Background Information on ICS

This story helps illustrate some realities at our school:

A seven-year-old student passes a teacher in the narrow hall. “Hello,” he responds casually, looking her in the eye. It is a small gesture but one of many miracles that is repeated each day at the International Community School. For months, the child had stared silently at the floor and drawn shocking pictures of war. Now he is an open-hearted young boy with a striking gift for mathematics.

The International Community school (ICS), a charter school located in DeKalb County, Georgia, was strategically designed to bring together refugee, immigrant and native-born children in an academically challenging and nurturing environment. In the last 10 years, thousands of refugee children have come to DeKalb County, bringing not only gifts and talents but the deep physical and spiritual wounds of war. Today the county is home to the highest percentage of refugees in the southeastern United States.

In response to this need, for the 2007-2008 school year, ICS serves 370 children in grades K-6 on two campuses. Here is more background information on our school:

Text Box: Due to growth, we now have two campuses. Students in K—4 are at our Avondale campus, located in space owned by the Avondale-Patillo United Methodist church. Grades 5 and 6 are at Stone Mountain, located in classrooms owned by St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. We are seeking to acquire our own school building and bring all students and staff to one campus. Our students represent more than 35 countries and some 40 language groups. Students also represent an economic mix seldom seen in America’s schools. More than half of our students are refugees or immigrants and more than half receive free or reduced lunch. The remaining students are from mainstream families, a significant percentage of whom previously enrolled their children in private schools. Our diverse community of learners is brought together by our committed, mission-driven staff. The school uses the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program as a framework for the Georgia public school curriculum (Georgia GPS/QCC). All children study a second or even a third language. We offer English, French and Spanish. Despite the fact that many children at ICS are still learning English and that many live in poverty, ICS has created a remarkable track record. It has had high average attendance rates and impressive results on reading and mathematic tests of the state’s Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT).

Making a world of difference

International Community School