Atlanta International School observes the 30th anniversary of the school this year, celebrating an important milestone for the school’s community. The school also welcomes the class of 2030 – incoming 3K students in the Early Learning Center - this fall.

“As we think forward to their world of 2030, we have been asking, ‘What are we doing now to get them ready for that imagined future?’” said Kevin Glass, headmaster. “Our reason for being as a school demands that our students leave us not only to survive or thrive in their future, but to add value and contribute positively to whatever community, place and society in which they find themselves. They’ll need a global mindset, adaptability, resilience and perseverance, a sense of innovation and entrepreneurship, and – last but not least – the ability to collaborate creatively. Just getting into great universities or having a successful career is never enough for us. It is the mission of Atlanta International School to develop extraordinary individuals who will absolutely shape the 21st century.”
AIS will celebrate its 30th anniversary – and the Class of 2030 (known on campus as the “30/30s”) - over the course of the year at a number of events, including a back-to-school picnic in August and the school’s signature WorldFest international festival on October 25.  The Class of 2030 will also bury a special time capsule on campus in the spring.
 
The school was founded 30 years ago by a group of parents, international educators and members of the business community whose aim was to provide the Atlanta area with the kind of international education opportunities found in major cities throughout the world. Support from major corporations and public figures was obtained because of the school’s importance in the development of Atlanta as the premier international city in the southeastern United States. The school opened in September 1985 in a schoolhouse rented from Sardis United Methodist Church in Buckhead with 51 students, pre-K to first grade, in three dual-immersion language tracks: English plus French, German or Spanish. AIS moved to its current Garden Hills campus - originally designed by noted Atlanta architect Philip Trammell Shutze - in 1995.