Cities / Amman / Modern American School
Modern American School
One of Amman's longer running American pattern schools, opened in 1986 and now offering both the IB Diploma and the US American Diploma alongside AP. Around 950 students, just over 50 nationalities, on a campus on Bakhit Al Issa near Airport Road.
In brief
One of Amman's longer-running American-pattern schools, opened in 1986 and now offering both the IB Diploma and the US American Diploma alongside AP.
Around 950 students, just over 50 nationalities, on a campus on Bakhit Al Issa near Airport Road. AP exam centre since 2008, IB Diploma alongside the American Diploma route, and a college counselling operation that places students into US universities every year. Cognia accredited.
Reviews are mixed and worth weighting carefully. The strong end is consistent: parents praise teacher access, university advising and the social experience. The honest concerns are about cost creep, with extras and activity fees adding up on top of tuition, and questions about discipline and student culture in the upper school. Fees run JOD 4,700 to 13,650, putting it in the mid range for Amman. Best fit for families who want a clearly American track and value the size and breadth of the offering.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-KG / KG1 | 3 | JOD 4,700 |
| KG2 | 4 | JOD 4,800 |
| Grade 1 | 6 | JOD 6,500 |
| Grade 2 | 7 | JOD 6,700 |
| Grade 3 | 8 | JOD 7,600 |
| Grade 4 | 9 | JOD 7,850 |
| Grade 5 | 10 | JOD 8,050 |
| Grade 6 | 11 | JOD 8,250 |
| Grade 7 | 12 | JOD 9,100 |
| Grade 8 | 13 | JOD 9,200 |
| Grades 9-10 (American) | 14 | JOD 11,100 |
| Grades 11-12 (American or IBDP) | 16 | JOD 13,650 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Admission Fee (Grades 1-12, non-refundable) | JOD 500 |
Reviews
One of Amman's longer-running international options, founder-led since 1986 and rooted in Sweifieh across two adjacent campuses. The pitch is a dual American Diploma and IB pathway under Cognia accreditation, with a stable senior team and a track record of placing graduates into selective universities abroad. Public parent voice is light; the picture comes through more in structural facts than in chatter.
Positives
- Curriculum breadth. Full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP) sits alongside the American High School Diploma with around ten AP courses and SAT prep. Families who want optionality at the senior end get it without switching schools.
- University outcomes. Graduates land at Harvard, MIT, Yale, Penn, LSE and Toronto among others. College counselling is a long-standing strength rather than a recent claim.
- International mix. Around 52 nationalities in the student body and staff drawn from more than 20 countries, with a meaningful share of native English-speaking teachers.
- Accreditation and oversight. Cognia accredited and an authorised IB World School across all three programmes. Tawjihi equivalency is handled in-house for Jordanian university routes.
Considerations
- Ownership and management style. The school is founder-owned and the Zamel family is closely involved in day-to-day direction. That brings continuity and a clear identity; the trade-off is a top-down feel that won't suit every family or staff member.
- Location and access. Sweifieh is central for West Amman families and well-served by school buses. Two campuses on the same street keep siblings close, though traffic at pick-up and drop-off is the usual Amman story.
- Fees. Annual tuition runs roughly JOD 4,850 to JOD 13,650 across the year groups, plus registration and bus charges. Mid-pack for Amman international schools rather than at the top end, with a 10 percent sibling discount.
Leadership
Mr. Taysier Zamel
As the son of Palestinian immigrants in the United States, growing up in Queens (NY) in the 1950’s, I regularly found myself at the crossroads between my Arab upbringing and the flurry and excitement of life that is New York City. I quickly realized that success in life relies on one’s ability to combine the best of multiple worlds. This early theme soon became the guiding principle that would be the foundation of the Modern American School.
Accreditations
- Cognia 01
Academic results
- IB Diploma 2024 average 92%