International School of Trieste

The International School of Trieste is a non-profit English language international school for students of both sexes and all nationalities. It was founded in 1964 upon the initiative of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics and the Italian American Association.

IST is home to roughly 350 students from 35 nationalities and enjoys its location in the Carso hills overlooking the city of Trieste. Education within IST’s community of staff and students is a particularly special experience. It encourages openness and opportunity, collaboration, and a sense of empathy which allows us to explore exciting viewpoints from around the world.

To walk through the school corridors of IST is to encounter this unique environment in person. From Kindergarten through High School, from science labs to immersive language classes, from local field trips to see Trieste’s natural wonders to overnight visits exploring European capitals, IST’s students are encouraged to go beyond their own individual perspectives and to work together to find consensus and resolution. Our students are active and important participants in their own learning, which they demonstrate through involvement in clubs and community events, and in the new ideas and initiatives they create.

As a diverse teaching and learning environment, IST and its community work to reflect the globalized world in which we all live. Understanding and appreciating diversity is a crucial part of our students’ learning. To do so, our talented teachers not only deliver an international curriculum, but also create classroom environments in which students show respect and care. With more than 50 years of history behind us, founded and shaped by Trieste’s international context, IST is a school eager for what’s yet to come.

The International School of Trieste is the only international school in Italy to issue diplomas fully and legally recognized by the Italian law (art. 10, comma 3, della Legge 29 gennaio 1986, n. 26), specifically designed for the school. The IST diploma allows students to go ·to a public or private school at any point. At the end of High School the diploma allows students to apply to any Italian or foreign university and make any competitive state exam in Italy.

All teachers are mother tongue and are recruited worldwide to guarantee a highly qualified international education to our students. The Italian language is an integral part of the academic program for the Elementary, Middle and High School students.

The International School of Trieste is accredited by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (M.S.A.) and is member of the following organizations: European Council of International Schools (E.C.I.S.), Council of International Schools (C.I.S.), Association for the Advancement of International Education (A.I.E.E.), and the Mediterranean Association of International Schools (M.A.I.S.).

The International School of Trieste (IST) delivers an instructional program characterized by internationality, world-class education, didactic completeness and ethic integrity to students from different cultures with ambitious goals. Our challenge is to develop an international culture, versatility of knowledge and the capacity for individual growth. To achieve its mission the International School of Trieste is committed to:

• We work toward the constant improvement of both instructional programs and teaching methodology, holding ourselves to the highest international benchmarks.
• We support integration, diversity, knowledge, plurality, coexistence and mutual respect.
• We encourage personal growth, value each student’s characteristics, self-esteem, imagination, and goals to contribute to the development of mature, committed and mindful people.
• We accept the challenge to become proactive people, who wish to create and are able to face needs and solve problems, open to the surrounding world with positive and critical thinking.
• We promote a tangible sense of civic responsibility and apply it to everyday behavior; we encourage a community spirit built on dialogue and acknowledgement, to highlight the values of identity, responsibility and citizenship.

The IST Curriculum presents a wide range of disciplines which encourage academic curiosity and confidence in the learner. It is organised into core and non-core subject areas in the IST Kindergarten and IST Elementary School, which are joined by elective courses in the IST Middle School and IST High School. The IST Curriculum is the product of a development process carried out by faculty members which has examined a variety of curricular models and teaching standards, in order to create a rigorous academic program which prepares students for college and university studies. It is subject to a cyclical review by subject specialists, which ensures that IST maintains a teaching ethos which seeks out and embraces new and distinct ideas in the field of education.