FAQs

School starts at 8:00 AM. Early childhood students finish at 12:00 PM. Kindergarten to grade 12 finish at 3:20 PM (2:00 PM on Wednesdays).

The school year at ICS usually begins in August.

The 2018-19 school year starts on 27 August 2018 and finishes on 21 June 2019. The 2018-19 calendar is available on the Information and Downloads page of our website.

In the 2018-19 school year, ICS served 950 students from over 60 countries, from early childhood 2 (EC2) to grade 12.

Elementary School

• Early childhood classes have a maximum of 16 students, with a primary teacher and a teaching assistant.
• Kindergarten classes have a maximum of 18 students, with a primary teacher and a teaching assistant.
• Grade 1 classes have a maximum of 22 students, with a primary teacher and a teaching assistant.
• Grade 2 classes have a maximum of 22 students, with a primary teacher and a teaching assistant.
• Grades 3-5 have a maximum of 24 students, with a primary teacher and a teaching assistant.

Middle and high school

• Classes have a maximum of 24 students. Some classes may be smaller, especially in the high school, due to the range of class options available.

Most grade levels have three or four sections at each grade level.

We encourage families to plan your transition to Addis to allow your children to start school at the beginning of the school year in August. The beginning of the second semester in January is a good alternative. However, we understand that this is not always possible.

Please contact the Admissions Office to discuss your child’s start date. This is critical for incoming high school students, due to credit requirements for graduation. Elementary and middle school students are generally not allowed to start school less than 30 days before the last day of the school year.

ICS Addis is a responsibly inclusive school. We welcome students with different learning needs, within the capability of our student support program. As we have limited space in our student support program, and there are few local resources in Addis, families must contact us in advance to confirm if we are able to support a student.

ICS does not have a school uniform. Students in middle and high school (grades 6-12) are expected to follow the ICS dress code. Students in grades 6-10 must purchase ICS shorts and a t-shirt for their physical education (PE) classes.

ICS does not provide a bus service. Many families live in the Old Airport neighborhood and drive their children to school, or hire a driver. Some families may walk to school and older students sometimes ride their bicycles to school.

Students may choose to purchase school lunch or bring lunch from home on a daily basis; there is no meal plan. Students in kindergarten up to grade 5 may purchase the buffet lunch. Students in grades 6 and above may purchase the buffet lunch or à la carte items from the snack bar. 

Parents deposit money in their student's prepaid account (in local currency with the school cashier) and students use their ID cards to purchase school lunch. The buffet menu is published in the weekly newsletter, so parents and students may plan which days they wish to purchase school lunch. 

ASA sign up information will be sent to parents by email in the first couple weeks of school. Middle and high school athletics have tryouts and signups in the first weeks of school as well.

Families arriving after the start of the school year will receive information from the Admissions Office about how to sign up for ASAs and athletics.

ICS runs a half-day summer camp for the two weeks after school closes in June. The summer camp is open to current and entering ICS students; students entering EC4 up to grade 6 in the next school year are eligible. Registration opens in May and new families will receive more information by email.

Other international schools in Addis offer summer programs for elementary school-aged children and the Admissions Office will share information on these programs with new families when available.