Cities / Kuwait City / Global Bilingual Academy
Global Bilingual Academy
A Cognia-accredited bilingual American school in Mahboula, founded in 1998 in the Ahmadi area. Pre-K to Grade 12, with the American programme taught in English alongside the Kuwait Ministry of Education curriculum in Arabic.
In brief
A Cognia-accredited bilingual American school in Mahboula, founded in 1998 in the Ahmadi area. Pre-K to Grade 12, with the American programme taught in English alongside the Kuwait Ministry of Education curriculum in Arabic.
GBA serves a diverse student body from over 20 countries on a single campus south of Kuwait City, convenient for families based in Ahmadi, Mahboula, and Fahaheel. The school has built a reputation for academic competition rather than for size or facilities: a gold medal at the World Schools Debating Championships in 2021 and a Harvard MUN gold in 2022 are the marquee results. Fees are not published. Head is Lisa Dallas.
GBA is one of the schools families consider once Hawalli and Salwa become impractical for the daily commute. The bilingual model is a real choice for Kuwaiti families wanting their children fluent in both languages and prepared for either an American or a Kuwaiti university route. Best fit for families in the southern suburbs wanting a bilingual American programme with a strong record in academic competition.
Reviews
- One teacher writing flagged Global Bilingual Academy as having an unusually healthy work culture for the local market and said staff get treated as people, which is rare for Kuwait schools.
- A long-running International Schools Review thread is harder: experienced teachers describe Mahboula as an undesirable area, students with very limited English despite the bilingual label, and a school not in the top tier of Kuwait options.
- A 2017 blog post described alleged incidents involving rough handling of younger children; the source is a single blog and is dated, but the allegation is on the public record.
- Parent voice is essentially absent from independent platforms; almost all signal is teacher-side or anonymised forum.
Head of school
Ms. Lisa Dallas
Welcome and thank you for joining your family with Global Bilingual Academy! The 2025-2026 school year has arrived filled with new opportunities for learning. We value the learning partnership between our students, parents, teachers, and administrators – working together for the success of each student. We appreciate receiving parent feedback by completing surveys and through open communication. We approach the year with a strong multinational staff that instills the passion for education to create lifelong learners. Our teachers are also lifelong learners participating in our rigorous professional development program. We value the early dismissal time on Thursdays for teachers to focus on refining instructional techniques that benefit your children. Academic excellence is emphasized in the mission of GBA. We continually use a variety of assessment data to measure our students’ academic progress and to adjust our professional practice to meet individual needs. Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) is an international assessment program. In the past few years, our high school students exceeded international average scores in English, Math, and Science in multiple grade levels. This is an indicator of how well our partnership works to prepare our students for a limitless future. Another part of our mission is to support our students to become critical thinkers and responsible global citizens who respect their religious and cultural identity. Through technology we are able to reach beyond geographical boundaries to learn from others. Our educators in all departments are committed to fulfilling this mission that our students, as global citizens, have a positive impact on the world. We look forward to collaborating with you to deliver an education at the highest level of quality and in the best interests of your children.
Accreditations
- Cognia 01