Amman National School

A Dual Commitment: International Standards and Arab Heritage

At the heart of Amman National School's educational philosophy is an unusual dual commitment: meeting the rigorous demands of international education while preserving and celebrating Arab cultural identity. The school's mission explicitly calls on students to become lifelong learners who thrive in a "diverse competitive world" while "maintaining pride in their identity and Arab heritage."

Personalized, Experiential Curriculum

ANS describes its approach as personalized and constructionist — moving beyond rote learning toward hands-on, experience-driven inquiry. Teachers employ diverse pedagogical methods designed to ignite curiosity and enthusiasm. Students are not passive recipients of content; they are challenged to take personal initiative and demonstrate creativity.

This philosophy is embedded in the school's physical environment. Design Technology Studios equipped with 3D printers, carpentry tools, and CAD software; a rooftop greenhouse where students grow organic produce and study horticulture; science labs housing Formula-1 and robotics kits — all of these spaces are designed to make learning tangible and joyful.

Nurturing the Whole Child

ANS's official mission emphasizes a "nurturing and caring environment" alongside academic rigor. The school values happiness, friendship, and kindness as preconditions for genuine intellectual growth. Small class sizes (capped at 26) and a community of around 1,000 students mean that individual students are known by name — not lost in a crowd.

Critical Thinking and Global Citizenship

The school's vision explicitly frames ANS graduates as agents of change: "responsible, tolerant, and productive citizens committed to making a difference in their community and the world." This civic dimension of the philosophy — developing students who contribute meaningfully beyond the classroom — distinguishes ANS from purely academically oriented institutions.

Bilingual as a Value

The school's bilingual Arabic-English instructional model is not simply a linguistic accommodation; it reflects a philosophical commitment to honoring both local cultural roots and global academic opportunity. Core subjects are delivered in both languages, ensuring students develop fluency and academic vocabulary in Arabic as well as English.

Small School, Big Diversity

With approximately 1,000 students, ANS is small enough that students and teachers know each other personally — yet diverse enough to offer genuine cross-cultural exchange. The student body spans 11 nationalities: while Jordanians form the majority, American, Egyptian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Swedish, Algerian, Cypriot, Moroccan, and Tunisian families are also represented. This mix creates a community that is international in character while remaining deeply rooted in Amman.

Family at the Center

ANS positions the parent-teacher-student relationship as a genuine three-way partnership. The school's mission statement names "students, teachers and parents working together" as the engine of educational excellence. Parent-teacher meetings are held at the start of and mid-year; open house events at the beginning of each academic year (separate sessions for different grade bands — KG, Grades 1–6, and Grades 7–12) create structured opportunities for community building.

Founding Family's Enduring Presence

Unusually for a school of this size, the founding family remains actively present in daily leadership. Dara Taher (Director General), Zuka Taher (Deputy DG / Principal), and Zeina Abu Ennab (Dean of Students) shape school culture from the top. This family leadership contributes to a consistency of values and a personal accountability that larger, corporately managed schools may lack.

Student Life and Extracurriculars

Beyond the classroom, ANS students participate in a wide range of activities: competitive football and volleyball teams that have placed nationally; robotics teams that have won STEM Racing awards; film clubs whose work has been recognized in national competitions; student councils; MUN; art clubs; and music ensembles. The breadth of opportunities — in a school of 1,000 students — means most students can find a meaningful role in community life.

Arab Heritage as Community Bond

The school's bilingual curriculum, Arabic language classes, and explicit mission references to "Arab heritage" serve a community-building function: they signal that international education at ANS is not an erasure of local identity but an enrichment of it. This positioning resonates strongly with Jordanian families seeking international credentials without sacrificing cultural continuity.

A Purpose-Built Campus in Suburban Amman

Situated in the Dabouq district of western Amman, the ANS campus has been developed over four decades into a comprehensive educational environment. The hillside setting gives it a distinct character — open, airy, and removed from the noise of central Amman while remaining accessible via school bus routes covering major city neighborhoods.

Standout Facility: The Rooftop Garden and Greenhouse

Perhaps the most unusual feature of the campus is a working rooftop garden and hydroponic greenhouse. Students grow organic fruits and vegetables here as part of botany and horticulture study. The garden embodies the school's experiential learning philosophy — science happens not just in a lab but in the soil.

Creative Arts Spaces

The campus dedicates significant space to creative production. Four visual art studios offer room for painting, sculpture, printmaking, and media arts. A fully equipped music suite contains violins, guitars, ouds, percussion instruments, and a recording studio. The 220-seat multipurpose theatre — complete with professional stage, lighting rigs, and sound systems — hosts drama productions, concerts, and whole-school assemblies.

Technology and Making

Three Design Technology studios bring a maker-culture ethos to the secondary school. Studio 1 focuses on cooking and handicrafts; Studio 2 houses carpentry, CAD workstations, and a 3D printer; Studio 3 provides project development space. Three dedicated ICT labs support coding, digital design, and software literacy. Science laboratories (four specialist rooms plus a solar energy lab) equip students for IB and national curriculum investigations.

Sports and Physical Education

Outdoor facilities include a large artificial-turf football pitch, an outdoor basketball court, and a multipurpose field. An indoor gymnasium and active play area accommodate PE classes and recreational sports year-round. The football team has competed — and placed second — in the Jordan Schools' League, evidence that these facilities support genuine competitive achievement.

Library and Information Center

The central library holds more than 30,000 Arabic and English volumes alongside digital databases. A recent remodel added dedicated reading zones, group study areas, and a maker space for student-led creation projects — transforming the library from a repository into an active learning hub.

A Family Mission to Transform Education

Amman National School was founded in 1985 by five Taher sisters who shared a vision of improving Jordan's education system. What began as a modest initiative in a rented building — serving only a few early grades — has evolved over four decades into one of Amman's leading private K–12 institutions.

From Rented Rooms to the Dabouq Campus

By 1987, just two years after its founding, the school had relocated to its purpose-built campus in the Dabouq district of western Amman. Over subsequent years, ANS methodically added grade levels — expanding first through elementary, then middle, and finally high school — always under the guiding hand of the founding family.

The Taher Family's Enduring Leadership

Dara Taher, one of the founding sisters and a math specialist, has served as Director General from the school's inception to the present day. This continuity of leadership has given ANS a rare institutional coherence: the mission articulated at founding remains the compass for daily operations. Other family members, including Zuka Taher (Deputy Director General / Principal), continue to shape school culture.

IB Authorization — A Landmark Milestone

A defining moment in the school's history came on 7 February 2007, when ANS was authorized as an IB World School to offer the Middle Years Programme (MYP). The subsequent addition of the IB Diploma Programme (DP) for Grades 11–12 gave students the choice between internationally recognized credentials and the Jordanian Tawjihi, opening pathways to universities worldwide.

Today: ~1,000 Students, Dual Curriculum

From a handful of students in 1985, ANS now serves approximately 1,000 learners aged 4 to 18. The school continues to blend Jordanian Ministry of Education requirements with IB international standards, maintaining the founding sisters' original ambition: to raise confident, curious, and globally minded Jordanian graduates who take pride in their Arab heritage.

Dual-Track Secondary Education

One of ANS's defining academic features is its dual-curriculum model. From Grade 9 onward, students and families choose between two formally distinct pathways:

1. IB International Track — Middle Years Programme (Grades 6–10) leading to the IB Diploma Programme (Grades 11–12). Graduates receive the internationally recognized IB Diploma, opening doors to universities worldwide.
2. Jordanian National Track — The Tawjihi program (Grades 9–12), available in Scientific or Literary streams, leading to the Jordanian General Secondary Education Certificate recognized across Arab universities.

IB at the Core of Upper School

ANS has been an IB World School since 7 February 2007. The MYP begins in Grade 6, giving students four years to develop IB approaches to learning before deciding (at Grade 9 transition) whether to pursue the full DP. The DP offers a broad range of subjects: English A, Arabic A, Mathematics (Analysis and Approaches at SL/HL), Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), Humanities (Economics, Business Management, Psychology), Arts (Visual Arts, Music, Film), and the core elements — Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essay, and CAS.

Tawjihi for Local University Pathways

The national Tawjihi track is equally well-resourced, serving students whose university plans focus on Jordanian and Arab-world institutions. Tuition for Tawjihi students (Grades 9–12) ranges from 5,035 to 5,850 JOD annually — somewhat lower than the IB track (6,880–9,445 JOD), reflecting the different examination costs. Both tracks share the same campus, teachers, and extracurricular life.

Assessment Culture

IB students engage in continuous internal assessment alongside externally marked examinations. National track students prepare for Jordanian standardized examinations. At lower grades (KG–Grade 8), continuous formative assessment guides teaching. Class sizes are capped at 26, supporting individualized feedback.

Facilities That Support Academic Ambition

Four science laboratories, three computer labs, a library housing 30,000+ books in Arabic and English, and a maker space within the Information Center collectively support both tracks. Students in the IB program can conduct extended laboratory investigations; Tawjihi students use the same spaces for applied curriculum work.