Atlanta International School

What it reported doing in 2024

Atlanta international school was founded in 1984 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 educational 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 with 51 students, pre-kindergarten through first grade, in three language tracks: english plus french, german, or spanish. Ais moved to its current home, a 1920's era building on the national register of historic places, in the buckhead area of atlanta. During school year 2024-2025, enrollment was approximately 1,341 students in grades 3k-12. Over 90 countries around the world are represented in our school community of students, faculty, staff and parents. Ais is one of only a handful of schools in the united states authorized to offer international baccalaureate programs for primary, middle school and upper school students. Primary students follow a bilingual curriculum until the end of fifth grade. Ais offers 104 different ib diploma programme courses (grades 11-12) and 147 middle years ib courses. Of the 102 graduates of the class of 2025, 38% earned a bilingual ib diploma, graduates enrolled at 63 different universities around the u.s. And the world, and the average ib diploma score was 28. By delivering a rigorous academic program combined with world-class standards in language acquisition within an open-minded, intercultural environment, ais prepares students to succeed in a globally connected world. Ais is accredited by advance ed, the council of international schools (cis), and the international baccalaureate. In november 2023, the school purchased another campus in sandy springs, Georgia, the former brandon hall school property with the intention of expanding the school's physical and educational footprint. The new campus is located in sandy springs on the banks of the chattahoochee river, about 30 minutes north of our buckhead campus. The brandon hall campus currently has a capacity of 210 students. The property spans 25 wooded acres and includes sporting facilities such as tennis courts, an athletic field and gymnasium. There are also 10 housing units for employees and a riverhouse for the head of campus.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 90%; rating input score 90
• Program expense ratio: 86.1%; rating input score 86
• Fundraising efficiency: $0.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Fail
  • Requires narrative reports: Fail
  • Conducts field audits: Fail
  • May suspend future funding: Fail
  • Requires financial reports: Fail
  • Conducts site visits: Fail
  • Requires grant agreements: Fail
  • May require repayment: Fail
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 95.7%; rating input score 96; 49th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -4.8%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.99; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.54; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 4%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings