Istanbul International Community School Hisar Campus

Our school was started as the international sister school for the children of Robert College’s foreign teachers. Established in 1863 as a school for Turkish children, Robert College is the oldest extant American college located off American soil, and we share a long, rich history.

Over the years, IICS has gone through the transformation from being Robert College’s sister school to a school serving all of Istanbul’s expatriate students: our name-change reflects this. Although RC is an American curriculum school, IICS is international. In fact, we hold the distinction of being one of the first schools in the world to become authorized to offer all three International Baccalaureate programs. Since 1911, generations of international students have sparked their passion for learning at IICS, as will many generations to come.

Our children’s education is something none of us is willing to compromise in order to work overseas. We all want the best academic opportunity. IICS was one of the first schools in the world and the first in Turkey to be authorized by the International Baccalaureate to provide all three IB programs. In addition to being one of the oldest international schools in the world, Istanbul International Community School (IICS) is among Europe’s most noteworthy.

The school has maintained a century-long tradition of academic excellence. IICS is an independent, co-educational day school, offering a full IB program from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 for international students (holders of non-Turkish passports).

IICS aims to be a top international school—not just in our region, but among the best international schools worldwide. To provide the best education to meet the needs of every learner is the target that directs all our planning and action as an educational institution. Every learner should be empowered.

We are a heterogeneous community with students representing more than 62 nationalities, many of whom have multi-country experiences. This wealth of diversity offers us opportunities and challenges to continually improve our academic offerings to ensure our community of learners is empowered and engaged in their academic journey.

At IICS, we strive to weigh every school decision based on its confluence with the school’s mission. This means that board decisions, curriculum choices, administrative policies, and basically everything we do should reflect what our values are. How do we do that? We make our Mission a living, breathing part of what we do.