Cairo American College is a pre-K-12 international American school located in Maadi, Cairo, Egypt. It caters mainly to dependents of the local American embassy and other international students. The school works to recreate an American schooling experience within a Middle-Eastern nation. It was recognized in 2014 by the SchoolAcademy Awards as the best school in the Middle East and Africa.
Curriculum
CAC follows "American Education Reaches Out" standards. International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement programs are offered within the high school, giving students the option to opt-in or out, to suit individual educational needs. Starting in the eleventh grade students may elect to pursue an International Baccalaureate Diploma. All school instruction is in English. World language studies include Arabic, French, and Spanish. Arabic is taught in grades 1-12; French and Spanish are offered in grades 6-12. Other nation-specific studies include the history and culture of Egypt. Technology is integrated into the curriculum school-wide, employing the use of Apple Inc. devices. CAC is a non-sectarian school. Cairo American College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and Council of International Schools. Cairo American College holds membership with Association for the Advancement of International Education and Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools.
Faculty
The majority of the teachers are educated in either North American institutions and universities, or equivalent institutions in Egypt, such as the American University in Cairo. As of the 2014-2015 school year, there are 96 full-time and 10 part-time faculty members. They include 53 U.S. citizens, 24 host-country nationals, and 29 third-country nationals.
Students
provides direct and indirect support to CAC. However, CAC is not a Department of Defense school. Despite this, a significant portion of dependents of the American Embassy attend CAC. As of the 2016-2017 school year, enrollment is 833. Of the total, 300 are U.S. citizens, 188 are host-country nationals, and 345 are of other nationalities. Of the U.S. enrollment, 123 are dependents of U.S. Government direct-hire or contract employees, and 177 of either U.S. business and foundation employees or other private U.S. citizens. Ninety-eight percent of the school's graduates go on to colleges and universities in the United States or other countries.
Activities
CAC is involved in Middle Eastern, Asian, and European athletic and non-athletic conferences. The Screaming Eagles are successful in baseball, swimming, and soccer. Basketball, cross-country, volleyball, tennis, track & field, water polo, and wrestling are also offered. CAC also hosts and participates in international MUN, art, choral, and drama festivals, among others. CAC offers the Week Without Walls program, which gives high school students the opportunity to spend a week either travelling to another country or participating in trips around Egypt. The trips are meant for students to learn about other cultures or to take part in community service projects. CAC was once a member of the Eastern Mediterranean Activities Conference. In 2010, it left EMAC to form MESAC; however, it is no longer a part of MESAC today.
Tuition
Annual tuition in 2017-2018 is $11,000 for Pre-K; $23,600 for grades K-5; $24,100 for grades 6-8, and $24,300 for grades 9-12.
