Izmir American Collegiate Institue (ACI)

Established in 1878, the Izmir American Collegiate Institute (ACI) is one of Turkey’s highest ranked schools and is unquestionably the most prestigious high school in Izmir. Nearly all pupils at the institution are ranked among the top 1 percent in the nationally administered high school entrance exam, entailing that they are among the hardest working students in the country while also being ideal students for teachers.

ACI offers a “1+4” high school program, with the “1+” referring to a preparatory program for students whose English-language skills are still insufficient for the first year of high school. New students enter an intensive English-language program (beginner to advanced) to prepare them for the rigorous four-year high school program. In the prep program, class sizes are capped at 20 students in order so as to foster a productive language learning environment. Following the completion of the prep year, students enter the official Turkish Ministry of Education stream featuring grades 9-12. At ACI, students have the option of either entering the International Baccalaureate Program in grade 11 continuing with the national curriculum. ACI is a fully accredited IBO World School and is proud to be the first Turkish high school in the Aegean region to receive IBDP authorization. Around 20 percent of ACI students select the IBDP option.

English-speaking international faculty constitute over 20 percent of the staff. The international faculty currently includes teachers from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Ireland. All of our foreign educators are certified educators in their home countries.

ACI has a solid record of university acceptance; over 99 percent of its high school graduates are annually accepted into Turkish and international universities. ACI students currently attend universities including Boğaziçi University, Middle East Technical University, Koç University, Sabancı University, Cornell College, Georgetown University, Columbia University, University of California-Berkeley, McGill University, and Royal Holloway in London. Typically, around 25-35 percent of the graduating senior class elect to go to university abroad, while over half choose to apply nationally. The school employs a professional overseas university counselor who works with the families and students during the selection and application process.

ACI is proud of its extra-curricular activities, sports programs, clubs, and strong service-learning program. It has a long history of service-learning and working with disadvantaged groups including the Multiple-Sclerosis Society, street children, the poor, the blind, and senior citizens. Many groups and individuals benefit from the school’s service-learning programs and the IBO’s CAS requirement. The school supports a bookmobile that visits poorer areas around Izmir to distribute books and promote education, while ACI also boasts a sister school that it collaborates with in rural eastern Turkey.

ACI as well as the elementary, middle and the other high schools of SEV provide a unique teaching opportunity in Turkey.

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