Awty International School
The Awty International School is a private school located in Spring Branch, western Houston, Texas, United States. Founded in 1956, Awty allows its students to receive the International Baccalaureate or the French Baccalauréat, and is the only school in Houston fully accredited by the French Ministry of Education, making it the only overseas school for French national students in the Houston area. It has age three to 12th grade students. Awty is the largest international school in the United States and the largest private day school in Houston. It is part of the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) network of schools for French national students abroad. History Awty opened at 3736 Westheimer Road on September 10, 1956. Originally a pre-school, it was founded by Kathleen "Kay" Awty. The school initially had 27 students at the kindergarten and prekindergarten levels. The school moved to 1615 Garretson Street in 1960. By 1970, It served grades preschool through sixth. By that same year there were 250 students enrolled. The upper school division opened in 1975, and in 1976 four female students graduated from the high school, forming the first graduating class. In 1979, Awty merged with the French School of Houston and began offering a bilingual program. That year, the school moved to its current campus. In 1984 the school received its current name, the Awty International School. A preschool facility opened in 1990. Kay Awty died in 1996. On the school's 50th anniversary in 2006, a $5 million athletic complex including a 1,400-seat stadium, 85 parking spaces, and tennis courts were constructed. Affiliations and accreditation Awty is affiliated with the Mission Laïque Française. Agencies accrediting Awty include the International Baccalaureate (IB), the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS), the Ministry of National Education of France, and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands. Awty is also affiliated with Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger (AEFE), the Council of International Schools (CIS), the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE), the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC), Houston Junior Preparatory Conference (HJPC), Houston Area Independent Schools (HAIS), and Texas International Baccalaureate Schools (TIBS). Curriculum The school offers the IB Diploma, the French Baccalauréat diploma, and a general high school diploma. As of 2021, Awty is the only school in Greater Houston offering both tracks to the International Baccalaureate and French Baccalauréat diplomas, and the only school in Texas requiring all seniors to take the final exams in one of these two programs. The AEFE accredits Awty. Preparing students for the global lives they are sure to lead, all students are immersed in the study of a second language. The form of immersion varies depending on the grade level. Students in PK3 through Kindergarten are immersed in either English/French or English/Spanish. In 1st grade through 5th grade, language immersion is with core subjects taught in the primary language of either English, French, or Spanish and specials such as art, gym, and library are