The American School of Madrid, founded in 1961, is a private, K-12 international school in Madrid, Spain. It provides an education to over 900 students from the United States, Spain, and other countries. The 2017-2018 school year comprises 3 trimesters, extending from May 9 to July 31, December 6 to April 2, and April 3 to June 22.
History
ASM was founded in 1961 and is now a private school. It is for boys and girls and is k1-12 grade. ASM’s alumni program was established in 1996 as a common meeting ground to facilitate communication amongst all students, alumni, and alumni parents that have attended the American School of Madrid.
Campus
The ASM campus is located 12 kilometers west of the center of Madrid, in Pozuelo de Alarcon near Aravaca. The facilities were inaugurated in 1967 and currently include four main buildings; a Lower School building which includes classrooms as well as a lower school learning commons-library, a lower school science lab, a full gymnasium and a playground, a Middle and Upper School with learning commons and cafeteria renovated in 2016, a Center for the Arts that houses 3 art classrooms, 3 music classrooms, 1 drama classroom, a 600-seat auditorium, and a large multi-purpose room. The Science Center and Athletics Complex include all middle and upper school science labs, a full-sized gymnasium, fitness and weight room, health and yoga room. Outdoor PE facilities include 2 tennis courts, an all-purpose weather track; a turf soccer field; a baseball diamond and a multipurpose covered outdoor area. ASM has a one-on-one laptop program from Kinder 3 to Grade 12. There are four digital labs, one is dedicated to digital arts and one to robotics. Technology is integrated into all grades and curriculums and specific technology courses are offered.
The curriculum is similar to that of U.S. private college-preparatory schools. Instruction is in English. The School's testing program includes the Measures of Academic Progress ''', National Merit, and College Board tests. Spanish, French, and Mandarin are taught as foreign languages. The majority of graduates attend colleges and universities in the United States, Spain, and Great Britain. For students in grades 1-8, English-as-a-Second-Language and remedial reading are offered through the school's learner support program. There is an after-school program for sports and extracurricular activities. The School is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the International Baccalaureate Organization, and the Spanish Ministry of Education
The population at ASM is made up of 33.33% U.S. citizens, 33.33% Spanish citizens, and 33.33% international students from 52 countries all over the world.
Faculty
In the 2017-2018 school year, there are 114 full-time and 3 part-time faculty members, including 79 U.S. citizens, 26 host-country nationals, and 12 third-country nationals. Also, ASM has 3 technology coordinators and 4 technology assistants, 4 guidance counselors, 2 librarians, and 2 library associates, 1 science laboratory assistant, 9 administrators, 1 alumni coordinator, 1 full-time school nurse, 1 part-time nurse, 10 administrative support staff, and a crew of 4 in the maintenance department.
Student activities
The American School of Madrid offers a wide variety of extra-curriculum activities for its students. These activities take place from October to May, a few times per week during afternoons. Most of these activities are included in tuition fees. Extra curriculum activities that AMS offers:
The American School of Madrid was founded in 1961, but before the school was built, the administration and some tutoring took place in an apartment in the Torre España for over a month, with Kelly Gardener as the first Headmaster and Mary Adah Curbera as the first teacher of the school.
Athletics
In addition to many extra curriculum activities, ASM also offers a wide range of different sports clubs. ASM has 2 outdoor tennis courts, 2 basketball courts, 2 turf soccer field, a baseball diamonds, and a gymnasium.
