diversity of the universities their students attend. This information provides an indication of how well the international school has prepared students for the next stage of their learning journey, as well as whether students are able to seek a university that is right for them. The match in education for your child(ren) is so important, both when selecting an international school but also having confidence that where your child will go next will be the best match for them personally and educationally.

Universities use a range of metrics to determine which students they will admit. External test scores, such as scores from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme or the grades they get in high school are some indicators they use to determine if a student can succeed. However, equally important is that universities are seeking young adults who will thrive in their learning environment, who are committed to multiple years of study, and who will make their campus a better place. Universities track the performance of the students they accept over time and note the schools where these students completed their secondary education. If students from a specific international school consistently prove to be successful students at a given university, then the university will be more likely to continue to accept student applicants from that international school.

For example, at AAS Moscow, we have an entire section of our website dedicated to helping students and their parents learn about the many nuances of preparing for university acceptances.

Facilities Matter, they are integral to learning

At AAS Facilities are designed to be an integral component of learning for students. For parents choosing a new school, it is important to visit a school or to participate in a virtual tour if going to the school is not possible to “see” the facilities and learn how the facilities will enrich the learning for their child(ren). When a school can invest 100% of its revenue back into the organization, you as a parent will see the strategy behind how the school emphasizes student learning. In this emphasis, creativity, flexibility and critical thinking should be visible in the space design. You should be able to envision your child(ren) learning in the spaces and you should also feel, as an adult, inspired to want to learn in that space.

Beyond the enriched learning opportunities of the spaces in international schools, the facilities also provide opportunities for engagement with the parent community. The school facilities should recognize and welcome the international community that you want your family to be a part of.

Parent-School Relationships

Research shows that parent collaboration and engagement in the life of their children at school significantly improves the overall learning experience for students. It’s ok to ask the schools you are considering about their Parent-Teacher associations, programs, and engagement opportunities. Schools that follow educational research and want to capitalize on parent involvement will have many opportunities for parents to be involved through volunteer opportunities, community events, in-class experiences, and open connection opportunities virtually and on campus.

School Reputation Matters

When students are leaving one educational organization for another, whether your child(ren) will be going on to university or to another international school or returning to a school in your home country, the reputation of the international school you are coming from plays a role in understanding the learning experience your child(ren) was involved in. Older, well-established international schools have relationships with other international schools around the world as well as University admissions departments who know the history of the performance level of students. Ask the international school about these relationships and how the school is connected with other schools and universities, as these are valuable resources for your child(ren).

It is also important to do your own research online and consider the weight of references and reviews for each school. For example, a recommendation from the United States Department of State and the Office of Overseas Schools may carry a different weight than an unverified online review for some families. Nonetheless, we recommend that families explore the school's digital footprint including online reviews and social media to get a better sense of the community they are considering joining.

Conclusion

Every parent wants to make the best choices for their children and there are many factors to consider when choosing an international school. Learning experiences for their child(ren), the quality of teachers, the focus of resources on student learning vs. profit, parent and community collaboration, facilities as an integral part of learning, and university admissions are all worthy of your time in considering an international school. We are hopeful that the information above will serve as a guide to you for some of the important areas to focus on when ensuring you choose a school that aligns with your family values and long-term educational and personal goals for your child.