About us

Internationally
Welcoming

AAS proudly serves not only the international community, but also local, internationally minded Bulgarian families in Sofia who appreciate the value of an independent international education. With almost 600 students, aged 4 to 19, from around 50 countries, we offer an international and multi-sourced curriculum that is concept-driven and inquiry-based.

Mission &
Values

Our Mission & Core Values provide the inspiration and foundation for all that we do and seek to achieve.
We engage, support and prepare each student for today and tomorrow by:

  • Fostering a love of learning, healthy living and international community
  • Developing the knowledge, skills and values to communicate, find solutions and innovate
  • Enhancing critical thinking, resourcefulness and creativity
  • Cultivating leadership, compassion and responsible citizenship in both attitudes and actions
  • Nurturing the abilities to interact effectively with others and to act independently with confidence

Vision 2025

AAS has achieved tremendous growth over the last ten years.
The Board commends the schools commitment to engage, prepare, and support each student for today and tomorrow and endorses the following principles to guide such development:

  • We are dedicated to excellence and innovation. We aim to ensure that each graduate is able to successfully pursue the post-secondary path of choice.
  • We work to advance an academic program that prepares students for the twenty-first century and meets the needs of diverse learners.
  • We are committed to the use and improvement of facilities that support students’ growth as global citizens and promote a variety of lifelong activities including the arts, athletics, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
  • We maintain that educational quality and financial sustainability are the paramount considerations regarding decisions concerning growth. With this in mind, we envision growth to approximately 600 students.
  • We will prudently seek financial, institutional, and educational resources from alumni and the broader community.
  • We will develop, enhance and maintain strong connections to the community to exemplify the role and effect on society that we expect of our students and graduates.
  • We will govern the school in an open and transparent manner, encouraging communication and seeking engagement with the school community.
  • We will undertake all improvements with a commitment to sustainability in the broadest sense — educationally, environmentally, financially, and institutionally.
  • We recognize the need to grow and mature as an organization while preserving the best aspects of our warm and friendly atmosphere.

Our Core Values

Commitment

  • Academics, athletics, arts, service and sustainability collectively support our mission.
  • We believe that learning is a lifelong journey that is transformative, collaborative and explorative.
  • We appreciate and celebrate that the achievements of our holistic approach promote continuous growth.
  • We are dedicated to the belief that we have a responsibility to embrace and seek out diverse perspectives and ideas.
  • Self-awareness, willingness to push beyond limitations, and the desire to see things through to completion contribute to intellectual, social, emotional and physical well-being.

Respect

  • Integrity, empathy, mutual respect and consideration, and an ethical environment commensurate with the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights support our mission.
  • We believe that embracing a mix of cultures, talents, experiences and socioeconomic diversity makes AAS an authentic and fulfilling place in which to learn.
  • We model and help others model respect for all of our community members.
  • We appreciate and celebrate people as individuals with unique talents and abilities.
  • Wisdom and caring promotes the development of attitudes, values, self-regulation, relationships and responsible citizenship.

Excellence

  • Challenging, authentic and connected curricula, programs and assessments draw on the best international practices, help students develop the IB Learner Profile traits.
  • We believe in encouragement, perseverance, cooperation, acceptance of individual responsibilities, and the provision of diverse and engaging learning opportunities for students.
  • We understand that we are models for others and seek to embrace and live the ethos of being an open-minded, kind and caring community member.
  • We appreciate and celebrate that successful learning and achievement takes many forms.
  • Graduates leave AAS with confidence and an understanding of the role they may play in shaping the future.