King's Academy Brochure 2023

KING’S ACADEMY

Inspired by the vision of His Majesty King Abdullah II, King’s Academy was founded in Madaba, Jordan in 2007. A graduate of Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, His Majesty wanted to provide youth of the region, and the world, with a comparable educational opportunity in the Middle East. His vision — now a reality — was to establish an innovative institution that would welcome talented male and female students from all backgrounds, religions and social classes with the aim of fostering empathy, tolerance and harmony, while preparing them to be future leaders.

The knowledge and values that King’s instills in its students help shape confident, well-rounded individuals and inspire them throughout their life paths as changemakers of a shared future of peace and opportunity.

HM King Abdullah II

HM King Abdullah II, Deerfield Academy, Class of 1980

KNOW Get to us

An independent, coeducational boarding and day school blending American style, college-preparatory education rooted in the liberal arts and sciences with Middle Eastern history, traditions, language and cultural values

INNOVATIVE learning is in our DNA

Our preferred methods of teaching:

DISCUSSION DEBATE DIALOGUE

King’s uses the Harkness method which teaches students to:

Ask questions

Read deeply

Consider divergent points of view

Learn skills of respect, discussion, collaboration and intellectual leadership

Listen actively

Portfolio-based assessment

Advanced Placement Exams in 24 subjects

Opportunities for research and independent study

Individualized university counseling

Summer college application bootcamp

Structured evening study hall

AP Capstone Program

Global Online Academy

A King’s Academy education is defined by a comprehensive focus on students’ development in every sense: intellectual, personal, physical, social and ethical.

Penny Townsend Head of School

In addition to the 24 Advanced Placement (AP) courses available to students and a number of core requirements in English, Arabic, mathematics, sciences, history and social studies, the arts, and philosophy and religion, King’s offers a plethora of challenging elective courses that provide more autonomy, flexibility and choice for students.

Global Online Academy

King’s is a founding member of Global Online Academy (GOA), the mission of which is to reimagine learning to empower students and educators to thrive in a globally networked society. GOA courses offer students a way to pursue their passions and learn with peers from around the globe.

Capstone Program

AP Capstone is a two-course sequence that allows students to explore realworld issues while developing their analytic, research, problem-solving and communication skills.

Middle School

The King’s Academy Middle School strives to provide bright young minds with a space in which they feel comfortable expressing themselves; one that cultivates their curiosity through active and interactive forms of learning, personalized instruction and advising, and the development of strong habits of study and character.

The Middle School at King’s uses a student-centered grading approach that revolves around three important skills: reflection and meta-cognition, reading and understanding feedback, and goal setting. Students are expected to reflect on their own learning, guided by evidence and narrative feedback from their teachers. Students set goals for themselves, in conjunction with their teachers, to highlight areas of growth. The Middle School motivates students to take responsibility for their own educational journey and develop a love of learning that lasts a lifetime.

Recent College Matriculations

Brown University

Columbia University

Dartmouth College

Duke University

Georgetown University

Harvard University

Imperial College London

King’s College London

McGill University

New York University

Northwestern University

Stanford University

Swarthmore College

Tufts University

University of California - Los Angeles

University of Pennsylvania

University of Edinburgh

University of Cambridge

University College London

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

University of Notre Dame

University of Toronto

Wellesley College

Yale University

King’s is a place where students can take academic risks and make mistakes. A place where they can try new things. A place that will put them on the road to success, regardless of what they decide to do after they leave.

Penny Townsend Head of School

The ARTS are part of WHO WE ARE

King’s believes that artistic sensibility is a vital part of a well-rounded education. Our courses are designed to nurture an appreciation for art in all its forms and to provide students with the opportunity to discover the joy that comes with creating and performing.

I had the keys to the art room. I would go in and take out the oil paints and canvases and just work by myself in the room, then bring that back to the dorms. I’d carry my art bag everywhere. That’s what I remember about King’s. It was the beginning of my art experience.

Nadine Zaza, Class of 2012

Rhode Island School of Design, Class of 2017

EXPLORE options BEYOND the classroom

Co-curricular Program

The co-curricular program at King’s is designed to complement the academic offerings of the school and plays an integral part in helping students explore and expand their interests.

Athletics

Student athletes at King’s Academy have the opportunity to compete in a variety of sports including volleyball, football, cross-country, basketball, swimming, track and field, tennis and squash. Additional athletic opportunities exist in our co-curricular program such as jiujitsu, boxing, fitness or weight training, horseback riding, fencing, ultimate frisbee, yoga, dance and handball. Plus, a variety of other activities exist on a student-led and informal basis.

Interscholastically, King’s competes in the Amman Athletic Conference and the Jordan Schools League. Furthermore, King’s engages with local schools and clubs to arrange friendly games.

Community Service

As a Round Square school, King’s Academy celebrates internationalism, democracy leadership and community service.

co-curricular activities

UNBOUNDED King’s

When the academic year comes to an end, and summer begins, the learning opportunities still abound, and they range from educational, to leadership and service to exchange programs:

Summer Exchanges

In recent summers, King’s students have gone to Australia, Germany, Namibia, Canada, the United States, India, Japan, Peru, Singapore, South Africa and Tanzania.

GOA Summer Courses

A variety of Global Online Academy courses are available in the summer, such as Computational Thinking, Fiction Writing, Game Theory, Introduction to Investments, Introduction to Psychology, Java, and Medical Problem Solving.

UCO Boot Camp

The UCO university application bootcamp, which takes place every May, is compulsory and free to all rising seniors. Students research to build their university lists, brainstorm ideas to construct their application essays, understand the difference between applying early and regular, put together a CV and build a personal timeline to make sure they manage their time well. All that and much more serves to give them a head start on the college admissions process and reduce the pressure on them during their senior year.

Internships Leadership Camps

Students have the opportunity to participate in various leadership camps around the world. Four-Star Leadership in Oklahoma, Global Social Leaders at Wellington College in the United Kingdom, Global Citizens Youth Summit in Boston and Student Global Leadership Institute in Hawaii are just a few examples.

Students have held school-organized internships at a variety of entities such as AB Invest, Bank Al Etihad and Invest Bank (banking), Al Tamimi and Company and Khalifeh & Partners (law), Gulf Insurance Group (actuarial science) and Columbia Global Centers (entrepreneurship, business management).

Experiential learning with Arabic Year

This program gives high school students the opportunity to immerse themselves in Arabic language study, soak in the history and culture of the Middle East and “learn by doing” through offcampus educational excursions.

While at King’s, AY students take a combination of courses in Arabic language, history and culture, along with traditional American courses in science, world languages, mathematics, English and the arts.

AY students who have graduated from King’s Academy have gone on to universities such as Dartmouth College, Middlebury College, Yale University, Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of California, Berkeley.

For more information: arabicyear@kingsacademy.edu.jo

Arabic Year at King’s Academy (AY)

KING’S can be your HOME too

At King’s, students become part of a small-knit community in the classrooms, on the playing fields, in the dining halls and in the dorms. They have the opportunity to develop life-long friendships with students from across the world and all walks of life, they work together with faculty in creating a strong sense of community, and they develop the necessary skills for the challenges of university life.

Our residential program includes nine Houses, each led by teams of experienced faculty living side by side with students in separate dorms for boys and girls, and uniquely dedicated to their care and wellbeing.

Mentoring

King’s mentoring system is designed to enable faculty to develop powerful and individual relationships with students through teaching, learning and building a strong sense of community.

State-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories

55,000-book library

Multi-faith spiritual center

9 gender-segregated dorms with 463 single rooms

Magnificent 700-seat auditorium

Extensive 5,548 m2 athletic center

Astronomical observatory

100% powered by PV solar system

Safe and secure campus

Just 30 minutes away from Jordan’s capital of Amman, nestled amongst olive groves and farmland, the 575-dunum (144 acre) King’s Academy campus is a perfect blend of the rich traditions of the region and modern innovation.

King’s is situated just five kilometers from the historic city of Madaba and a short drive from the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. Petra, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, is also a short day-trip away.

King’s is committed to clean energy. The school’s energy needs are fulfilled by the 8130 solar panels on campus.

With our program, tuition is within your REACH

FINANCIAL AID

I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for King’s. I wouldn’t speak English if it weren’t for King’s. I wouldn’t know so much about the world that I know now if it weren’t for King’s. All of that wouldn’t have happened if there wasn’t financial support for me at King’s Academy.

Noor Eddin Amer, Class of 2012 Solutions Engineer, Facebook Member of the Board of Trustees, King’s Academy

King’s Academy is committed to attracting a talented, socio-economically diverse student body.

Full and partial grants are made each year to families who demonstrate financial need.

Various merit scholarships are granted annually to Upper and Middle School applicants from Jordan and abroad.

49% of students receive financial aid

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